Chrysler says demand for Hemi outstrips supply

[Ming]

Chrysler says demand for Hemi V-8 outstrips supply
The Auto Channel

DETROIT, Aug 25, 2004; Reuters reported that despite high U.S. gasoline prices, DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler division on Wednesday said demand for its muscular Hemi V-8 engines was outstripping supply.

"What we see is a tremendous shortage of our Hemis," Chrysler President and Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche told reporters.

"It's a great problem to have," he added, saying Chrysler had underestimated demand for the big 5.7 liter engine, which is available in Dodge pickups and sport utility vehicles as well as the recently introduced Chrysler 300C sedan and Dodge Magnum sport wagon.

Zetsche spoke on the sidelines of celebrations at two Detroit-area assembly plants, as Chrysler launched production of an all-new 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle and a Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

The 5.7 liter Hemi will be offered as a option on the new Grand Cherokee, which goes on sale next month. And Chrysler is also building an even more powerful 6.1 liter version of the popular engine.

The fuel economy of the Hemis is far from great -- the 6.1 liter engine featured on a high performance version of the 300C gets about 14 miles per gallon in city driving and 19 mpg on the highway -- but they hark back to Detroit's muscle car days of the 1960s and '70s, when horsepower was king, and have clearly resonated with consumers.

To meet demand for the Hemis, Frank Ewasyshyn, Chrysler's head of manufacturing, said the company was looking at expanding capacity at the plant in Saltillo, Mexico, where it builds the engines

Article Here

[mbukukanyau]

Originally posted by Ming@Aug 25 2004, 11:14 PM
 

So Hemi is a Mexican engine Huh? Where are Vortecs made? Are they Mexican too?

[SteveWallace]

I really can't wait to see the Charger. That may be my next vehicle, unless I can find a cheap CTS-V in a couple of years!

[giagastormer]

Some of the Vortecs are made in Mexico, but not all of them. Who cares where it's made, as long as it's a great, reliable engine.

[jro4566]

Originally posted by mbukukanyau@Aug 25 2004, 06:31 PM
So Hemi is a Mexican engine Huh? Where are Vortecs made? Are they Mexican too?

And this matters why?

[mjd1001]

This engine is doing very well for Chyrsler, but I wonder how much of it is that it's a great engine versus how much of it is just advertising and the name that is working with people.
I owned a Trans Am 5 years ago that had the 5.7 liter LS1. From what I have seen browsing around internet message boards....the Chrysler Hemi of today generates pretty much the same power as the LS1 of 1999 when dyno tested. Plus, 5 years ago my Trans Am with a 4 speed automatic was rated at almost the same fuel mileage as the current Hemi 5.7 of today in the 300c or Magnum...even though the Hemi has "cylinder deactivation" and a "5 speed automatic". When equiped with the 6 speed manual, the LS1 was actually rated a few miles per gallon above the current Hemi.
So I don't get it really. A 5 year old LS1 generates basically the same power, has close to the same gas mileage even without "cylinder deativation", and in my experience has proved to be a reliable engine. So why such a big deal over the Hemi? Is it the name? Or maybe just the fact that it's offered in a few different vehicles?

[chadbarb99]

AHH, guys? Did you see the fuel economy figures for 6.1L?? Does anyone know the LS2's fuel economy figures by comparison, cause I'll bet the GM engine is better

[mjd1001]

The LS2's figures for the Vette are 18/26 for the Automatic....and 18/28 for the 6 speed.
In the GTO, the fuel economy is going to be worse in the automatic due to agressive gearing. The 04's were rated at 17/29 for the 6 speed and 16/21 for the 4 speed automatic, and the 05's should be comparable.
One rumor has it that the 6.1 hemi in the SRT8 will not have cylinder deactivation initially, and I read fuel economy estimates if 14/19. However, those estimates can vary widely depending on the application (if the engine is put in the Dodge Ram, it will have much lower mileage than if it's in the Magnum or 300). So I don't know what vehicle the 14/19 figure is for. I will say that I agree the LS2 will get better gas mileage in a similar vehicle.

[jro4566]

Plus you need to factor in the weight of the hefty 300C/Magnum RT...which is why the gas mileage isn't so great compared to the Corvette, Trans Am, etc. If it was put into a smaller car, it'd probably generate very good numbers.

