Detroit 2009: Chrysler 200C EV

The theme at this year's Detroit Auto Show was definitely "green." It's the current industry buzzword; sort of like "horsepower" was 3 or 4 years ago.  While Chrysler has been spending a lot of time putting out "green" cars to impress the press (and help them get government bailout loans), the 200C EV concept displayed this year actually sounds like something consumers might want to buy.

The 200C EV is a mid-sized sedan, styled by Chrysler visual guru Ralph Gilles, the man behind the arresting styling of the 300C.  The car is quite a departure from the aggressive, angular styling Chrysler has been embracing lately.  It's certainly an elegant shape; a streamlined, Camry-sized four door that has little hints of everything from Hyundai Genesis to Mercedes-Benz.  (Funny to say that something copies the styling of a Hyundai, and not be implicitly making fun of it any more.  The world's a strange place.)

Regardless of how ridiculous this vehicle makes Chrysler look for the fact that this isn't a production vehicle, but the current oh-so-loveable Sebring is, the big news is of course the greasy mechanical bits.  Like every other concept car at Detroit this year (or that's how it seems), the 200C is packed full of batteries, electric motors, and all the various jiggery-pokery that's so popular now.  The 200C uses a combination of a gasoline four cylinder engine, lithium-ion battery packs, and a 55kW electric motor to provide power.  Total combined power output is a pretty healthy 268 horsepower.

Running just on electric power, the 200C can supposedly go 40 miles without using the gas motor at all - and using the combination of gas and electric, has an estimated 400+ mile range on a tank of gas.  It can also hit 100km/h in around 7 seconds, and tops out around 120 miles an hour - not too bad by today's standards.

The interior is typical show car glitz - for one thing, it has the typical show car seats that no human could ever comfortably occupy.  Neat, potentially do-able things include the highly connected dashboard - it can store your music, get on the internet using Chrysler's UConnect wireless internet feature, and supposedly do a million other neat show fantasty tricks.

The sad thing is that this car is sitting on the concept car turntable, covered in ritzy chrome trim and giant show car wheels with expensive hand cut tires, showing what Chrysler could do.  I would be much less worried about their permanent state of being if this car was sitting on the floor with a window sticker on it, showing what Chrysler is doing.

We don't need another showy concept car that is never going to appear  in production form (or if it does, it no longer has the sexy styling and modern technology that made us want it in the first place).  Sure, this is a concept car, but it has potential as a production vehicle - it's pretty, it's rational, people would buy it.  ChryCo, you need a hail mary.  You need another K-car, another minivan, another LH platform.  You need that vehicle that will bring traffic into your destitute showrooms.

That vehicle is not another pointless Jeep based on a Caliber.  It's not a BIGGER version of the Grand Cherokee.  It's something like this.  Get to it, before it's too late.