Getting ready for the spotlight

Cliff Wilkins' interior has removable, iPod-ready boom boxes; a sliding cargo tray; and cupholders in the tailgate.

THE REALITY BEHIND A CONCEPT

Getting ready for the spotlight

Automotive News / January 8, 2007 - 1:00 am

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The Trailhawk The Jeep Trailhawk is a 4-seat, 4-door SUV. Wheelbase: 116 in. Length: 191.2 in. Width: 77.7 in. Height: 69.3 in. Weight: 3,900 lbs. Engine: 3.0-liter diesel with Bluetec emissions system Drivetrain: 4-wheel drive, 5-speed automatic Performance: 0-60 mph in 9 seconds Top speed: 124 mph

Metalcrafters operates out of a small industrial strip in Fountain Valley, a short drive from Disneyland. Using the sketchbooks and other data as a guide, more than 20 departments work together to produce a concept. Representatives from Metalcrafters met weekly - sometimes daily - with Chrysler representatives via videoconference. Once they unloaded the clay model from the moving van, workers made a mold by covering the clay with fiberglass and epoxy resin. From that epoxy mold, they constructed a carbon-fiber body. Some parts of the vehicle, such as the fenders and hood, were molded separately. They used sheet metal to join the carbon-fiber body to a chassis derived from two donor vehicles.

La Shirl Turner: Handled color and trim By October, the vehicle was ready for the "dry fit" review. It would be Vardis and Wilkins' first chance to see the fully built vehicle. Joining them would be Sgalia, engineering chief Quigley and Kornilov, the engineer. A big grin spread across Vardis' face when he entered a walled-off area of the Metalcrafters workshop. There sat the Trailhawk, lighted up and covered in silver primer. "It looks so muscular. I can't believe how powerful the stance is," he said. Wilkins' first reaction was that this would be a "dynamite concept." Said Sgalia: "We need a sign: No Wimps."

Nicho Vardis prepares for a review by DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche by applying tape to simulate door cuts and other openings on the vehicle. Ignoring the din of welding and hammering outside the temporary walls, the team got to work. For the next few hours team members examined the vehicle inside and out. They crouched down to the floor. They climbed on ladders. Some people think designing is just about drawing, Vardis told an observer. "It's a physical job." Before long, the designers began placing pencil marks and neon-green dot stickers on the primed surface to mark areas that needed work. Thin strips of electrical tape indicated spots that had to be resanded. Drawing on his sculptural skills, Vardis started adding clay to the side mirrors, which were deemed too small. Wilkins had come armed with his sketchbook and a legal pad filled with notes. He climbed onto one of the exposed-foam seats and compared his specifications for the interior with the real thing. Very little had to be changed. "I think it is very close," Wilkins said. "It exceeded my expectations. If you've only ever seen it in data, there are so many opportunities to have gotten things wrong. Fortunately, there are no major areas where we've miscalculated."

From left: Chrysler design vice president Ralph Gilles and his boss, Trevor Creed, review the Trailhawk model with Don Savich, clay modeler.

Epilogue

The modifications needed turned out to be relatively minor. In the next few weeks, Metalcrafters would complete its work, including painting and upholstery.

In November, Sgalia and Quigley made one last trip to Metalcrafters. This would be the final chance to make corrections. Fortunately, aside from refinement in the body paint, little needed to be done.

About a week later, the vehicle would be presented to LaSorda, along with other concepts, at Chrysler's Pacifica design studio in Carlsbad, Calif. In the ensuing weeks would come photo and video shoots for media kits.

The vehicle is now ready for its close-up. More than a year after Vardis and Creed first visualized it, the Trailhawk is scheduled to debut today, Jan. 8, at the North American International Auto Show.

