Chrysler Group Celebrates 20 Years of Modern Concept Vehicles
- VIDEO ENHANCED
Chrysler Slingshot
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• Chrysler Group’s design tradition has become a key strength of the
company
• More than 100 concept vehicles have been developed since 1988
Chrysler Nassau, Jeep® Trailhawk and Dodge Demon are the most recent
concepts
Auburn Hills, MI - May 29, 2007: “Concept to reality” has
become a term that epitomizes the Chrysler Group design philosophy, and
many observers are hoping that it will apply to the company’s concept
vehicles for 2007. Chrysler Group's latest concept vehicles clearly
demonstrate a design tradition that has become a key strength of the
company: an ability to design the coolest-of-cool concepts, which are as
relevant as they are innovative.
Chrysler Portofino
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This approach started with the Frankfurt Motor Show reveal of the
Lamborghini-engined, cab forward-styled, four-door Chrysler Portofino
concept sedan in 1987. Almost 20 years and more than 100 concepts later,
this continuous development has helped Chrysler Group reinvent and maintain
its reputation as a car company driven by design and engineering.
Concept vehicles have two major roles for the Chrysler Group: they
showcase to management, the media and the public the potential future
design direction for Chrysler Group cars and trucks, and they help to
attract the best young designers in the world into its design studios.
Chrysler Group’s concept vehicle program allows designers to test
new colors, features, vehicle size and segments. Concepts can also be
showcases for new design cues, which often find their way into production
on future vehicles – even if the entire concept vehicle does not.
Importantly, the designs that are revealed to acclaim and accolade at
auto shows around the world each year are not just built to look good. That
is where the company’s design-to-reality tradition really kicks
in.
Not only does Chrysler Group produce concept vehicles that can actually
be driven – especially by journalists for feedback and publicity
purposes – but many ultimately become production vehicles within a
few years of their first reveal. The latest example is the Dodge
Challenger. First revealed as a concept at the 2006 North American
International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, it was announced that the
Challenger will go into production in 2008.
Chrysler Intrepid
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According to Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President – Product Design
Office, Chrysler Group, “We’ve always said at Chrysler that we
don't just produce concepts for fun. We have proved year after year
that our concepts are innovative and relevant.
Chrysler Millenium
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“Our track record shows that many Chrysler Group concepts, and
several of the design features showcased on our concept vehicles, have gone
into production,” he added. “While we can’t say yet if
any of our 2007 concepts will eventually be seen in our showrooms, they
clearly hint at exciting and innovative future design directions that could
find their way into our company’s products.”
2007 Concept Vehicles
Chrysler Nassau
|
This year's group of concept vehicles
includes one for each of the Chrysler Group’s brands. Combining
refinement, function and style, the Chrysler Nassau concept explores a new
expression of the Chrysler brand. First shown at the 2007 NAIAS, the
four-door, four-passenger Nassau luxury coupe is a more emotional and
artistic articulation of what it means to be a Chrysler.
Jeep Trailhawk
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The Jeep® Trailhawk, which also had its premiere at the 2007 NAIAS,
merges the spectrum of the Jeep brand by combining the core off-road
features of the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the refined sophistication
of an all-new on-road, open-air concept vehicle, providing a unique and
fresh expression for Jeep.
Introduction of Jeep Trailhawk and Chrysler Nassau
at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show.
