<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT"%> ROCKCRAWLER.com - Introduction Speech - Jeep Gladiator and Hurricane
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Introduction Speech - Jeep Gladiator and Hurricane

Chrysler FirepowerTrevor Creed

Senior Vice President – Design, Chrysler Group

North American International Auto Show, Detroit

January 9, 2005

Welcome! Thanks for joining us today.

Each year when we unveil our new concept vehicles, we try to give you some idea of where our design inspiration comes from.

Well, we're guessing that, much like me and my design colleagues, plenty of you were inspired by a love for, and fascination with, cars and trucks at a very early age.

How did it happen for you?

When did the car bug bite?

Maybe this video clip will bring back a few memories. (VIDEO)

We wanted to share that video because we wanted to take all of us back to remember our first - and most formative - experiences with cars and trucks.

Maybe you had a favorite toy car that captured your imagination.

Maybe you still have it today or maybe it's sitting in your garage as an endless restoration project that your spouse just doesn't understand!

Maybe you assembled plastic car kits like AMT, Revell, Jo-Han and Monogram.

Maybe the vehicles from a TV show or movie - like Batman or Bullitt, James Bond or the Green Hornet - made a lasting impression.

Or, maybe you remember the first cool car you ever saw and you just couldn't get it out of your head.

The point is - if you love cars and trucks today, chances are you were bitten by the bug well before you could drive them.

The great thing about being a kid in love with cars is that there are no limits to the possibilities.

Speed, style and capability are not bound by junior science.

Kids will imagine cars that can go under water, break the sound barrier, change shape from vehicle to robot and even fly!

And why not?

At that age, "impossible" just doesn't exist.

Of course, as we mature, we find ourselves having to reconcile imagination and reality.

Passion meets practical in the form of such realities as cost, engineering requirements, fuel economy, safety standards, federal mandates - the list is nearly endless.

Faced with these daunting realities, designers often throw in the towel and focus exclusively on what makes sense.

They leave "what's cool" and "what's fun" behind.

And in today's marketplace, it's not hard to tell a "makes sense" car from a "what's cool" car.

But I think what makes the Chrysler Group design team special is that we will always remember how to have fun.

Every one of us shares a youthful passion for pure automotive possibility.

We don't focus on the limitations - on what we can't do.

We combine imagination with discipline to ask, "What can we do?" and "What if?"

And for us, "What if?" tends to lead us to our core design premises.

What if we revisit our heritage and apply modern-day design and engineering principles to it?

What if we stretch the boundaries of elegance and craftsmanship?

What if we explore the absolute outer realms of fantasy, capability and - yes - even sanity?

At the Chrysler Group, the passionate and the practical, the fun and the functional, co-exist beautifully.

To describe it, our CEO Dieter Zetsche coined a term that has become part of our vocabulary, "Disciplined Pizzazz!"

So, it's with that spirit that we present our concept vehicles to you this year, exploring the childhood influences that can inspire fully grown, responsible adult designers to approach their craft with youthful passion and enthusiasm!

For example, it might begin in the harsh, demanding environment of the sandbox.

Deep, loose terrain ...

Mountainous challenges ...

Serious abuse!

Not just any toy can take this kind of treatment.

True sand box toys are built to last and built to tackle anything their owners can throw at them, or in them.

So, when it came time to take the enduring, classic Jeep ® brand in a new direction, we knew exactly what to do.

We simply had to think outside the sand box!

(REVEAL JEEP GLADIATOR)

This is Jeep Gladiator!

A Flexible Utility Truck with the capability of a Jeep Wrangler and the rugged functionality you would expect from a Jeep, but with a pickup bed.

Jeep Gladiator
Jeep Gladiator

Like any good sandbox truck, it's built to last and built to haul all the toys you could want to take along.

Jeep enthusiasts may recognize the classic Gladiator name not to mention the classic silhouette and the return to a side-mounted spare, used on early Willys Jeep vehicles and pickups.

Why did we do that?

As you can see, the truck has a very short rear overhang, which not only looks cool, but gives it a great departure angle when off-roading.

In the Wrangler tradition, it features a solid front axle and in the rear, a trailing arm system with a coil-within-a-coil to handle both laden and unladen conditions.

Signature Jeep cues include the open-air roof with a removable canvas top, a part-time 4x4 system with front and rear locking differentials, a front winch and skid plates.

Gladiator also offers a host of useful flexibility features:

On the driver's side, there is a cabin storage access panel and a lockable storage box in front of the rear wheel where the jack is stowed.

