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Chrysler Airflow EV concept teased with new nose ahead of NY Auto Show

Chrysler is once again teasing its battery-electric Airflow concept. The company has issued a new image ahead of its official debut at the New York Auto Show later this week. The rendering, as well as language in the accompanying release, indicates that Chrysler may have redesigned the concept before a production version even hits the market. The latest image shows a long, thin light bar at the Airflow's nose, with acute angles just before the headlight to create a bit of a "lightning bolt" zig-zag. There's also a wide, U-shaped graphic below the bar, and a "grille" featuring a pattern of slits that surrounds the bar. Previous Airflow images from Chrysler — released as recently as January at CES — have shown a very different front end. There, a differently shaped bar was broken up by a stylized Chrysler logo, done up in an outline of the traditional wings. The ends of the bar extended to the edges of the headlights without any sharp angles. It also appeared to have a different grille texture above and below the bar. "Chrysler will unveil a new look for the brandÂ’s all-electric Chrysler Airflow Concept at the 2022 New York International Auto Show," the press release states. The same statement also refers to "a potential design path on the brandÂ’s journey to an all-electric future." The Airflow is the latest in a slew of luxury models promised by automakers trying to re-invent their brands by going electric. It is named after the revolutionary 1934 Airflow, the first automobile to employ aerodynamics in its design. Though not a commercial success, it is credited with forever changing automotive styling principles. Although EVs are no longer avant-garde, Chrysler seems to hope that the new Airflow will make as dramatic a change in the industry, or at least revive the brand.

Marchionne urges industry consolidation, again

Sergio Marchionne isn't just an instigator of mergers – he's also a staunch advocate for their need in the industry. And he seems convinced another big one will happen in the next few years. "I am absolutely certain that before 2018 there will be a merger," said Marchionne. "It's my personal opinion, based on a gut feeling." Though the terms "absolutely certain" and "gut feeling" would seem to convey vastly different degrees of certainty, his chief's statement would seem to suggest some inside knowledge of an impending deal. Marchionne, of course, brokered the consolidation of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire over which he now presides, and has been actively seeking another merger to help reduce redundancy and overhead between major automakers in the industry. With which automaker he might be seeking such a merger, however, remains a big question. He was recently reported to have approached Mary Barra regarding a potential merger with General Motors, but was said to have been rebuffed. The Italian-Canadian executive may not be alone in his advocacy for industry consolidation, though. Opel chief Karl-Thomas Neumann said that "In principle, Marchionne is right – the auto industry develops the same things ten times over." Bringing major automakers together would ostensibly reduce that redundancy. Marchionne had been linked to a potential takeover of Opel when GM was shedding brands post-bankruptcy, but in the end the Detroit giant opted to keep its European division in-house.

The USPS needs 180,000 new delivery vehicles, automakers gearing up to bid

Winning the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow tender was a huge prize for Nissan, even though the company is still working through the process of claiming its prize. The United States Postal Service has begun the process to take bids for a new delivery vehicle to replace the all-too-familiar Grumman Long Life Vehicle, and that will be a much larger plum for the automaker who wins it, perhaps worth more than six billion dollars. The Grumman LLV is an aluminum body covering a Chevrolet S-10 pickup chassis and General Motors' Iron Duke four-cylinder engine. The USPS bought them from 1987 to 1994, and the 163,000 of them still in service are a monumental drain on postal resources: they get roughly ten miles to the gallon instead of the quoted 16 mpg, drink up more than $530 million in fuel each year, and their constant repair needs like the balky sliding door and leaky windshields have led the service to increase the annual maintenance budget from $100 million to $500 million. A seat belt is about as modern as it gets for safety technology, and the USPS says that assuming things stay the same, it can't afford to run them beyond 2017. Last year it put out two triage requests for proposals seeking 10,000 new chassis and drivetrains for the Grumman and 10,000 new vehicles. The LLV is also too small for the modern mail system in which package delivery is growing and letter delivery is declining. The service says it doesn't have a fixed idea of the ideal "next-generation delivery vehicles," but it listed a number of requirements in its initial request and is open to any proposal. Carriers have some suggestions, though, saying they want better cupholders, sun visors that they can stuff letters behind, a driver's compartment free of slits that can swallow mail, and a backup camera. The request for information sent to automakers pegs the tender at 180,000 vehicles that would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 apiece, and it will hold a conference on February 18 to answer questions about the contract. GM is the only domestic maker to avow an interest, while Ford and Fiat-Chrysler have remained cagey. Yet with a possible $6.3 billion up for grabs and some new vans for sale that would be advertised on every block in the country, we have a feeling everyone will be listening closely come February 18. We also have a feeling the LeMons series is going to be flooded with Grummans come 2017. News Source: Wall Street Journal, Automotive News - sub.