You may e-mail Leslie J. Allen at lallen@crain.com

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Timeline
Fall 2005: Designer Nicho Vardis submits an exterior sketch to the Chrysler group's annual concept design competition.
January 2006: Vardis wins the competition.
February 2006: Design team formed; designer Clifford Wilkins will do the interior.
March 2006: Clay model is milled.
May 2006: Metalcrafters gets the clay model and begins hand-building the concept.
Summer 2006: A detailed computer model of the interior is sent to Metalcrafters; interior materials are ordered and shipped; designers prepare detailed "sketchbooks" on the interior and exterior. The vehicle is named Trailhawk.
October 2006: Design team inspects the nearly finished vehicle.
November 2006: Supervisors conduct final reviews at Metalcrafters.
December 2006: Trailhawk is unveiled for CEO Tom LaSorda at Chrysler's Pacifica studio in California.
Jan. 8, 2007: World debut scheduled at North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

How the Trailhawk took flight

An early sketch of what would become the Jeep Trailhawk - one of the many revisions that Nicho Vardis submitted to Chrysler's design competition.

THE REALITY BEHIND A CONCEPT

How the Trailhawk took flight
Once-rejected Jeep sketch gives design team chance to show off vision of new Wrangler variant

Leslie J. Allen | | Automotive News / January 8, 2007 - 1:00 am

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Today, the Chrysler group is expected to reveal the Jeep Trailhawk concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Chrysler granted Automotive News an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the development of the Trailhawk - a sporty, open-air vehicle built off the Wrangler Unlimited's platform. Here is an inside look at how the Trailhawk emerged from a vague idea to take its place on the auto show floor. Nicho Vardis had been a car enthusiast since childhood. He was artistic, adventurous and gregarious. The 31-year-old designer already claimed a major achievement: In his previous job, at General Motors, he had helped design the Saturn Sky concept. Now he was at the Chrysler group's Advanced Product Design office in Auburn Hills, Mich., which works on vehicles that are slated for production but may be years away.

Nicho Vardis and the watch that gave the Trailhawk wings. Photo credit: GLENN TRIEST Vardis was supposed to develop ideas for a production Jeep, so he went on the Internet to do some imagery research. That was when he spotted a skin diver's watch. It wasn't unusual for Vardis to be inspired by things such as watches or architecture. As an amateur painter and sculptor, he had cultivated an eye for detail. This watch is not just about beauty, he thought. It's about function. Even its colorful face had a meaning. "The yellow is the last color you see when you descend in the water," said Vardis, a certified diver. A Jeep, he reasoned, is about utility - but also adventure, the wind in your hair, a feeling of openness. He started sketching. And before he knew it, he had veered off his original production assignment. Vardis had created a brawny-yet-stylish vehicle with a hard line stance, bold wheel flares and a slight scowl. Its signature feature: removable glass panels on the roof, sides and back, to allow riders to enjoy the open air. He was excited, but what would his bosses think? Just as he had feared, they said his idea was a bit too futuristic, not quite ready for a production program. Then his bosses threw him a bone - they agreed to evaluate his idea for a possible concept vehicle.

The 1998 Jeepster concept inspired the Trailhawk's open-air styling ... A contest The timing couldn't have been better. It was the fall of 2005, and Chrysler's annual concept competition was under way. It was an open invitation for everyone who could pick up pen and paper to submit sketches for the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Designers loved the competition. Sketches had been pouring in from all over the company. Vardis even had submitted a few. Submissions were mounted on 20-foot-long Velcro boards for review by senior managers. "It's a draw to want to be here, because you know you're going to get a chance to contribute - and you may be the 'American Idol,' in effect," said Don Renkert, senior design manager in the Product Design Office. Over in the executive offices, Trevor Creed, the Chrysler group's senior vice president for design, disliked the Jeep sketches he'd been seeing. "There's restyled Wranglers; there's redone this and redone that," he recalls thinking at the time. "I'm disappointed in what I'm seeing here. I don't really see anything."

