Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Chrysler kicks off production of Pentastar V6 engine, formerly known as "Phoenix"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/19/chrysler-kicks-off-production-of-pentastar-v6-engine-formerly-k/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/19/chrysler-kicks-off-production-of-pentastar-v6-engine-formerly-k/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/19/chrysler-kicks-off-production-of-pentastar-v6-engine-formerly-k/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Chrysler Pentastar V6 engine begins production - Click above for high-res image gallery

The artist engine formerly known as Prince Phoenix has officially hit the assembly lines at the Chrysler Group's plant in Trenton, Michigan. The first version of the mill, which now bears the Pentastar moniker, displaces 3.6 liters and will see its first production application in the engine bay of the brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Expect this all aluminum, 60-degree, dual-overhead cam (with variable valve timing) powerplant to see lots of use in the near-term future - Chrysler boasts that the Pentastar V6 will replace seven current V6 engines. In the new Grand Cherokee, the Pentastar will put out 280 horsepower (a 22-percent increase) at 6,400 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque (an 11-percent improvement) at 4,800 rpm.

Just as importantly, Chrysler tells us that the new engine will be 11 percent more fuel efficient than the unit it replaces, and it will run on either regular 87-octane gasoline or E85. This family of engines represent a $730 million investment, and the 822,000-square-foot Trenton facility will be able to produce more than 400,000 engines per year. See the complete press release after the break.


Gallery: Chrysler Pentastar V6 enters production

Continue reading Chrysler kicks off production of Pentastar V6 engine, formerly known as "Phoenix"

Chrysler kicks off production of Pentastar V6 engine, formerly known as "Phoenix" originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011 jeep grand cherokee2011JeepGrandCherokeechryslerchrysler pentastarchrysler pentastar v6chrysler v6ChryslerPentastarChryslerPentastarV6ChryslerV6grand cherokeeGrandCherokeejeep grand cherokeeJeepGrandCherokeepentastarpentastar v6PentastarV6trenton michigantrenton plantTrentonMichiganTrentonPlantv6v6 engineV6EngineFri, 19 Mar 2010 18:26:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19407235/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/19/chrysler-kicks-off-production-of-pentastar-v6-engine-formerly-k/19407235/article-detail.xml 19407235 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/chrysler-pentastar-v601_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/chrysler-pentastar-v601.jpg <![CDATA[Report: V6, V8 engine popularity continued to fade in 2009]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/18/report-v6-v8-engine-popularity-continued-to-fade-in-2009/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/18/report-v6-v8-engine-popularity-continued-to-fade-in-2009/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/18/report-v6-v8-engine-popularity-continued-to-fade-in-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Turning the past completely upside down, four cylinder engines marched up ten percent to further solidify the market dominance of lower cylinder count powertrains. According to Ward's Automotive, nearly 62 percent of cars produced in 2009 carried four bangers, up ten percent in just a year from 2008's 51.7 percent. Despite the V8 engine's precipitous fall from a high of being fitted to 88 percent of all cars sold in 1969, there's a sweet spot for the smaller powerplants, too.

Numbers are up for engines below 3.0 liters, while displacements smaller than 2.0 liters actually saw a decline for 2009. While engines between 2.0 and 2.9 liters are perhaps not as exciting as the typically larger V6 and V8 engines, they're less expensive and can still provide satisfying performance thanks to improvements like direct injection and forced induction. It's also worth noting that production numbers for trucks dropped for 2009, as well, skewing numbers further in favor of smaller engines.

Ward's comprehensive analysis of different engine sizes and types and their market share and volume lays it out for you in the link below. Either way, we suspect that the garages of car nuts are still filled with a majority of high-performance engines, regardless of displacement or cylinder count.

[Source: Ward's Automotive]

Report: V6, V8 engine popularity continued to fade in 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>engine displacementEngineDisplacementfour cylinderfour cylinder carfour cylinder carsfour cylinder enginefour cylinder popularityFourCylinderFourCylinderCarFourCylinderCarsFourCylinderEngineFourCylinderPopularityv6 enginev6 popularityV6EngineV6Popularityv8 enginev8 popularityV8EngineV8PopularityWardsAutoThu, 18 Mar 2010 14:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19402614/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/03/18/report-v6-v8-engine-popularity-continued-to-fade-in-2009/19402614/article-detail.xml 19402614 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/sadflattie_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/sadflattie.jpg <![CDATA[What to do with the PT Cruiser?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/what-to-do-with-the-pt-cruiser/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/what-to-do-with-the-pt-cruiser/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/13/what-to-do-with-the-pt-cruiser/#commentsFiled under: ,

Automotive News had a chat with Chrysler execs about the next PT Cruiser, which is causing the company some sleepless nights. What do you do next with such a unique vehicle, so strongly steeped in retro cues? The car, which debuted in 2001 and has only had a small refresh since, may go on the new Dodge Caliber platform (which would probably make the folks in Belvedere, Illinois pretty happy), but if it gets a V6 for the next model year, it may end up on the new Chrysler Sebring platform. At this point, Chrysler is gauging the market to see if the vehicle will find any customers interested in a V6 for the vehicle.

Either way, the redesigned PT won't hit the streets until 2009 or 2010, giving the current model an awfully long lifespan.

[Source: Automotive News via AutoWeek]

What to do with the PT Cruiser? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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