Chrysler Aspen Hybrid Will Sport HEMI

Or...they could put a V-6 in it and charge $10,000 less for equivalent results.

Nick: precisely. The whole idea of a hybrid is you add a second powerplant (electric motor) to enable you to go from v8 to v6 with same performance. Chrysler does the opposite, goes from small v8 to electric plus huge v8 (hemi). And when gas is going from $3 to $4 a gallon. Priceless.

Chrysler need to be wise convert all motors existing in line mass production for use d' Ethanol,right now,not Domani,Forget about domani, because Domani never come!and chrysler procrastinate wiyth silliness and foolishness,like the president Bush!.

Sounds like a nice dream if it actually handles well with the extra weight and is allowed to run electric only around town through the stop lights and stop n go. I'm still hungry for the first wise manufacturer to work with VW on a diesel and a hybrid with 80 -100 mpg in a car with glide and comfort like a Caddy Sedan Deville. But that's just part of the dream of common sense like making the trunk and hood and car top out of Carbon fiber with embedded solar arrays to provide more power to the batteries whenever the sun shines in our Global warming situation. Someday soon the extra power may be needed just for running the A/C. Until then less weight, great low friction for moving parts and less fuel and rubber consumption would make the roads a joy again. Chrysler is milking the Hemi name for all they can while they can as GM and ford did with the SUV's and the japanese car makers are now doing with their entry level cars or a decade or two ago. HAve you seen the size/price of a Mazda 3 or an Accord or even a Corolla. they have grown as much as the buying spree of the buyers will allow for. the new micro's are about the same size as the old Civics and the Corollas.

Hmmm...
Size and weight are proportional with each vehicle, depending on the size and weight class the vehicle is entering.

The size of an Accord / Camry, Corolla / Civic have absolutely no effect and or business being in the same topic as a 4500lb + "HEMI"- in NAME ONLY DODGE DURANGO COPY!

A vehicle as large as that SOB is.. and the sheer fact that it wont be used as designed makes the concept of an SUV an fuel economy coupled with hybrid motor a TOTAL OXYMORON!

The damn vehicle couldnt corner worth a damn, stop worth a damn.. and ya know it doesnt hold its resale price.. not to mention the step in height and the ability to actually get in the damn thing is difficult without a damn ladder. But thats all besides the point.

As for weight is concerned.. my 92 Accord weighed 2800lbs.. my 00 Accord weights 3200. The Civic and or Corolla are heavier.. but definately not heavy ENOUGH to warrant a change in the EPA size and or class rating.

Ethanol is not the answer. In order to make the stuff, you burn more energy than you produce. You have to plant. You have to fertilize. You have to cultivate. You have to harvest. Then, you gotta process the product and turn it into alcohol. AND, you cant send alcohol through the pipeline. It corrodes, attacks rubber seals, AND picks up moisture from the air. (I've raced alcohol powered cars, so I know) SO, you have to put this stuff in tankers and ship it, burning MORE fuel in the process. The whole deal is a waste of time!

And, a study has just come out, saying that the emmissions an ethanol powered engine produces are more harmful than the cars that run on dinosaur juice.

If someone just has to make fuel from plants, bio-diesel is the ticket. Not a problem to retro-fit an old diesel. Besides, Rudolph Diesel designed the engine to run on vegetable or even whale oil!

The real deal is, any major new source of energy and fuel, is decades away.

We have enough oil under the ground all over to the United States to run our economy for about 100 years. The problem is all of the democrats who go nuts everytime this is mentioned. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have allowed drilling in ANWAR. The country needs that oil, and the natives in Alaska are begging for the work that will bring. If Slick Willy would have signed the bill, we'd be getting millions of barrels a day, right now.

Then, as far as gasoline, we import billions of gallons, because we don't have the refinery capacity. We haven't built a new refinery since the 1970's, and our population has doubled. Do the math. And blame the dems for this deal too.

As for the Aspen, it will be a nice vehicle. A lot stronger than Ford's hybrid SUV.

With MDS technology, the Hemi powered vehicles already get respectible mileage, as long as you don't have a lead foot. At part throttle, the engine only runs on 4 cylinders. At really low speed city driving, the electric motor takes over. If you're old enough, you'll remember when the hot muscle cars had three two barrel carbs. The way it worked, is at part throttle, only the middle carb was used, and you got good mileage. But, when you got on it, the gas gauge would start moving! This MDS is just a high tech version of the same concept!

I'm pretty sure the Aspen will be a great all purpose vehicle. This will be a car that mom can take the kids to school in, run errands, and what have you. Getting good fuel mileage in the bargain! Then on the weekend, dad can hook up the boat, and haul it, and the family, to the lake, with out worrying if the thing will do the job.

This thing will be like a Swiss Army Knife!!

Has anyone ever tried to pull a boat or horse trailer (up to 8950 lb.) with a “Toyota Prius” or a “Honda Insite” or for that matter a “92 Accord”?
A 5000lb. Vehicle that will transport up to 8 real people in comfort makes sense at this time in this market. And going from 15 MPG to 25 MPG (carrying 8 people) saves more fuel overall than going from 35 MPG to 50 MPG in a tin shoebox that will only fit two.

I agree we need to explore and move toward diesel, but the “Build It And They Will Come” theory does not work. The U.S. Market still thinks that diesels have poor performance, noisy, and stink.
“None of this is true today”.

And Gary is right; Ethanol takes more energy to produce than we get from it. Not to mention shorter engine life. We do need to educate folks about diesel and bio-diesel. I know we run the risk of making the corn growers mad, but then again we will make the peanut farmers happy.

When gas prices go throurg the roof tell me who wants to by a 100,000 dollar electric car made by Tesla when you could sell electric powerplants for everyday cars and trucks
General Electric could sell 10,000,000 electric motors and same amount of batterys
take the cost and spread over a five year period, And the goverment could foot the cost
make up the tax loss from declining gas sales by taxing the electricty used by electric cars.