On the passenger side, there is a half-door which opens 180 degrees.

Most importantly, however, the Gladiator's standard 5-foot, 8-inch bed expands to over eight feet!

How does it do that?

The rear glass of the cab lowers, the rear seat cushions fold flat and slide under the bed, and the cargo bed slides into the cabin space, giving a 6-foot, 8-inch bed.

Now, by dropping down the dampened tailgate, you have more than 8 feet available if you want to haul something longer.

No less interesting is Gladiator's powertrain - a 2.8-liter, 4-cylinder turbo diesel with 295 foot-pounds of torque and 163 horsepower with a six-speed manual transmission.

Gladiator carries on the diesel trend we began with Jeep Liberty - a confident move to a fuel-efficient power source that's well-suited to off-road adventure.

Gladiator also features all the necessary technologies for finding your way there and back, including a GPS navigation system.

Functional, flexible, fun - that's Jeep Gladiator!

Now, while some future designers may be bitten by the "automotive bug" playing in the sandbox, others discover their passion for cars in the craftsmanship and mechanical precision that comes from building something with their own hands.

For example, take the form of racing that millions of American children and their parents love to participate in through organizations like the Cub Scouts and the YMCA, called Pinewood Derby.

It's a design and engineering challenge that involves carving a race car out of a simple block of pine wood, then matching the speed and beauty of your car against those of your peers.

No matter your age, a good designer never really outgrows the pride that comes from crafting something beautiful, something that works and, above all, something that wins!

Let me show you what I mean.

Chrysler Firepower(REVEAL CHRYSLER FIREPOWER)

The elegantly crafted and powerful Chrysler Firepower!

This car, like any young person's own creation, is our passion and pride on wheels!

It's a showpiece for creativity, engineering ability and skill.

Chrysler Firepower uses the Viper chassis as its starting point - with its SLA front and rear suspension systems.

Under the hood, is our 6.1-liter HEMI ® V-8 - the SRT-developed engine that's exclusive to our extreme high performance products.

Zero-to-60 is achieved in less than 4.5 seconds.

Top speed is an estimated 174 miles per hour.

In terms of wheels and tires, there are 19's in front and, for that look of forward momentum, 20's in back.

Like the exterior, the interior is also completely new and befitting of the Chrysler image, bathed in deep ocean blue and pale oyster leather, accented with maplewood, chrome and piano-black lacquer.

Drawing on our Chrysler Group resources and technologies, we have achieved in Firepower a concept that's more than a sports car. It's a concept that fulfills our aspirations for both design and engineering excellence.

There you have it - Chrysler Firepower!

Now, I am sure you are asking yourselves:

Do they have another surprise vehicle up their sleeves this year?

After all, just two years ago we caught everybody off-guard with the Dodge Tomahawk.

Last year, it was the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve.

That leaves one remaining, very important brand to go.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we do have a surprise for you.

And yes - it is a Jeep.

But trust me, you have never seen a Jeep like this before!

Now, as we saw back in the sandbox, Jeep capability fascinates even the youngest enthusiasts.

But whereas some kids love to play with cars, and some love to create cars, there are others who love to drive them.

Perhaps the closest a young person can get to that experience before turning 16 is through the increasingly popular hobby of remote control - or RC - racing.

Some kids - and some grown-up kids, as well - will spend every spare dime upgrading and customizing RC vehicles.

Why?

Because youthful imaginations can't stop asking, "How can I make it go faster?" "How can I make it turn more tightly?" "How can I make it climb over more stuff?"

Those are the same questions we ask ourselves when it comes to creating new concept vehicles!

And, we love answering them!

In fact, in this case, we've answered all three ... and more.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jeep Hurricane!

D. ZETSCHE

Cool car!

Could I borrow that from you?

Let me show you what I can do.

After all, I'm a C-E-O!

The vehicle we have to show can do all that, and it isn't just a toy, it's a real, seriously capable Jeep!

One of the great things about working at the Chrysler Group is that you can build what you imagine!

Want proof?

As they say, the only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys!

If the band could stop for just a moment - you're very good, but this is music to my ears!

(REVEAL JEEP HURRICANE)

Jeep Gladiator
Jeep Gladiator

D. ZETSCHE

Presenting Jeep Hurricane - a vehicle that really can turn on a dime!

Or a shilling, centime or pfennig - pick any coin!

Jeep Hurricane is simply the most maneuverable, most capable and most powerful 4x4 ever built, brought to you directly from the wildest imaginations of the most extreme off-road enthusiasts in the world.

