HOPES are high that a stunning new Chrysler sports coupe will soon be on offer in Britain.

Only weeks after the company announced it intended to build a production version of Crossfire, the concept launched at the Detroit Motor Show, Chrysler Jeep UK director Simon Elliott is confident the car will reach British showrooms: 'I'll be very surprised if Crossfire is not built in right-hand drive form and it's a vehicle I'm particularly keen to sell.'

Production details of the model will not be released for another four months, but it is likely that a UK version would have a 3.2-litre engine and cost about £25,000.

Meanwhile, Chrysler Jeep sales so far this year are 16% higher than in 2000, mainly due to the PT Cruiser and Voyager. Elliott added: 'We have already exceeded last year's total volume on the Cruiser and sold 4,500 units and we've had to order an extra 400 examples of the latest Voyager to meet orders.'

At the show, Chrysler announced it was making a 1.6-litre version of the PT Cruiser. It also unveiled a 2.7-litre, five-cylinder common rail diesel engine for the Grand Cherokee, which it claimed offers 16% higher fuel efficiency.

Next year, a 2.2-litre common rail turbodiesel engine will be offered in the PT Cruiser.