... and that Jeepster was reminiscent of Willys Jeepsters of the '40s and '50s. Creed asked his team whether there was anything sophisticated they could do with the new four-door Wrangler Unlimited platform. What if you took off that iconic body, he asked, and came up with something completely different and fresh? Creed, who had seen and admired Vardis' sketch, issued a challenge: Create something on the Wrangler Unlimited platform that looks nothing like a Wrangler, and make it part of the sketch competition. He said he wanted something more posh - "something that has a lot of emotional appeal." At first, Creed's request left managers scratching their heads. John Sgalia, director of the Jeep studio, was one of them. Even Chrysler star designer Ralph Gilles, newly named a vice president, was surprised. Then they thought about it. The Wrangler Unlimited JK platform is pretty cool, Sgalia reasoned. It has a decidedly "romantic" proportion, he said. Vardis' sporty, open-air vehicle - which harkened back to the 1998 Jeepster concept and the Willys Jeepsters of the late 1940s and early 1950s - had set the bar for the competition.

Jeepster history was reborn in one of Nicho Vardis' earliest pencil drawings.

Victory

Like his colleagues, an anxious Vardis often checked the wall of sketches to see whether any managers had placed little dot stickers on them. Each colored dot meant someone in authority liked that sketch. The more dots, the better. A dot from Creed was a major achievement.

One of the decision-makers was Gilles. "You pick the sketch that seems to push as many buttons as possible," he said. "But the ultimate thing, no matter how much we try to be pragmatic about it, it really comes down to the emotion. Does the sketch jump off the wall more so than any of the other sketches we've seen?"

He also knew that when it came to Jeep entries, they had to balance innovation with maintaining the brand's DNA.

The reviews continued for weeks, during which Vardis redrew his Jeepster II concept several times.

Finally, the decision was made. Vardis' supervisors in the Advanced Product studio pulled him aside. He had won the competition.

Vardis was relieved. He went out with friends that night to celebrate over dinner and drinks. Since concept cars are top secret, he couldn't tell them anything specific.

In the midst of the revelry, Vardis felt the weight of the task ahead. There's an amazing amount of work yet to come, he said to himself.

Doug Quigley, head of concept-vehicle design engineering, was in charge of figuring out the chassis. Quigley met with Creed and Gilles. They agreed that the concept would be a good way to showcase the new 3.0-liter diesel engine, which would debut in the 2007 Grand Cherokee.

Gilles recalled the discussion: "We always have to imagine these (concept) cars could be in our portfolio, so what would be the approach? It didn't take us long to realize this would have to be a diesel. … It's the perfect engine for a car like this - lots of torque. It's great for off-roading."

Mercedes-Benz: 100 Years of AWD

GERMAN CAR SCENE | Warren M - - Mercedes-Benz and the all-wheel drive - a success story: 4MATIC for everyone: comfort and driving dynamics attain a new level of perfection.

Mercedes-Benz has consistently been expanding its all-wheel drive line-up, setting new trends in a rapidly growing market segment. Mercedes-Benz offers no fewer than 48 models with permanent all wheel drive in seven vehicle classes, fulfilling the wishes of drivers for effortless motoring in all weather conditions. The new flagship is the S-Class 4MATIC. Developed entirely in-house for the luxury saloon, this all-new drive system combines perfect traction, first-class ride comfort and impressive driving dynamics with good fuel economy. The new technology leader likewise carries on the tradition with its roots in the so-called “Dernburg Wagen” from 1907, one of the first Mercedes-Benz vehicles with all-wheel drive. The vehicle designed 100 years ago by Paul Daimler paved the way for all the all-wheel drive vehicles sporting the Mercedes star – the Unimog, the G-Class, the first E-Class with 4MATIC, right through to the current model line-up with the new S-Class 4MATIC as its flagship.

Read the rest of this entry »

RECORD-BREAKING 2006 FOR CHRYSLER GROUP IN THE UK

sponsored by:

www.chauffeursnetwork.com

Chrysler Group has achieved record new car sales in 2006 with more than 20,000 cars sold for the first time in the UK.

