Click the Aspen Hybrid for a high-res gallery

This summer, Chrysler hits the market with the 2-Mode hybrid Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen. Chrysler and former owner Daimler partnered with General Motors and BMW back in 2006 to help bring the 2-Mode hybrid system to light-duty vehicles. The setup was originally developed for use in buses by Allison transmission when it was a part of GM.

The 2-Mode transmission made its passenger vehicle debut last year in the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Built by General Motors at its Baltimore, MD transmission plant, the GM and Chrysler systems have identical internals, but there are some packaging differences where the units mate up to the two manufacturers' engines and transfer cases. We attended Chrysler's New England launch event for the hybrid Aspen and Durango. Read on to see our initial driving impressions.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

At the Washington Auto Show, Jim Press (the guy who famously left Toyota for Chrysler) said the Japanese government worked closely with corporations, like Toyota, for the betterment of society. Jim said he is excited to work with Cerberus, the private owners of Chrysler, to contribute to society as well. In the U.S., Press said, things like the Alliance of Auto Manufactures and the new CAFE standard lead to great results, e.g., the Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid. Do you have questions about Chrysler's HEMI hybrid? The Washington Auto Show has two days left and I will ask your questions when I head back there. Post your questions in comments now.

MarketWatch notes that some automakers are still reluctant to commit to a hybrid program because the premium cost is unlikely to match the benefits.

A Nissan official acknowledges there is a market for hybrids but wonders if it can be profitable and sustainable. Nissan will offer a hybrid version of the Altima next year, but hasn't offered a price or mileage estimate; also the company has no firm specifics on any alternative-fuel strategy.

Many critics of the auto industry point to the Prius as a shining example of hybrid popularity. But the story stresses that other hybrid models don't share that success record. Analysts point to the uniqueness of the Prius as it was a vehicle totally designed around the hybrid powertrain. Other hybrids are knockoffs of existing models. And that's where the extra cost problems rears its ugly head. The Prius has no incestuous competition against which consumers can compare sticker prices.

Dodge will have a hybrid version of the Durango in 2008. The company is working with GM and BMW on joint hybrid technology, yet officials say there's no need for a "strong presence in the near term."

[Source: MarketWatch]

The City of Durango, CO stopped using biodiesel in its vehicles around the first of the year, according to an article in the Durango Herald. The city had some problems with the fuel, with engines becoming fouled with an unidentified sludge. Of the 42,000 gallons of fuel used by city vehicles in 2005, 40,000 to 41,000 were biodiesel. The problems with biodiesel are blamed on lack of quality control and standards in the local biodiesel production. The San Luis Valley Rural Electrical Cooperative has also recently switched back to diesel for reasons similar to Durango's. The City of Durango did run its city vehicles on biodiesel for two years with very few problems, so these recent problems are surprising. The Durango Mountain Resort has not had any problems running its on-mountain equipment on biodiesel in winter. Other alternatives for Durango are being investigated, including ethanol and hydrogen fuel cells, but current buses can not run ethanol, and a fuel cell bus costs the equivalent of 10 regular buses.

[Source: Durango Herald]