AUBURN HILLS, MI – Chrysler announced that it has produced its one-millionth Pentastar V-6 engine at the company’s Trenton, Mich., Engine Assembly Plant. The automaker said the V-6 is the most advanced six-cylinder engine ever produced by the company, and is available in 11 vehicles across Chrysler’s brands, including Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands. The engine is standard on the Chrysler, 200, 300, and Town and Country; and the Dodge Avenger, Challenger, Charger, Durango, Journey, and Caravan.

For 2012, the 3.6L engine also is standard in the Jeep Wrangler and provides 285 horsepower, which is an increase of 40% over last year’s model. Torque is up 10% to 260 lb. ft. and highway fuel efficiency is improved to 21 miles per gallon (mpg) on the 2012 model.

The Pentastar V-6 engine also is the exclusive engine used with the new eight-speed automatic transmission on the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models. The new engine and transmission combination deliver 31 mpg on the highway, according to the automaker.

The new engine has replaced six legacy V-6 engines ranging from 2.7L up to 4.0L models. The new Pentastar V-6 weighs less, and is 94 pounds lighter than the 3.7L engine it replaced on the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Pentastar is also 42 pounds lighter than the 3.5L it replaced in the Chrysler 300 even though the new engine is larger in displacement.

The V-6 requires no Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), meets Federal Tier 2 BIN 5 emission requirements and Ultra-low Emissions Vehicle II (ULEV II) standards, and was designed to meet all known future worldwide standards including LEV III and PZEV Californian standards, according to Chrysler.