First production Chrysler Aspen hybrid comes off the line
The second member of the Two-Mode hybrid partnership to bring a vehicle to the streets following GM's launch of the Tahoe/Yukon hybrids will be Chrysler. The Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hybrids don't actually go on sale to the the public until later this fall. However, the first "saleable" Aspen hybrid rolled silently off the assembly line at Chrysler's Newark, DE assembly plant on the March 10. So-called saleable units are typically built many months ahead of retail sales and built from production intent parts on production units. These vehicles are generally kept for internal use including durability testing and final validation of hardware and software. These vehicles will also be used for early media drives that will likely take place this summer. The Chrysler hybrids are using the same hybrid transmission used by GM supplied from that company's Baltimore transmission plant. The only difference is the case casting to allow it to interface with the Chrysler V-8 engine.
[Source: Red Letter Dodge]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bancho 11:43AM (3/24/2008)
This is tough to fathom. Is Chrysler selling enough of the Aspen to justify the costs associated with a hybrid version? From what I've heard, Dodge is having a tough time selling Durangos so the more expensive Aspen has to be an even uglier proposition.
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