Ford, Chrysler Tout Natural Gas-Powered Cars

Vehicles powered by natural gas got a big boost Thursday in announcements involving two Detroit auto makers.

Ford Motor Co. announced plans to develop an assembly-line version of a natural gas passenger car by 1996 in a $50-million project jointly sponsored by Southern California Gas Co. and the Chicago-based Gas Research Institute. Ford is the first of the Big Three U.S. auto makers to announce a production schedule for natural gas cars.

In a separate announcement, the California Air Resources Board certified a Chrysler Corp. V-8 engine powered by compressed natural gas as the cleanest van and truck engine ever produced. The announcement is significant because the engine meets California’s standards for clean-fuel vehicles five years before they begin taking effect.

The Chrysler engine, which Dodge has offered on a limited number of models since 1992, received its first official rating by the Air Resources Board on Thursday.

Southern California Gas will contribute $2 million to the Ford effort. The Gas Research Institute, a research and development organization funded by the nation’s gas utilities, will contribute $5 million. The utility and utility group will provide an additional $4.5 million to Ford to augment the auto maker’s $23-million program to develop natural gas vans and pickup trucks.