Chrysler’s 3.6-Liter Pentastar Engine Hits 3 Million Mark

1775

Chrysler Group hit a milestone this week as production of its 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine hit the 3 million mark. The record event occurred at the automaker’s Trenton Engine Complex, in partnership with the Saltillo South Engine Plant in Mexico. Together, the plants produce approximately 1 million of the engines per year, or one every six minutes.

The engine — first introduced in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee — is now used in 17 Chrysler vehicles. Prior to that, Chrysler offered seven different V-6 engines. 

“The 3.6-liter Pentastar not only has provided our many customers with billions of miles of reliable service and driving enjoyment, it is testament to our powertrain engineering prowess,” says Bob Lee, vice president and head of engine, powertrain, and electrified propulsion systems engineering.

The automaker will expand its Pentastar engine offerings with the recent addition of two new versions — a 3.2-liter V-6 in the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and a 3.0-liter V-6 in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee sold in China. Both powerplants are produced at the Trenton facility and are now making their way to dealerships.

Since Chrysler Group was established in 2009 following a successful bankruptcy proceeding, it has invested $2.5 billion in powertrain manufacturing initiatives — 48 percent of the company’s total $5.2 billion manufacturing outlay. Since model-year 2012, the group has introduced the Fiat 500e battery-electric drive system and nine new engines, including the:

  • 1.4-liter FIRE I-4
  • 1.4-liter FIRE I-4 Turbo
  • 2.0-liter Tigershark I-4
  • 2.4-liter Tigershark I-4 with MultiAir® 2
  • 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 
  • 3.0-liter Pentastar V-6
  • 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6
  • 6.4L HEMI V-8
  • 6.4L HEMI HD V-8

In addition, Chrysler is adding a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel I-4, which will power the 2014 Ram ProMaster cargo van.