Are current incentives not enough to move you into a new Caliber or Sebring? Chrysler Corp. hopes their newest promotion - fuel at $2.99 a gallon for three years - may catch your fancy.

Starting today and running through June 2, the "Let's Refuel America" campaign offers an option to Chrysler's current incentives. Customers who purchase or lease a new Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep are given a fuel card. Tied to the customer's credit card, using the fuel card at the pump charges the driver $2.99 per gallon, while Chrysler picks up the difference.

That difference may prove substantial. The Department of Energy reports the national average cost for a gallon of gas at $3.61, but rising as high as $3.90 in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. At the current average, Chrysler's paying for close to 17 percent of a driver's fuel cost.

The bill may be even bigger when customers purchase a diesel vehicle. Both the Ram 2500 and 3500 - including Cummins-powered variants - and the Grand Cherokee CDI are eligible for the program. Better yet, customers still pay only $2.99 for a gallon of diesel. Considering the national average of diesel fuel runs at approximately $4.19, Chrysler's effectively footing 29 percent of the tab.

As liberating as that sounds, there (naturally) are a few restrictions. Chrysler is rationing how much gas they'll purchase, setting an annual fuel allotment based upon 12,000 miles of driving at a vehicle's EPA mileage. If you buy a car that runs on gasoline or E85, your card can't buy diesel - and vice versa. Similarly, gas cards are limited to 87 octane - trying to pump mid- or high-grade fuel will incur extra costs.

And if you're thinking about using this on the revived Challenger or a Viper, think again. Both models - along with the Ram Chassis Cab, Wrangler, the Germanic Crossfire and Sprinter, or any SRT model - are ineligible for the program.

"What other photos do you need?" Jim Press asked us congenially as our photographer finished his work in the hallway by the Chrysler cafeteria. "Do you want a picture of me in my Speedo, doing something else?" It was a great, sly joke, referring to A USA Today photo of press taken underwater as he swam laps, which he does almost every day. sometimes twice a day.

"That was the story of the year," I suggested, remembering the rather shocking picture of the nearly naked chief U.S. executive of Toyota swimming toward the camera in goggles with big air bubbles coming out of his nose.

"That was a sad story," he shot back.

"Rule number one: the head of a car company should never appear in a national newspaper in a Speedo," I joked, but upon reflection, maybe not joking.

"I happen to agree with that," he deadpanned. "I've been doing everything I can to destroy every piece of evidence that it exists."

This picture you see of him laughing? This isn't typical. Press has more of a dry, Steven Wright sort of humor ("I got a garage door opener. It can't close. Just open.") that tends to be self-deprecating, can poke a little, and throws you off-guard, delivered with a sad-eyed, Huckleberry Hound demeanor. His shoulders hunch a bit, his hands are quiet, his voice is soft, always polite. People around him are forced to settle down to listen to him. And when he talks, it's never about himself.

Back in 2005, we traveled to California to give Press an All-Star award for building Toyota, over his four decades there, into the third-largest car company in the United States, accounting for half of Toyota's global profits. He accepted his award in a roomful of top executives, all of us standing, coffees in hand. There was no microphone. He acknowledged the team effort, told them to look at the bull's-eyes on each other's backs, and sent everyone back to work. Then he gave us a tour of the Toyota "campus" in his Tacoma pickup, after relocating his dirty gym clothes to the back seat.

In 2006, Press became the first American president of Toyota Motor North America, and he topped that honor last April when he became the first non-Japanese person to be appointed to the Toyota board. He may also be its last - five months later, Chrysler's new vice chairman and co-president was house-hunting in Michigan.

We roll the tape.

"Many things we need to ask you, Jim."

"There's so much I don't know," he responds, mournfully. "In fact, I don't know anything! I've only been here a week."

This is how you thank Toyota for putting you on the board?

Wow. Uh. I was there for a long time. I owe everything I am to Toyota. I was very happy. I left because I'd arrived at a point many people might envy, being able to manage the overall process instead of the operations. It's not my cup of tea. I like to be on the showroom floor, see the people and the candy. I like to go out into the real world. That's just who I am. People who get in higher positions have about ten percent of the information and make about ninety percent of the decisions. I like to be on the ninety-percent-information side.