The Chrysler 300C has proved to be a huge success with more than 2,000 registrations, beating all sales targets while retaining impressive residual values. The Voyager range has also had one of its best ever years in the UK selling more than 5,300 units, with the Stow ‘N Go seating system proving immensely popular.

For the Jeep^® brand the Grand Cherokee has been the big seller, with sales up 45 per cent on 2005 while the new Dodge Caliber has proved a sales success across the UK.

Peter Lambert, Managing Director of Chrysler Group, said: “When Chrysler launched in the UK in 1993 with just the Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler it sold 3914 vehicles. Since then sales have gone from strength to strength and the UK is now the second biggest market for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models in Europe.

“Driving through the 20,000 sales milestone for the first time is a significant achievement for our dealer network. 2006 was a challenging year for car sales across the UK, but the launch of six new cars has helped us buck this trend. We are one of only a handful of brands that have grown in the last 12 months with sales up 38 per cent compared to 2005.

“We are expecting an even bigger year for Chrysler Group in 2007 with seven new vehicles due to be launched. Sales of smaller SUV vehicles are predicted to grow significantly, and our new Jeep products will lead this growth. The new compact Jeep Patriot and Compass offer a class-leading
43.5 mpg, while the new Jeep Wrangler, with a diesel engine for the first time, is the only five-seat 4x4 cabrio on the market.

“The successful launch of the Dodge Caliber in 2006 puts us in great position to launch two new Dodge models next year – the stunning Dodge Avenger saloon and Dodge Nitro 4x4 will certainly stand out from the crowd. For Chrysler the 300C SRT-8 Touring offers incredible performance while the Chrysler Sebring saloon will herald our new approach to the company car market.”

This Day in Auto History: 05 JANUARY

This Day in Auto History: 1.5.1891 "Glenn Dale Angle, Chief Draftsman of the Welch Motor Car Company1909-1911 and for the Dort Motor Car Company 1916, is born in ImlayCity, MI" 1.5.1914 "The first Rayfield Cyclecar is completed amid great optimism, butonly one more car would be built" 1.5.1925 "Ralph DePalma drives a stripped down Chrysler Model B-70 touringcar 1,000 miles in 786 minutes at the Culver City, CA track to setnumerous stock car records" 1.5.1932 The Hupmobile 1931-1934 ``Stylized H'' mascot is patented bydesigner Raymond Loewy 1.5.1950 The 1950 Chryslers are introduced

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick

This Day in Auto History:

Chrysler meets Chery

Is there another rebadge vehicle coming to the US....AWD V6 sedan

DaimlerChrysler To Debut In-Vehicle Video Streaming

Posted on 4th January, 2007 by Warren M

Filed in DaimlerChrysler

WiMedia TechZone will be showcasing solutions and building blocks required for enabling WiMedia based solutions, at next week’s CES International event in Las Vegas.

Included in the WiMedia TechZone is a demonstration from DaimlerChrysler Research, Engineering and Design North America Inc. (DC REDNA), who will be exhibiting a Mercedes-Benz R500 enabled with the ability to stream high-definition video live from a consumer electronic device using ultra-wideband (UWB) to a rear system entertainment (RSE) system. This demonstration of WiMedia UWB in an automobile is the first of its kind research prototype and sets the stage for technology and content development that capitalizes on the growing popularity of RSE systems in family vehicles.

In this prototype demonstration, DC REDNA uses UWB technology provided by Intel in the vehicle. The Intel UWB solution incorporates the Intel® Wireless UWB Link 1480 MAC (Media Access Controller) silicon and an Alereon AL4000 WiMedia RF Transceiver to create the wireless USB connection. The demonstration will illustrate the streaming of high-definition videofrom a handheld mobile device to the RSE system inside the Mercedes-Benz R500 viewable othe factory installed monitors in the headrests for the middle and third row passengers.

