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39 The Platform The platform for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been modifed by Chrysler Group engineers—Dodge, Jeep and now Chrysler—to create vehicles that are not particularly Giulietta-like in their shape or size. There is the Dodge Dart. The Jeep Cherokee. And now the Chrysler 200. The modifed architecture is now known as "Compact U.S. Wide" (CUS-wide). Doug Verley, chief engineer for the Chrysler 200 (although in Chrysler-speak he is the "model responsible" for the Chrysler 200) says that the Giulietta's underpinnings helped reduce the amount of engineering required for the 200; it helped accelerate time to market. In addition to which, he explains that he worked with his counterparts at Dodge and Jeep so that they are able to share some common parts, such as the front foor pan, center foor pan, and engine box load beams. This reduces costs for all three vehicles. While there is clear commonality, it should be noted that these are by no means cookie-cutter vehicles. Consider the dimensional diferences between the donor car, the Giulietta, and the 2015 Chrysler 200: In addition to which, Verley emphasizes that the suspension setup for the 200 is specifc to the car, not shared with the other vehicles. This is not badge- engineering. This is clever engineering. Tech in the Tech Center The Chrysler Group World Headquarters & Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, is more than a bunch of ofces, cubicles, studios, and cafeterias. Yes, it is a place where Doug Verley and his team of engineers worked (before decamping in August 2013 to the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to be involved in the launch of the new car). Yes, it is a place where Brandon Faurote and his design colleagues worked on the develop- ment of the car. Yes, it houses the proces- sors where extensive computational fuid dynamics was performed to assure not only that the air fows appropriately outside of the vehicle, but inside through the HVAC system, as well. One of the "mores" that the facility has is a full-size wind tunnel with a 12-blade, 26-ft. diameter fan that can generate wind speeds on the order of 150 mph. Verley says that the proximity of Engineering and Design and the wind tunnel was most helpful during the development of the 200. He says that they must have gone to the tunnel at least 50 times. Had the wind tunnel been across town (or even out of state), odds are that the amount of time spent checking the aero of the vehicle being developed would have been signifcantly reduced. And their work paid of handsomely in terms of the car's coefcient of drag. It's 0.27. By way of comparison, the Chevy Volt, which was designed to be ultraslip- pery, has a Cd of 0.28. Lower is better. About the Exterior Brandon Faurote has had a career with Chrysler that's ranged from working on concepts like the Chrysler Firepower (2005), the Dodge Demon (2007) and the Chrysler 200C concept (2009). He's worked on production cars including the Fiat 500e ("A lot of aero work had to happen on that car," he says) and the Chrysler 300. And the production version of the 2015 200. The car that has probably had a bigger impact on the midsize car segment, where the 200 competes, than any other is the second-generation Ford Fusion. t Chrysler Tech Center wind tunnel. p Brandon Faurote led the design team that created the 2015 Chrysler 200. Giulietta Chrysler 200 Length 160 in. 192.3 in. Wheelbase 98.86 in. 180.0 in. Width 67.72 in. 73.6 in. Height 56.93 in. 58.7 in. 0614ADP FEATURE Chrysler 200.indd 39 5/21/2014 12:50:30 PM