Detroit Show: Chrysler's Gorgeous 200C Hybrid-Electric Concept

Detroit Show: Chrysler's Gorgeous 200C Hybrid-Electric Concept

Seeing Chrysler's all-new 200C mid-size sedan concept, it makes you wonder how different things would have been for the brand if it had presented a car like this as the Sebring's replacement. Blending the classic, rear-wheel drive design proportions and low roof line / high beltline of the Chrysler 300 with modern styling elements, the 200C is a beautifully penned sedan. Usually we find official statements as being boring and unreal, but we fully agree with Chrysler when it says that the 200C is "a modern product statement that appeals to both luxury and sports car enthusiasts."

On the inside, Chrysler's design team went for a futuristic -and obviously non-realistic- look with a highly sculpted dashboard that is free of switches and levers. All the vehicle's functions, settings and connect features are managed via a panoramic multimedia touch screen, a passenger-dedicated "techno-leaf" and a stowable tablet PC.

Based on a shortened version of the 300's rear-wheel-drive platform, the 200C features Chrysler's ENVI electric-drive system that combines a small gasoline engine and integrated electric generator that produces electricity to extend the driving range to 400 miles. According to Chrysler, the 200C is capable of driving up to 40 miles on battery-only power, using zero gasoline and producing zero tailpipe emissions.

More about Chrysler's Gorgeous 200C Hybrid-Electric concept

GM’s Opel Planning Several Electric Cars for Europe

GM’s Opel Planning Several Electric Cars for Europe

Using the Chevrolet Volt program as a base, GM’s Opel brand is planning to introduce a series of electric-powered vehicles. In a recent interview, GM’s chief executive Rick Wagoner told German newspaper “Automobilwoche” that the company’s recently announced $1 billion investment in Opel will include the development of various electric-powered vehicles based on the E-Flex architecture which in turn, is based on the Chevrolet Volt. “GM is working on a product program, which aims to develop a range of E-Flex models for the Opel brand,” said Wagoner. First up will be the production version of last year’s Flextreme Concept (pictured above) that is expected to arrive in the European market one year after the Chevy Volt, in 2011.

The Flextreme combines an electric propulsion motor and a 1.3-liter CDTI diesel. However, regardless of the Flextreme’s operating mode, it is always electrically powered. The diesel engine is onboard solely to power the generator and charge the battery.

The Flextreme can be charged in around three hours via a standard 220 V electrical socket. A fully charged lithium-ion battery gives the concept car a range of around 55 km or 35 miles in purely electric operating mode. When the battery is run down and no electrical socket available, the Flextreme’s common-rail diesel engine kicks in to provide electricity and recharge it.