ORIGINAL: MoparOhio
So much for a new V6 engine with a new tranny... from autoblog.com
The Chrysler rumormill is running at full steam for obvious reasons, and the latest talk surrounds Chrysler and its $3 billion Phoenix V6 engine program. Word on the street is that the project has been canceled, which makes abundant sense if in fact a Chrysler merger is imminent. If a deal to merge Chrysler with either General Motors or Renault/Nissan materializes, both potential mates have V6 engines that are vastly superior to anything nestled under the hood of a Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep. Why would either automaker want to spend $3 billion for something it already has?
There seems to be little doubt among analysts that Chrysler will merge with another automaker, and the only question at this point is whether it will be GM, Renault/Nissan or some mixture of the two. Continuing to spend money on projects like a new V6 engine or a new dual clutch transmission doesn't make much sense at this point, especially since Chrysler's suitors already have or are working on these technologies.
Nissan perhaps, GM no. The High Feature engine is a the result of throwing together enough high tech stuff. Without it, it is just barely better than Chrysler's 3.5L which was last updated in 1999. In some cases inferior. The Buick LaCrosse had a version that produced 240hp & 225ft-lbs of tq. The weakest form of the 3.5L in production is the 235hp & 232ft-lbs, and the High Feature engine is a 3.6L (a 100cc advantage, a 10.2 to a 10.0 compression ratio, and has a VVT system to take into account). The High Feature engine drinks more gas than the 3.5L does in the mid-sized cars despite a huge gearing and VVT technology advantage. Also, I've heard that the High Feature engine isn't the most reliable design. Also GM has had three multivalve OHC V6 attempts before this and each have failed. Chrysler is still on their original 4 valve per cylinder OHC V6, so that should tell you something about the effort and quality Chrysler puts into their designs in comparison to GM. Also in the rumor mill I've heard that Mercedes is supposed to use a variant of this engine line for themselves, so I doubt that'll be stopped from production due to that. The other thing is I believe they have probably already paid for the R&D for this so a degree of this has already been paid for.
Dual clutch technology makes plenty of sense as that is likely to be the future of the market. This is an opportunity for GM to get the technology now to make their cars the best on the market.