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2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid scored 84 MPGe in government testing

The 2017 Chrysler Pacific, in non-hybrid form, was already at the top of the minivan heap in terms of EPA-rated fuel economy. Now the government agency has released its official test numbers for the Pacifica Hybrid, and they're looking pretty good. The non-hybrid Pacifica achieved 28 highway, 18 city, and 22 combined miles per gallon, which compared favorably to the 2016 Honda Odyssey's 28/19/22 and Nissan Quest's 27/20/23 ratings. You can read more about the regular Pacifica's scores right here. But none of these vans compare to the Pacifica Hybrid, which is incidentally the only hybrid in the class. FCA claims that the EPA's numbers are even better than the anticipated 80 MPGe, although we can't speak to whether that's an honest admission or a too-convenient claim. But there's no denying that the official rating – 84 MPGe – is impressive. If you aren't familiar with the MPGe rating, no worries. It's not as straightforward as conventional EPA MPG ratings, but a layperson can understand how it works. MPGe stands for miles per gallon equivalent, and measures fuel economy based on the energy content of a gallon of petroleum-based gasoline. For those who like formulas, the Automotive X Prize once defined MPGe as (miles driven) / [(total energy of all fuels consumed)/(energy of one gallon of gasoline)]). As for a conventional rating, the EPA only provides a combined city/highway number on the Monroney sticker, and an FCA spokesperson told us that the rating for the Pacifica Hybrid will be 32 MPG. This represents the hybrid working as normal, not in EV-only mode. It's also an improvement of almost 10 MPG over the combined ratings of the top three conventional minivans in the segment, including the non-hybrid Pacifica. Range is also fantastic. The EPA rated the total EV-only range as 33 miles, and the overall combined range at a staggering 566 miles. And that's from a fuel tank that's just 17 gallons (compared to the 19-gallon tank in the conventional Pacifica, which nets it a 418-mile EPA-rated range). FCA is going to extraordinary lengths to credit its eFlite transmission-generator unit, which can supply electric power to the front wheels if necessary. It's a piece of equipment that represents a substantial engineering investment, and apparently that's all paid off. Chrysler tells us that the Pacifica Hybrid will go on sale next month, and that dealers will get more volume in Q1. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

FCA close to paying off debt, outperforming Ford in earnings

FCA boosting output of SUVs, trucks in U.S. Marchionne says the company no longer needs a merger partner FCA expects to pay off all debt this year "There's a very strong likelihood that we will outperform Ford" MILAN/DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler's shift to sell more trucks and SUVs boosted margins yet again in its North American profit center, making Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne confident he can hit most of the final targets of his five-year turnaround plan. FCA has been retooling some U.S. factories to boost output of lucrative sport-utility vehicles and trucks while ending production of some unprofitable sedans. This put the world's seventh-largest carmaker on track to become debt-free by the end of the year, and allowed Marchionne to make good on his promise to close the gap on larger U.S. rivals General Motors (GM) and Ford. "There's a very strong likelihood that we will outperform Ford in terms of operating earnings in 2018," Marchionne told analysts on an earnings call Thursday. "That's something that if I told any of us in the room here that would've been doable five years ago, nobody would have believed it." As the 65-year-old executive prepares to hand over the reins to an internal successor next year, he said the improvements mean the company no longer needed a partner to survive. The carmaker has often been the subject of merger speculation, especially after its unsuccessful 2015 attempt to tie up with GM. "The necessity to find a partner, to try and guarantee our survival, going forward, is put to bed. I mean we're done," Marchionne told analysts on a post-results conference call. North America accounted for 71 percent of earnings last quarter, and profit margins in the region rose to 8 percent from 7.1 percent a year earlier, even as shipments fell 3 percent. Meanwhile Ford's automotive margin for North America slipped to 6.8 percent, down from 8.5 percent a year earlier.FCA trimmed its expectations for 2018 revenues and forecast adjusted operating profit of at least 8.7 billion euros, at the lower end of a previously given range. Analysts said FCA's margin improvement was impressive, and it could be on the cusp of a big boost from its new Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee models and its Ram 1500 truck. FCA ready to pay off its debt But the Italian-American carmaker expects to cancel all debt during 2018 — possibly by the end of June — and generate around 4 billion euros in net cash by the end of the year.

Chrysler gets presidential in ads for 200 and 300

Many people are already tired of the candidates in the 2016 presidential race, but Chrysler's new spokesmen are two former Commanders-in-Chief that just about everyone can support – Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman. Sheen had Aaron Sorkin's writing to guarantee he always knew the right thing to say as President Josiah Bartlet on The West Wing, and Pullman fought an alien invasion from a fighter jet as president in Independence Day. Now, these former on-screen presidents help Chrysler sell the 300 and 200 in two new ads. American-est (above) lets Sheen go wild spouting meaningless patriotic aphorisms while slipping in references to the cars' features. Swerve (below) gets a little more directly political by joking about pandering to "nuts" on the fringe during the primary, but the actors still slide in a mention of the vehicles' safety tech. These spots might help Chrysler move a few more units of the 200 before the company impeaches the sedan from the lineup, and the automaker also promises more commercials with Sheen and Pullman in the coming months. We hope Pullman jokes about his fight against aliens in one of the future commercials. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. CHRYSLER PUTS ELECTION YEAR TWIST ON ITS NEW "PRESIDENTIAL" MARKETING CAMPAIGN FEATURING MARTIN SHEEN AND BILL PULLMAN Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman reprise presidential roles in series of television spots "Premium to the People" marketing campaign debuts just in time for President's Day Additional television spots in campaign series with Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman will be introduced in coming months Campaign's first two spots, "American-est" and "Swerve" feature both the Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300 360-degree campaign to feature television, print, online, social and digital extensions February 15, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Chrysler brand is launching a new campaign, "Premium to the People," featuring actors Martin Sheen and Bill Pullman. The campaign will launch with two commercials – "American-est" and "Swerve" – both featuring the Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300. A :60-second "American-est" will launch across online, in addition to the :30-second "Swerve" across both television and online, today, February 15 (President's Day). Additional television spots will roll out in the coming weeks and months. A :30-second version of "American-est" debuted across television on Sunday, February 14.