“We appreciate Intel’s work to enable UWB in automobiles as we strive to enhance the comfort and convenience features for all our passengers,” said Dr. Wieland Holfelder, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of DaimlerChrysler Research, Engineering and Design North America Inc. “As more and more wireless devices and wireless options will find their way into future DaimlerChrysler vehicles, standardization is essential and we look forward to collaborating with the WiMedia Alliance and their members to open up new innovations for drivers and passengers.”

The CE, PC, mobile device and automotive marketplaces have many applications that require high bandwidth wireless connectivity over a short range personal area network. With more than 250 members, the WiMedia Alliance is committed to promoting and enabling UWB technology that allows consumers to utilize rich and compelling content between devices within a wireless personal area network (WPAN).

“As more companies develop products based on the WiMedia UWB Common Radio Platform, consumers will reap the benefits of owning devices that work together and stream content that can be shared with others in their personal area networks,” said Stephen Wood, president of the WiMedia Alliance. “Consumers’ needs and wishes for enhanced technology continue to drive the members of the WiMedia Alliance to envision new ways of utilizing PC, CE and mobile devices in the home, office, and even in the car.”

[Source: Wimedia]

Chrysler expects restructuring plan by February

Reuters / January 4, 2007 - 3:00 pm DETROIT (Reuters) -- The Chrysler group should have a restructuring plan ready by February as it aims to recover from a loss expected to be near $1.3 billion for 2006, the automaker said today.

It has set a target of doubling its sales outside North America over the next five years to roughly 400,000 units.

"That's the overall plan that we will take to the marketplace. It will probably be by the end of the second month of the year," Chrysler group CEO Tom LaSorda told reporters on a conference call.

He added: "It will outline what we need to do on a wide scope of business, and I'm not providing any details until that day."

LaSorda also said the Chrysler group would remain open to product-focused alliances like the one it has clinched with China's Chery Automobile Co. to produce a new small car for export to Europe and the United States.

"The opportunities outside the U.S. are becoming more and more important," LaSorda said.

The Chrysler group announced a partnership with Taiwan's China Motor Corp. to export cargo vans to Mexico.

Under the deal, China Motor, which now makes a Chrysler-branded minivan for sale in Taiwan, would produce a Dodge-branded cargo van at its assembly plant in Yangmei, Taiwan, for the Mexican market, the Chrysler group said.

The automaker said it would also license China Motor and Fujian Motor Group of Fuzhou, China, to make a minivan for the Chinese market.

"There are ways to capture growth in different ways rather than putting a lot of your own capital out there," LaSorda said. "So we'll look at those kinds of opportunities."

The Chrysler group's U.S. sales slipped 7 percent in 2006, although sales outside the United States were up almost 7 percent. On a global basis, vehicle sales fell 4.5 percent.

In the U.S. market, DaimlerChrysler, which includes the parent company's Mercedes-Benz brand, slipped to become the No. 4 player, behind Toyota Motor Corp., which saw its own U.S. sales rise 13 percent.

Like other automakers, the Chrysler group is expected to face a flat to weaker market for vehicles sales in the United States this year, and LaSorda said the company would increasingly look for growth outside North America.

The company has previously said that its restructuring plan would look to cut $1,000 from the cost of each vehicle produced. Analysts have expected it to consider shutting a plant and asking the United Auto Workers for concessions on health care costs.

The Chrysler group has said it expects to report a 2006 loss of some $1.3 billion. Inventories of unsold pickups and SUVs have piled up and strained relations with U.S. dealers.

The Chrysler group is moving toward offering smaller vehicles to lessen its reliance on SUVs, trucks and minivans and target a segment of the market expected to be boosted by the consumer concern over high fuel prices.

The new small car that Chery is to build for the Chrysler group would allow the automaker to compete for young buyers and those for whom a cut-rate price is the most important consideration, the Chrysler group said in a statement.

Trademark Update: HORNET

Mark


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Standard Character claim: Yes

Current Status: Final review prior to publication has been completed, application will be published for opposition.

