Don Stauffer wrote:

Buying a new Chrysler van, and the salesman was
tauting a new "alloy" that he said Daimler developed.
He called it an alloy, but the description seems to
indicate a laminate, plastic on steel. I am assuming
it is a single layer of each. He said it provides
both corrosion resistance and sound deadening.

I'm unfamiliar with it, but plastics have long been mixed with powdered
metal for extra hardness or density, an example being the body of the
original Polaroid SX-70 cameras from the early 1970s.

One rule to remember about Chrysler and American cars: They tend to be
deficient in the areas touted most by the marketing department.

Get a different van so you won't end up with the Chrysler 4-speed
automatic, which still remains one of the least reliable transmissions
made, despite all the extensive changes, including 3-4 upgrades to the
fluid. Some Chrysler vehicles have a much more reliable
Damlier-designed automatic, but I believe it's a 5-speed.