| Motorshow Preview | Detroit Auto Show 2008 | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Concepts |

Chrysler's Vice President of Communications, Jason Vines, put out a very cheesy video this week to preview the group's three new concepts due for revealing at the Detroit Show in January. Be thankful we've not got a copy for you to download... We do, however, have sketches of each of the three concept cars, along with preliminary details.

First up is the Chrysler ecoVoyager concept. The car's proportions try to hide the sheer size of it, but the ecoVoyager is larger than a BMW 5 Series. Despite the vaguely MPV-like one-box profile, this Chrysler concept seats just four occupants, though there should be oodles of room for them. Assisting with that is the adoption of an advanced powertrain mating a small hydrogen fuel cell with a lithium-ion battery pack. That's all we know at present, though Chrysler is claiming that the range of the ecoVoyager exceeds 300 miles.

Of more interest to enthusiasts will be the low-slung Dodge ZEO concept. Though the ZEO is undoubtedly for keen drivers, it takes its propulsion solely from a bank of lithium-ion batteries and Dodge claims that it could travel up to 250 miles on a full charge. It's all theoretical for the moment of course, as lithium-ion batteries are not quite ready for mass use in cars. The Dodge concept is just as interesting for its style though. It features a distinctive upright rear-end and low-mounted headlights, as well as Mazda RX-8-like wheelarches. That's not the only similarity with Mazda's coupé, as the ZEO features four doors and four seats too.

The third offering from the Chrysler Group is the Jeep Renegade concept. Jeep toes the line on environmental friendliness with the Renegade, utilising a lithium-ion battery pack allied to a small diesel engine. The result apparently is about 110mpg. Helping that along will be the low weight of the concept. It's hard to tell from the sketches, but the Renegade is shorter than a Ford Fiesta. It only seats two occupants and is targeted at sunny regions, as it doesn't appear to have any form of roof.

We'll be in Detroit in January to see these new concepts in the metal to see if they have any place in the real world.

Shane O' Donoghue - 21 Nov 2007