Chrysler adds hybrids to SUVs

Chrysler is thinking big with its first entry into the hybrid market place. The automaker is using the Los Angeles auto show to launch hybrid powertrain versions of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs.

The hybrid Durango and Aspen use the Two Mode hybrid system that the automaker developed in cooperation with Daimler AG, General Motors and BMW AG.

That hybrid powertrain is mated with a 5.7-liter, 385 hp V8 with cylinder deactivation. Chrysler says the hybrid SUVs get 25 percent better fuel economy overall and 40 percent better fuel mileage in the city, compared with models powered by the conventional 5.7-liter V8.

An electric continuously variable transmission with controller determines which of the two hybrid modes to operate in and offer seamless changes between modes and acceleration. AutoWeek