Chrysler’s first big entry into the plug-in hybrid arena will be in the form of its next-generation Town & Country minivan, coming a year earlier expected, according to the company’s CEO.
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters last week at the Paris Motor Show that the plug-in version of the redesigned Town & Country would be launched in late 2015, about a year earlier than indicated on Fiat-Chrysler’s product timeline released in May, according to Automotive News.
The arrival of the plug-in Town & Country will signal not only a large shift for the minivan market, but one for Fiat-Chrysler as well, which has been fairly slow to make an electrification push compared to even domestic rivals GM and Ford. And in Paris, Marchionne continued to downplay the role EVs would play in the company’s product plans and with the American buying public.
“(Electric vehicles) will never provide the travel distance that you require, especially based on what we know today about the storage capabilities of batteries,” he said in the Automotive News report.
Nevertheless, the plug-in Town & Country is likely to be one of the most buzzworthy launches next year, as even the next-generation minivan’s styling (previewed by the 2012 700C Concept) and non-powertrain innovations are likely to boost attention to the segment.
By Zac Estrada
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