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Pickups, SUVs To Join Ranks Of Hybrids

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By DEE-ANN DURBIN, The Associated Press

Published: November 14, 2007

In the race to get greener, automakers want to leave no vehicle behind.

Some of the largest pickups and sport utility vehicles will soon come in hybrid versions, as automakers bet consumers want to save fuel without compromising capability. Chrysler LLC will show its first two hybrids - both SUVs - at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show. General Motors Corp. will unveil its hybrid Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Even the mammoth Cadillac Escalade is getting a hybrid option.

But with efficiency comes a price. Although specific numbers are not being released yet, the new hybrids will cost more than models with conventional engines. And industry analysts wonder just how much demand there will be for the new power systems.

"Americans shouldn't have to choose tiny little vehicles to get fuel efficiency. We ought to be able to offer a range of choice while being sensitive to environmental impact," Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of North America sales, service and marketing, said last week in Detroit.

The Los Angeles show opens to the public Friday after two days of media previews.

The hybrids will be one story at the show, often a showcase for automakers' greenest ideas. Honda Motor Co. will introduce a new hydrogen fuel-cell car to be marketed to consumers next year.

GM is announcing plans to provide 10 fuel-cell vehicles to ferry customers around Disneyland. Hyundai Motor Co. will show the QarmaQ concept car, which is made from recycled plastic bottles.

It's unclear how much demand there is for full-size hybrids, said Mike Omotoso, senior manager of global powertrain forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. Omotoso predicts about 10 percent of customers buying large SUVs would choose the hybrid option. Overall, hybrid sales are expected to reach 300,000 this year, about 2 percent of all U.S. sales, according to R.L. Polk and Co., an auto information and marketing company.

"This is really new territory," Omotoso said. "It will help manufacturers counter the image of gas-guzzling SUVs. Consumers can have their cake and eat it, too."

A hybrid system developed by GM, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and BMW will debut on 2009 models of the Chrysler Aspen, Dodge Durango, the Silverado and the Escalade. The automakers say the hybrid system - called a two-mode hybrid - improves fuel economy by 25 percent, or between 40 percent and 50 percent in city driving. For the Silverado, which now gets 15 miles per gallon in the city, that could mean an improvement to 21 mpg, similar to the Toyota Camry, in city driving.

The system can operate in an electric-only mode at low speeds or with a combination of the gas engine and electric assistance at higher speeds. Like single-mode hybrid systems used by Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co. and others, the two-mode runs without the gas engine at low speeds.

At higher speeds the electric motor adds more power. Single-mode systems have heavier motors, making them less ideal for towing.

Hybrid versions of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs are scheduled to arrive in showrooms in the middle of 2008, Chrysler said.

The SUVs can use an engine-only mode when conditions demand the full power of the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine, such as climbing a steep hill or pulling a trailer.

The Aspen and Durango are capable of towing 6,000 pounds.

Chrysler would not say how much the hybrid Aspen and Durango will sell for, but there will be a premium.

GM has introduced the two-mode hybrid system in its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, which will be available in early 2008. It had a less efficient hybrid system on earlier versions of the Silverado.

But the 2009 Silverado will be the first full-size full-hybrid pickup on the market when it goes on sale at the end of 2008.

GM said the hybrid Silverado can drive up to 30 mph on electricity alone. With the electric assist, it allows the 6-liter, V-8 engine to operate in its more economical V-4 mode. It can tow up to 6,100 pounds.

Omotoso predicts there will be less demand for hybrid pickups because many heavy-duty pickup drivers save on fuel with diesels.

But he said pickup drivers generally drive long distances, so they would be able to recoup the premium more quickly.

Also, many small businesses might want to take advantage of federal tax breaks for hybrids. Omotoso predicted that between 5 percent and 6 percent of pickup drivers will opt for the hybrid.

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