| DaimlerChrysler AG said recently its Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicle will be available in 2003 with a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain that is 20 percent more fuel-efficient than a conventional V8 engine. The German-U.S. automaker said it eventually expects about 15 percent of total Durango annual volume of 220,000 SUVs to be equipped with the new gasoline-electric propulsion system, providing SUV buyers a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly option.
“You can get V8 (engine) power out of a V6 and make fewer stops at the gas station,’’ Bernard Robertson, DaimlerChrysler senior vice president of engineering technologies, said in a statement.
Federal legislators are weighing a $3,000 tax incentive for purchasers of hybrid-powered vehicles that could make the Durango cost competitive, said Bob Davis, director of advanced electric propulsion systems at the automaker’s Liberty research and technology center. He said the new hybrid system provides the power, acceleration and performance of a conventional V8 engine and is actually faster from 0 to 60 miles per hour than a 5.9-litre V8 engine. |
