Chrysler planning engine stop-start systems

Chrysler has promised to follow the lead of carmakers like BMW by offering fuel-saving engine stop-start technologies on some of its cars in the near future. The system, which shuts down the engine while the car is stationary in traffic, then starts it again once the driver releases the clutch or brake pedal, can improve fuel economy by up to 5%.

Chrysler product development chief Frank Klegon told Automotive News that the new "micro hybrids will be introduced pretty soon" but wasn't willing to reveal when exactly. Klegon also revealed that the system would only cost several hundred dollars per vehicle.

One of the first carmakers to offer the technology was BMW, which sources its version from auto parts supplier Bosch, and only a few a weeks ago ZF announced that it had developed a new version designed for automatic vehicles (the BMW set-up is only available on manual cars). Klegon did not reveal who would supply Chrysler's new units.

As for the longer term, Klegon said "there is a whole trail of things coming." He also explained that the hybrid partnership between Chrysler, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and BMW was now looking "into the next generation of design and development for hybrids" with a focus on saving cost and weight.