Chrysler unveils electric cars

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Reuters) – Chrysler LLC on Tuesday showed off a trio of electric vehicles in development — including battery-powered versions of its Chrysler minivan and Jeep Wrangler — and vowed to bring one of them to showrooms by 2010.

By showing off prototypes still in the planning stage, Chrysler was hoping to shake a costly association with gas-guzzling trucks and dispel doubts about the strength of its vehicle development program under the ownership of Cerberus Capital Management.

But Chrysler Chief Executive Bob Nardelli also warned that without approval for a $25-billion loan package before Congress, the automaker could be forced to cut jobs and costs more deeply to free up funds for its electric car campaign.

“Unfortunately we’ve had to furlough many families as a result of the economic turmoil and the downward spiral in our industry,” Nardelli told reporters at an event outside Chrysler’s headquarters. “I’d like to make sure we don’t have to go further to be able to support this advanced technology work.”

The planned 2010 launch of an electric vehicle would put Chrysler in a race with its larger rival General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), which plans to roll out the all-electric Chevrolet Volt in November of that year.

Reuters UK