The Plymouth Voyager III was a concept car shown at the 1990 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, one of roughly 20 concept vehicles displayed there and considered the most notable of the group. It was later exhibited at European shows under the Chrysler export brand. The concept demonstrated a functioning combination of two separate vehicles: a large minivan whose front section could detach and drive away as a small city car. At the Chrysler/Plymouth stand, a special platform was installed so the coupling and uncoupling of the two sections could be demonstrated automatically to showgoers.
As a complete vehicle the Voyager III measured 504 cm in length, some 20 cm longer than the production Voyager Grand Limousine, and rode on six wheels, with a glazed roof step above the front seats and a double rear axle among its visible features. During the separation sequence, two additional wheels lowered between the front and rear axles, briefly giving the appearance of an eight-wheeled vehicle, before the body and mechanical connections released and the four-wheeled front section drove off under its own power. The rear section, resting securely on its four wheels, retained an interior with three middle seats and two rear seats accessed through sliding doors, and housed a rear-mounted Chrysler 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels. This rear unit could not move independently. The front section, called the "urban commuter module," measured 264 cm in length, making it shorter than any small car on the market at the time, and had three seats arranged side by side. It used a transverse 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine running on propane gas to reduce urban emissions, driving the front wheels. Both engines were paired with automatic transmissions.
The two drive units were linked electronically, allowing the combined vehicle to run on the front engine alone to save fuel and cut emissions, engage the rear engine when more power was needed, or use both together for maximum performance and traction, equivalent to a 3.8-liter V8 with four-wheel drive. After an acceleration phase, speed could be maintained using only the front engine. A similar twin-engine concept for minivans had reportedly been developed in 1987 by the American designer Gordon Buehrig, born in 1904. Chrysler's design chief, Thomas Gale, stated that the Voyager III was not a vehicle intended for production within the next five to ten years, but was meant to test various engine types and drivetrain systems for possible future environmental requirements.
Combined, the Voyager III had a wheelbase of 310 cm, a track of 147/151 cm, and overall dimensions of 504 cm long, 178 cm wide and 166 cm high.
