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Durango Slated for Hybrid
Dodge SUV gets version of GM-BMW-DC hybrid powertrain.
by Joseph Szczesny (2006-04-10)

DaimlerChrysler AG's top brass has never been big fans of hybrid
vehicles because the company's executives believe that diesel engines
offer a better and less expensive way to meeting rising demand for
better fuel efficiency.

The public's generally favorable perception of hybrids has given the
green machines an important boost, though, despite the technology's
shortcomings, DaimlerChrysler officials say. And that's why the company
is bowing to market forces and is now committed to bringing out a new
hybrid SUV within the next couple of years. The Chrysler Group
confirmed last week it plans to offer a hybrid version of the Dodge
Durango starting in 2008.

The Durango will be the first hybrid gas-electric vehicle offered by
the Chrysler Group and will incorporate the very latest fuel-saving
technology, DaimlerChrysler officials said. The addition of the hybrid
powertrain also will make it easier for the Durango line to meet the
tougher fuel economy standard being imposed by the federal government
in the next few years.

The hybrid Durango will feature a two-mode hybrid system developed
jointly by DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, and the BMW Group under the
auspices of a project first launched back in 2004 when automakers were
still debating whether the technology would ever catch on with the
public.

Frank Klegon, Chrysler Group executive vice president of product
development, said the new package will boost the fuel economy of the
Durango by as much as 25 percent.

"The advanced two-mode hybrid system, which we will first offer in the
Dodge Durango, leapfrogs traditional hybrid design by improving fuel
economy and performance at higher speeds as well as city driving
cycles," said Klegon.

"The Durango hybrid will deliver seamless power on demand in an
efficient package with motors less than half the size of traditional
hybrids," he added.

With an electrically variable transmission, including two electric
motors and two full hybrid modes of operation, the drive system
improves fuel economy by operating at low speeds around town and at
higher speeds on highways, he said.

Larry Lyons, Chrysler Group vice president in charge of small-car
engineering, also said that DaimlerChrysler is looking at ways of
packaging a hybrid system into smaller vehicles such as the Jeep
Compass. However, the Chrysler Group has not yet decided whether it
will actually build a smaller hybrid, he said. The project has gotten a
lot of attention, however, he said.

Meanwhile Chrysler Group engineers have modified the floor, second-row
seats, and electrical system of the 2007 Durango to prepare the for
hybrid version, which will be tied to the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine.
George Murphy, the Chrysler Group's senior vice president for global
brand marketing, said the changes in the interior were carried out
along with a significant changes to the exterior that will give the
2007 Durango a fresh look only three years after the first introduction
of the current model.

Murphy also the 2007 Dodge Durango has been upgraded to include new
standard features such as stability control, side-curtain airbags, and
a tire-pressure monitoring system. Several new convenience features are
available on the new Durango, including ParkSense ultrasonic rear park
assist, one-touch lane-change signal, stain-resistant fabric,
express-up-and-down front windows, 115-volt outlet, quad bucket seats,
remote start, and 20-inch wheels.

Sales of the latest Durango have tailed off after a very strong start
back in 2004. At least part of the decline has been attributed to the
drop in the sales of larger, body-on-frame SUVs. Buyers have moved away
from the old SUVs towards more fuel-efficient crossover vehicles or
luxury vehicles.

Joe Eberhardt, Chrysler Group executive vice president for sales and
marketing, insisted last week that he did not believe the shift out of
the mid-size sport-utility vehicle was permanent. The segment still
attracts plenty of buyers but hasn't had a lot of new products lately,
which has served to feed the decline in sales, he said.




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