LA auto show: Aspen Hybrid to climb new heights

CHRYSLER has combined its 5.7-litre HEMI V8 with the two-mode hybrid system developed in collaboration with General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and has announced that its first hybrid vehicles – the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango large SUVs – will reach the US market mid-2008. Both vehicles will offer an estimated 287kW of power, while fuel consumption is expected to drop 40 per cent in the city and 25 per cent overall. Chrysler is still to provide actual figures on the latter, which mirror the improvements made with GM’s Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid. In hybrid form, the HEMI engine will continue to feature cylinder deactivation technology.

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