No, the timing wasn't perfect. At Toyota, I was in the sunset of my career. There's no strict mandatory retirement age at Toyota, but I wasn't going to be there ten or fifteen more years. This is the sunrise.

How Japanese are you now?

It isn't even Japanese. One of the strengths of Toyota is that it's not a culture dictated by any country of origin; it's more a culture of the company. The strengths of those cultural issues may be stronger in America than they are in Japan, so you're sort of this hybrid.

How did the call come?

A mutual acquaintance asked if I had some interest in getting to know the folks at Cerberus. I had intended to introduce myself. We were both in New York, so I thought if we needed to do things in the future in the community or in terms of lobbying and so on, then we could do it together. I had no real interest in leaving Toyota at that time.

I was intrigued by the long-term perspective that they were taking. Steve Feinberg made the point about creating an opportunity for a great American icon, for a United States-based auto company to take on the world and show that we can do it. That really is a big part of his motivation. As I learned more over time, my interest changed to being part of the company.

Isn't private equity a beautiful thing?

The advantages solve so many problems. There are always trade-offs in considering long- versus short-term results. A company's operations - the quality, depth, and ramifications of a company's decisions - can be really difficult for stockholders to understand. Then there's the influence of trying to do things that will be well-received on the Street. You can make decisions that are not good for the ongoing strength and growth of the company.

Cerberus has backed up Chrysler in supporting a $3-billion-a-year investment in capital expenditures, and there are an awful lot of funds earmarked for development of technology, vehicles, plant equipment that will improve quality, and more efficient production.

Could you explain the relationship of the triumvirate - you, co-president Tom LaSorda, and CEO Bob Nardelli?

The proposed organization chart reminded me a little of when Toyota started up in the early days. We brought together disparate individuals that created an interesting synergy that no one could match. So here you've got Bob Nardelli, who is a world-class executive with an understanding of business principles that apply to any business. He brings to us a sort of top of the umbrella that connects demand and supply. Tom is supply, and I'm demand. It makes a lot of sense.

Tom is also the keeper of the flame. He's fourth-generation Chrysler. He has the tribal knowledge, he understands the heritage, and he has the passion. You put the three of us together, and we can make good, quality decisions; we can have good vision; and we can focus the organization.

You built Toyota from a limited number of models to a full-line car company. Here, you have to filter it back down . . .

First, I didn't build Toyota up; I had the honor of working with people who contributed an awful lot. So I have some knowledge of what is needed for success. It was a long, arduous process. Here, you've got the framework. The bones are good. You have to make some adjustments, refocus some priorities, instead of starting with a clean sheet of paper. We can build on that much faster than at Toyota, where we started with nothing. We had to wait for the trees to grow. There ar6e engineers here with twenty, thirty years of experience. The products have a really solid base. But I think we can do a lot better job of getting them in tune with what the customer wants.

We think the lineup is pretty fractured . . .

In some ways, the K-car hatched the egg of the segment where the Camry is. The K-car was the first one; it was the right size and a front-drive sedan. The poor company has now gone through all these iterations, but the core of that K-car is still here. How much easier will it be to create an effective Camry competitor building on that foundation? People here know how to do it because they've done it. Focused on the right priorities, we can build world-class products faster than people think.

Any Chrysler dealers left have been through the fire. What are they telling you?

Isn't it true that the hottest fire makes the strongest steel? They are giving me good feedback. There's complexity we don't need and features we do need. We need visual appeal.

Any cars you're going to push off the cliff?

We have models that overlap - two or three vehicles that serve the same customer - and that's not efficient. We also have markets where we have insufficient coverage. We're developing a long-term strategic vision, not just a quick answer, of what the product portfolio should look like five to twelve years from now. And then where the current product fits in. We need to make sure we're executing product direction from the customer.

Will you make a Demon for us?

OK. I don't know what it is, but . . .

Give it another week and you'll know everything.