Date of Status: 2007-01-02

Filing Date: 2005-12-23

The Information will be/was published in the Official Gazette on 2007-02-06

Transformed into a National Application: No

Registration Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

Register: Principal

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Current Location: 650 -Publication And Issue Section

Date In Location: 2007-01-02

Chrysler's focus swivels to minivan interiors

2008 Dodge Grand Caravan

NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Bradford Wernle | | Automotive News / January 4, 2007 - 12:19 pm
DETROIT -- With its current-generation minivan, the Chrysler group cemented its market leadership in the segment with an innovation: Stow 'n Go seating.

Now, for the fifth generation of its bread-and-butter vehicles, Chrysler has come up with Swivel 'n Go.

With Swivel 'n Go, the second-row seats can rotate to face the third-row seats. A table pops up in the middle so occupants can play cards, backgammon or whatever, almost as if they were traveling on a commuter train.

The feature is an option on versions of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, to be unveiled here next week at the Detroit auto show.

The name of the game in the minivan business is features. Because many minivans look so similar on the outside, the features inside count when dealers go to make a sale.

This time Chrysler took the best features from its major competitors and incorporated them into its own minivans, says Trevor Creed, Chrysler's chief designer.

"On top of that, we added our own unique features," he says.

Chrysler is billing the new minivans as "family rooms on wheels."

For the first time, passengers will be able to choose different entertainment programs because the minivans have separate DVD players. Chrysler will offer a MyGIG infotainment system, which is like having an iPod in the instrument panel. It also will offer an Infinity surround-sound system with nine speakers, a subwoofer and 506 watts.

Chrysler is upping the powertrain ante. For the first time, the automaker will offer a 4.0-liter V-6 engine, producing 240 hp and 253 pounds-feet of torque. That will be mated to an available six-speed transaxle, an industry first. Two other engines will be available: a 3.8-liter V-6, also with the six-speed, and a 3.3-liter V-6 with a four-speed automatic.

For the first time, the Chrysler group will offer only long-wheelbase versions in both brands. That means the Dodge now comes only in a Grand Caravan version. The wheelbase has been extended for 2008, to 121.2 inches from 119.3 inches in the current long-wheelbase model.

Chrysler will build Sebring for China in China

Bradford Wernle | | Automotive News / January 4, 2007 - 11:21 am The Chrysler group will start assembling the Sebring sedan for China this year at Beijing-Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co., CEO Tom LaSorda said today.

The Chinese-assembled Sebrings will get engines from the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance plant in Dundee, Mich.

The factory in Beijing is a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler AG and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.

LaSorda also said Chrysler has signed an agreement with China Motor Corp. in Yangmei, Taiwan, to begin exporting a cargo van to Mexico. It will be sold as a Dodge.

The two announcements came just after Chrysler said it hired Chery Automobile Co. to build small cars in China for export to North America, Europe and possibly other markets.

The plan awaits approval from the DaimlerChrysler supervisory board and the Chinese government.

Chrysler Global Sales down by 4.5% for 2006

DETROIT, Jan 4 (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler AG's (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) (DCX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Chrysler Group said on Thursday that worldwide vehicle sales fell 4.5 percent in 2006 to a total of 2,698,429 vehicles.

In the United States, Chrysler sales declined 7 percent to 2,142,505 vehicles last year.

The company also said it plans to export Taiwan-built cargo vans to Mexico and launch production of the new Chrysler Sebring sedan in China for the local market.

2008 Chrysler Town & Country / Voyager unveiled

LEFTLANENEWS.COM - - Chrysler will use the Detroit auto show to reveal its all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country (a.k.a. Voyager) minivan. Specific details of the new model are not known, but the new van gets a completely revamped exterior, plus an all-new interior. The Town & Country will be offered with a new 4.0-liter V6 in the range-topping U.S. model. More details are expected in the coming days. 21-image gallery after the jump….