[mjd1001]

The weight may be an issue, but I don't think it's that big. My fully loaded Trans Am was almost 3,600 lbs. So the weight of the 300 or Magnum may make a differene, but I dont' think much more than a mile per gallon. Aerodynamics may be more of an issue.

For example...the Ecotec 4 cylinder that GM offers...in the 2650 lb cavalier coupe with an automatic it's rated at 24/34. However, in the 05 Malibu, which weighs about 400-500 lbs more..it's rated at 24/35 with the 4 speed automatic.

[svx92]

Originally posted by RCtennis3811+Aug 26 2004, 01:23 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (RCtennis3811 @ Aug 26 2004, 01:23 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-mbukukanyau@Aug 25 2004, 06:31 PM
So Hemi is a Mexican engine Huh? Where are Vortecs made? Are they Mexican too?

And this matters why? [/b][/quote]
Actually, I think we should all be concerned by how many job opportunities have been relocated out of the united States by NAFTA (And I don't mean to upset the many canadians who post on the site.)

As well as other industries are outsourcing jobs across the Continent, what benefit is realized? In the name of greater profits, high level executives and large shareholders reaps the benefits of the improved profits. But in relocating these jobs, now there is a greater unemployed base that wont be spending disposable income on these and other goods and services.

okay time for me to get off the soap box

[barcodedorganic]

the fuel mileage compared to a trans am or corvette compared to the 5.7L HEMI isn't a very fair comparison you've got a 4000lb brick making more torque and horsepower then the older LS1 engines and still achieves the same amount of fuel efficiency with an automatic. Put a six speed manual with over drive on the hemi with MDS and see what kind of gains you'll have...

if your relying on a career as a manufacturer what kind of future did you really expect? learning specialized skills and trades are what your going to have to do to retain your job...learn about your competitors culture and learn a second language and pretty soon you'll be put in a position of senority and become supervisor shipped off to taiwan korea or shanghai and live like royalty

you have to learn to adapt to the world around you or you'll be left on the side of the road for dead...

[69nova]

Regarding GM's 3.8L motor being antiquated, that is one point that sold me on the supercharged Monte Carlo. I wanted to see a tried and true motor sitting under the hood rather than a design that has 1-2 years duty and is still being tweaked by engineering.
Only time will tell how well the gizmos on the Hemi hold up (by this I don't mean the standard bearings and pistons but the small assemblies that turn off cylinders to increase the mileage rating). People are associating this new Hemi with the old one without taking into account the changes that could become problematic.

[ByTheLake]

Originally posted by LakeMichigan@Aug 25 2004, 09:13 PM
... Yet what amazes me is the crap I've read here on GMI about the 3800 V6 and how it is antiquated and should be replaced, despite it's heritage goes back the same length (the '55 Buick V8, so I'm told) as this "new" hemi ...

Interestingly, this current 'hemi' is a clean-sheet design, and doesn't share any direct lineage with the hemis of old other than the name. Agreed, it uses a dated 2-valve per cylinder layout and pushrods driven by a single camshaft, but this hemi was originally designed to be a high-torque truck engine, which Chrysler desperately needed.

It's not exactly apples-apples to compare this to the GM V-6s, which can't claim to be designed for truck duty. Depending on the vehicle, the hemi offers the variable displacement feature that GM is still working to get to market. Also, the hemi's twin sparkplugs per cylinder are a nice touch.

It really comes down to the fact that the GM V6s lack the marketing panache of the name 'hemi', and the passion surrounding that name.

[richb65]

Originally posted by mjd1001@Aug 25 2004, 07:24 PM
This engine is doing very well for Chyrsler, but I wonder how much of it is that it's a great engine versus how much of it is just advertising and the name that is working with people.

I think that a significant part of the Hemi's success is due to name recognition and marketing. GM can learn a lesson from this. There's a need to develop a high-performance engine brand at GM... and Vortec is not it! LS1 an LS2 are too much alphabet soup, although the engines are great. I would love to see GM do something to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chevy small-block next year, although there may be some risk in exposing that it's such an old design. In my book it's still the best hi-po engine around.