Chrysler envi concepts news - Best of three - 2008

We got a good look at Chrysler's three 'ENVI' concepts in Detroit and, as we thought when we saw the sketches of the trio of eco-cars back in November, it's the monobox ecoVoyager that looks the most realistic of the bunch.

That's the blue Beetle-esque concept in the top two pictures. Its hybrid system is as we expected - a 268bhp electric motor mated to a hydrogen fuel cell which, says Chrysler, will give the ecoVoyager a 300-mile range. But we must confess that those suicide doors came as a bit of a surprise. 

The other two concepts - the orange Dodge Zeo and green Jeep Renegade - use the same electric motor to show off alternative powertrains.

The Zeo is a pure electric vehicle, with a lithium ion battery pack giving a 250-mile range and, more excitingly, a 0-60mph time of under six seconds. 

The Renegade, on the other hand, uses an electric motor on each axles coupled to a 1.5-litre three-cylinder diesel for a 400-mile range and economy of 110mpg.

So will they get made? Erm, probably not. Although the ecoVoyager is, apparently, 'probably closest to the sort of vehicle that Chrysler might, in future, build', we're not holding out much hope.

"Will we build them? That depends on the reaction," says designer Trevor Creed. "But we'll definitely see these concepts in future vehicles." Eh?