It’s no secret Chrysler is hard at work on the next-generation variants of its wildly successful Town & Country minivan, but a new report suggests it will arrive in dealers ahead of schedule.
Speaking to Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show last week, CEO Sergio Marchionne said the next-generation Town & Country will arrive a year ahead of the original plan outlined in the company’s five-year presentation this past May.
Details of Chrysler’s next minivans are thin, but Marchionne says it will be powered by a hybrid powertrain and will be accompanied by other hybrid models, including a full-size SUV with a hybrid powertrain. Marchionne did, however, stop short of saying hybrids will be the only thing Chrysler will do to reduce its fuel economy across the board.
“I think you need to be very, very careful if you think that electrification, given its inherent limitations on range, especially in markets like the U.S., will effectively displace combustion,” he said. “It will never provide the travel distance that you require, especially based on what we know today about the storage and capabilities of batteries.”
The next-generation Town & Country is expected to return approximately 75 miles per gallon and will still be built in Chrysler’s existing Windsor, Ontario assembly plant.
