Chrysler hybridizes its biggest vehicles

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 21 (UPI) -- Chrysler officials say they're ready to hit the road with hybrid fuel versions of some of its biggest and heaviest U.S. vehicles, including SUVs and trucks.

Instead of starting with its smallest cars and working its way up, Chrysler is starting with its biggest rear wheel-drive sedan, SUVs and pick-ups, The Detroit News reported Saturday.

"These are our first hybrids, but they are not going to be our last," Michael Berube, a senior manager for Chrysler brand marketing, told the newspaper.

Chrysler, which already debuted a hybrid Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen, has partnered with General Motors Corp., Daimler AG and BMW AG in developing a new hybrid fuel powertrain that next will be applied to its rear-wheel drive sedans and trucks, such as the Dodge Ram pickup, the News said.

"The ultra-environmentalist would say if you have to drive, you should drive the most fuel-efficient car possible," Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, told the newspaper. "But if the goal is to cut fuel usage, hybridizing a Dodge Durango saves a lot more oil than moving from a gas (Toyota) Corolla to a Prius, and some people are still going to want SUVs."