The Chrysler ecoVoyager plays the family-car role for Chrysler's triad of electrified Detroit-show concepts. A 268-hp (200-kW) electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries is the ecoVoyager's primary driving force and can theoretically move the car forty miles on stored electric power only. For longer trips, a small hydrogen fuel cell can extend the ecoVoyager's range beyond 300 miles, according to Chrysler, which also quotes a decent 0-to-60-mph time of 8.8 seconds and a tolerable top speed of 115 mph.

The blobby exterior of the concept features a central spine, a "boat-tail" rear end, and suicide doors. The interior of the ecoVoyager is surprisingly spacious, since all of the large powertrain components lie in the floor beneath the four passengers' feet. The ecoVoyager is fairly light on fanciful doodads, since, says Chrysler, "the concept was developed for customers wanting a travel experience on par with a private jet, but without a lot of fancy gadgetry." (Who wants to bet that a huge chunk of the fancy-gadgetry budget was sliced by Cerberus, Chrysler's new owners?)

Still, some left-field details include a drawer that contains controls for the typical center-stack controls, along with a mouse pad. A camera replaces a traditional reflecting rearview mirror. Also, each occupant can privately listen to his or her own aural pleasures--without headphones--thanks to this concept's Direct Sound feature, which lives in the headliner between the two giant skylights.

And what would a new Chrysler be without a cooler? The ecoVoyager's refreshment station is located in the floor console between the rear seats, can hold six twenty-ounce bottles, and can keep drinks either cool or hot. We have a hard time believing that any of Chrysler's Detroit '08 concepts are very close to production, but time will tell.

The Crossfire is Chrysler's smallest-ever model and first-ever sports car, and it pioneers the marque's return to rear-wheel drive. And, aside from the Plymouth-born Prowler, it's the first two-seat Chrysler since the ill-fated TC by Maserati.

Like the powertrain and brakes, the suspension is a Mercedes design as well, with upper and lower control arms up front and a multi-link setup at the rear. But the actual pieces used here are different, with unique spring heights, anti-roll bar diameters, bushings, spring rates, and shock valving.

The Crossfire won't be confused with anything in the current lineup. Andrew Dyson led the team that transformed Eric Stoddard's show car into a production-ready reality. The front-end styling is obviously changed, but Dyson was otherwise pretty faithful to the concept considering he also had to widen the boattail rear and take eight inches out of the wheelbase.

The wheelbase is only 94.5 inches, and both the front and rear overhangs are minimal. The wee dimensions are apparent inside as well. This is a true two-seater, without even vestigial rear seats.

A high bulkhead immediately aft of the front seats precludes tossing anything behind them, and there's only 7.6 cubic feet of cargo space under the rear hatch. You're cocooned inside, with a high beltline rising toward the rear, a sloping roof, and a pinched view out the back.

Combine the Crossfire's chassis with its ultra-rigid body (stiffer than that of the Porsche 911, the engineers brag) and you get a car that responds very well in hard driving. The Crossfire turns in sharply and corners flat.

The interior's SLK pieces are obvious, despite the Chrysler designers' restyling. Still, the Mercedes starting point gives the Crossfire hands down the best-quality interior of any Chrysler product in recent times.

There is a choice of two transmissions. Chrysler gives the five-speed automatic its AutoStick label, but in fact this is the superior Mercedes Touch Shift unit, which can be manually up- and downshifted without first moving the selector out of drive.

The eighteen-valve, 3.2-liter SOHC V-6 is a staple of the Mercedes lineup; in this application it makes 215 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque.

Peak torque comes on stream at 3000 rpm, which helps make the Crossfire sports car quick at low speeds. But open it up on the highway, and the rush doesn't continue with the same urgency. The four-wheel disc brakes—aided by Mercedes' Corner Brake Control and Brake Assist—do a commendable job hauling the Crossfire down from high speeds.