Every part of this vehicle is a feat of design and engineering, but I need to address two things right off the mark because, well, they're a bit hard to hide.

First, Jeep Hurricane is HEMI ®-powered.

Scratch that. It's HEMI -squared!

There's one 5.7-liter HEMI engine in front and one in back.

As a point of pride, we've left them exposed.

Both engines deliver 335 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque.

Let me do the math for you - that's a total of 670 horses and 740 pound-feet of torque.

The power distribution to the wheels, together with the suspension, represent an absolute technological engineering highlight.

While I'm tempted, as an engineer, to give you a 20-minute lecture about the technical details, let me just say that we have covered our intellectual property and developed an number of significant patents.

Best of all, all the technology is functional and tested in this very vehicle.

Now, more specifically, the power is delivered through split solid axles, a dual transfer case and a mechanically controlled four wheel torque distribution system.

What all that translates into is, buckets of low-end torque for climbing obstacles that would put fear in the hearts of lesser 4x4s.

Not to mention, power to move from zero-to-60 in less than five seconds!

And with the Multi-Displacement System, or MDS, the Hurricane can deliver the right combination of power and fuel economy for any situation - operating in 4-, 8- or 16-cylinder mode.

But, secondly, the technology in Hurricane allows for another key feature you can't miss, which is Jeep Hurricane's turning radius.

Of course, you have to ask yourself if a vehicle with the ability to spin on its own axis even has a turning radius.

Hurricane solves the tight-turn dilemma in two ways.

With steering at both the front and rear tires, the vehicle can literally be turned so tightly as to execute a zero turn radius.

Or, it can simply spin on its own axis, with wheels on each side turning in opposite directions like a Bobcat loader.

That's called "skid-steer."

The multi-mode four-wheel steering system on Jeep Hurricane is designed to help keep off-roaders from literally getting caught between a rock and a hard place.

Beyond zero-steer functionality and dual HEMI power, Hurricane is purpose-built for extreme off-road action.

The chassis and body are made of carbon fiber for light weight and high strength.

As you can see, the styling is "minimalist" - because everything about this vehicle is about performance.

For example, Hurricane offers more than 14 inches of ground clearance and 20 inches of suspension articulation.

To put that into perspective, the clearance is five inches higher and the articulation is almost triple that of our most off-road capable Jeep production vehicle, Wrangler Rubicon.

And here's another advantage of this unique driveline - the torque of the engine creates a downforce on all four wheels, which sets a new standard for traction.

Plus, Hurricane rides on special 20-inch wheels and tires with a 37-inch outer diameter to tackle severe terrain.

This vehicle is the ultimate proof of Jeep's absolute dominance off-road.

It can turn on a dime and delivers more 4x4 capabilities than any Jeep vehicle before it.

It redefines the "anywhere" in "go anywhere!"

Now, will we ever build these extreme technologies into a production Jeep? Perhaps!

Watching Hurricane in action, it's hard not to imagine all the potential applications - for the military, for extreme off-roading and more ...

The fact is:

We will do whatever it takes to ensure that there's only one SUV at the top of the mountain or at the top of a New York City skyscraper - the one with the original seven-slot grille - a Jeep!

And as this Jeep Hurricane concept demonstrates - we haven't forgotten and we never will forget what makes a Jeep - a Jeep.

Now, I'd like to invite Trevor Creed to join me here on stage to recognize his designers. Trevor?

T. CREED

Thank you, Dieter.

For the Jeep Gladiator, designers Mark Moushegian and Steve Ferrerio.

For the Chrysler Firepower, Brandon Faurote, Brian Nielander and Greg Howell.

And the Vice President of design for both, Tom Tremont.

And for the spectacular Jeep Hurricane, Aaron Pizutti, Dan Zimmermann, John Sgalia, Doug Quigley and Lou Rhodes.

And the Vice President of Jeep and Truck Design, Rick Aneiros.

Thank you for a great job, guys!

D. ZETSCHE

Thank you, Trevor and great work, everyone.

We celebrate the 300C winning North American Car of the Year - we decided to throw a party at the DaimlerChrysler Firehouse at 4:00 this afternoon.

For those of you who need directions, here they are:

Walk across the street!

And be sure to come back tomorrow morning at 8:15 to see our all-new Dodge Charger.

I promise it will be worth getting up early for!

Now, join us on stage for a closer look at our 2005 concepts and we'll answer your questions.

Thank you!

 

 


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