Chrysler announced today that it plans to launch three electric vehicles by 2010. The real news here is that the vehicles will be 100% electric…AND, that they won’t look like shoeboxes. Chrysler plans a 100% electric version of the Town & Country mini-van, the 4-door Wrangler, and a new all-electric sports car.

Chrysler has had its issues this year. Good for them for taking a huge step forward and responding to the market’s need for an economical solution. The real kicker in this story that impresses me, however, is the fact that Chrysler is adapting the new technology to time-honored body-styles. This is a stark contrast to the obviously preferred method of most auto-makers, who wrap a hybrid engine in a body that could’ve been built by Bart Simpson.

Chrysler gets real brownie points for realizing that what they’re selling is NOT the electric engine. Despite all of our bloviating about saving the environment, we still buy cars because we like the story they tell about our sense of style. To the great majority of us, the engine is some mysterious noisemaker that happens to reside under the hood…it’s a necessary evil…a perk, if you will. How else can you explain the dominance of 4-cylinder engines that do nothing but groan when you press the accelerator to the floor? Well…we don’t explain it…we simply smile because the outside of the car looks cool.

Most auto-makers to date have made the mistake of believing that people buy a hybrid engine because they really care about the planet. Hybrids have been all about the engine, with little attention paid to the packaging. The tragedy is- and, again, Chrysler gets credit for recognizing- that CONSUMERS BUY PACKAGING. This is why most hybrids have not done well compared to their gas-guzzling cousins.

What can Chrysler expect from an all-electric Jeep Wrangler? They can expect that Wrangler will not lose market share over the price of fuel. But will Hummer drivers ditch their H3 in favor of the new Jeep? Doubtful, because, electric or not, a Jeep Wrangler doesn’t tell the same story about the driver as does the H3. If the new electric engine doesn’t man-handle the trails and rocks like the traditional “straight-6”, then the Jeep might have a problem.

Jeep-lovers are picky, after all, and are very much in touch with the core values of the Jeep brand.

So, an electric Wrangler…well…you got my attention…