1955 Chrysler C-300

Engine: 331.1-cid Hemi V-8, 300 hp
Price: $4110
Production: 1725

1956 Chrysler 300B

Engine: 354-cid Hemi V-8, 355 hp
Price: $4419
Production: 1102

1957 Chrysler 300C

Engine: 392-cid Hemi V-8, 375 hp (390 hp optional)
Price: $4929 (convertible $5359)
Production: 1918 (convertible 484)

1958 Chrysler 300D

Engine: 392-cid Hemi V-8, 380 hp (390 hp optional)
Price: $5173 ($5603 convertible)
Production: 618 (191 convertible)

1959 Chrysler 300E

Engine: 413-cid V-8, 380 hp
Price: $5319 ($5749 convertible)
Production: 550 (140 convertible)

1960 Chrysler 300F

Engine: 413-cid V-8, 375 hp (400 hp optional)
Price: $5411 ($5841 convertible)
Production: 964 (248 convertible)

1961 Chrysler 300G

Engine: 413-cid V-8, 375 hp (400 hp optional)
Price: $5411 ($5841 convertible)
Production: 1280 (337 convertible)

1962 Chrysler 300H

Engine: 413.3-cid V-8, 380 hp
Price: $5090 ($5461 convertible)
Production: 435 (123 convertible)

1963 Chrysler 300J

Engine: 413.8-cid V-8, 390 hp
Price: $5260
Production: 400

1964 Chrysler 300K

Engine: 413.8-cid V-8, 360 hp
Price: $4228 ($4694 convertible)
Production: 3022 (625 convertible)

1965 Chrysler 300L

Engine: 413.8-cid V-8, 360 hp
Price: $4251 ($4716 convertible)
Production: 2405 (440 convertible)

2003 Chrysler 300C Concept

Engine: 345-cid Hemi V-8, 340 hp
A production version of the 300C concept will arrive late in 2004 as a 2005 model, heralding a return to the tried-and-true V-8, rear-wheel-drive formula.

Chrysler's latest concept car, dubbed the Airflite, is basically a four-door hatchback that's built on a shortened version of the company's new rear-wheel-drive platform. Style-wise, the Airflite looks like a big brother to the Crossfire coupe: a long roofline rests atop equally long side windows. Viewed from the side, both roofline and glass join to form the tapering C-pillars of the rear hatch. Not an unattractive package. The interior, however—swathed in satin silver and wood—is pure design study, featuring "floating" interior components such as movable seats, armrests, and instrument panels. The engine is Chrysler's lackluster 3.5-liter V-6. While the Airflite is still a long way from being a viable production vehicle, it might indeed replace the current Cirrus in the Chrysler lineup.
Bottom line: Remember "cab-forward" design? This is "hatch-rearward."

Maybe the minivan's image is just a bit too wholesome; if so, the Town & Country Black Jack is here to help.

It's never too early to teach kids to be card sharks, so why not put a blackjack table in the minivan?

That's exactly what was done here. The two Swivel 'n Go second-row seats were replaced with one, center-mounted, rear-facing seat for the dealer. The third-row bench was stripped out in favor of a curved, suede-upholstered banquet - for the players. An illuminated, clear-topped half-round table is rimmed in carbon fiber, creating a cooler playing surface than the standard-issue table in the Swivel 'n Go minivan. The floor, too, has an LED-illuminated clear panel, and the roof has two long, fixed-glass sections (which actually are being considered for production).

The overhead console in the roof also houses a more authentic casino element-hidden cameras, one trained on the dealer and one on the players. The cameras can project their images onto a dash-mounted PC (an Azentek Atlas 1000) that sits in the spot usually occupied by the nav system. They also can project onto a 32-inch plasma screen mounted behind the banquet and visible with the liftgate open. The front seats and the second-row seat are reupholstered in satin-black leather, with silver-and-black perforated suede insets.

Outside, the look was influenced by the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, according to Marc Reisen, of Chrysler's advanced design studio. Blacked-out tail lamps and dark tinted windows help give it a monolithic look, set off by 20-inch wheels, behind which are brakes from a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. The paint looks black, but it's actually called amber black pearl, and it appears burnt orange in the sunlight. "We're hoping to see this thing cruising up and down the Strip and drawing people in," says Reisen. What could be more appropriate in Vegas?