Gilles says new Chrysler models to hug the ground

According to Ward’s Auto, we can expect more than a nice interior from future Chrysler products. It seems the automaker will be making a conscious effort to keep its vehicles closer to the ground in order to improve styling, fuel economy and handling. This revelation came after lining Dodge products up against the competition. Apparently, the company found that comparable products from rival automakers were generally lower than anything rolling out of the Pentastar den. For 2011, the automaker has moved to fix that, cranking out vehicles that have a lower center-of-gravity compared to their predecessors.

That includes products like the 2011 Dodge Durango, which uses a significantly lower front fascia than theJeep Grand Cherokee specifically to nudge the vehicle’s fuel economy as high as possible. According to Ralph Gilles, senior vice president of product design, low-slung looks will come to dominate the company’s design language moving forward, especially as Chrysler begins to redraw models based on Fiat architecture in the near future. Don’t expect to hear us complain about the change, but off-roaders and those suffering from parking lot barrier scrapes might have a few things to say about it.

Honda CR-Z wins

For the past 31 years, Japan has selected a Car of the Year award recipient. Over 60 jurors, composed mainly of Japanese journalists, vote on a vehicle worthy of the Car of the Year title, and the auto that receives the most nods drives away with the crown. Last year, that honor went to the redesigned Toyota Prius hybrid, which narrowly edged out the Honda Insight. This year, however, Honda took top honors with its all-new 2011 CR-Z.

Car of the Year jurors praised the CR-Z because of its ability to balance driving pleasure and fuel economy. Jurors also noted that Honda managed to wrap all that high-tech gadgetry inside a unique body design. Upon receiving the award, Honda’s president and CEO, Takanobu Ito, stated:

We are very proud that the CR-Z has been selected from the strong contenders of new models as the Car of the Year Japan 2010-2011. This award shows that the public has accepted Honda’s aspiration to supply exceptional environmental performance in a fun-to-drive hybrid car at an affordable price, as well as Honda’s desire to spread the joy of owning and driving a car. We also believe that this award for the CR-Z reflects the true value of the combined efforts of our business partners and the many others who supported CR-Z development and production. Going forward, Honda intends to bring more joy to an even larger number of customers.