Chrysler Group LLC and green auto enthusiasts are pleased with news coming out of Chrysler Group’s new 822,000 square foot plant in Trenton, MI. The flex-fuel Pentastar engine, an all-aluminum, 60-degree, dual-overhead cam (with variable valve timing)—which is their powertrain offensive has now begun production. At this time Chrysler foresees the Pentastar V-6 taking the place of a whooping seven V-6 engines in use now by several models. The company, ramping up R&D, poured $730 million into this endeavor with a goal to produce 400,000 engines per year.

The very first Pentastar will be placed in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee available to the public the second quarter of 2010 and offering 280 horses (a nice increase), 6,400 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy, according to Chrysler, with the all-new Pentastar will be 11 percent better than the prior engine when using 87-octane or E85.

According to Chrysler the Pentastar V-6 is the most advanced V-6 engine in company history. This new innovation will offer Chrysler customers 25 percent in fuel economy over current models in the Ram Truck, Jeep, and Dodge product lines. Because
Chrysler foresees great things from the Pentastar engine, technologies ‘from their Fiat alliance like Multiair, direct-injection and turbocharging’ could be used when updating vehicles in the product lines.

Allpar.com Web site reports that the Pentastar engine “features high-flow intake and exhaust ports, which in combination with VVT via dual independent cam phasing, allows optimum volumetric and combustion efficiency over the full speed and load range. This results in an exceptional, flat torque curve along with high specific power. The engine’s torque exceeds 90 percent of its peak value from 1,600 to 6,400 rpm, which provides outstanding drivability and responsiveness.”

Chrysler Group LLC jumps into the added fuel economy race impressively with a Pentastar engine to be on the roads in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee early 2010.