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Chrysler Group, in the throes of finalising its divorce from Daimler, is to invest $450 million in its US engines plant at Kenosha in Wisconsin in preparation for the launch of a range of V6 engines.

The investment is part of a $3 billion programme of powertrain developments to launch the new engines, which Chrysler is codenaming "Phoenix engines".

The Kenosha plant is due to start production of the new V6 in January 2011 and will make 400,000 Phoenix engines a year at full volume. There has been an engines plant at the site since 1917, and it was acquired by Chrysler from American Motor Corp in 1987.

Other Chrysler powertrain developments include a partnership with Getrag of Germany to offer a dual-clutch transmission.