Tepidly, Fiat-controlled Chrysler Group will test the U.S. compressed natural gas waters later this year with a small number of Ram CNG pickup trucks. In an interview with Business Week at the Detroit auto show last month, Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both automakers, said, “We are going to bring them here, there is no doubt,” Sales will be “limited at first. It depends upon the distribution network.”
According to a recent study by GfK Automotive, consumers have mostly shifted to smaller compact gas vehicles of late, with many having decided that saving money on fuel is worth sacrificing a little in the way of space—just not too much.
Chrysler is killing its dedicated electric car program. General Motors is moving forward with its sleek electric-drive Caddy. What do these two news flashes tell us about Detroit’s prospects in the bold new era of EVs and plug-in hybrids? And what about that other Detroit car company?
US auto sales last month plunged 32 percent from October 2007 levels. General Motors took the biggest hit, a jaw-dropping 45-percent decline. Hidden in the dismal industry numbers were a couple of hybrid oddities. You might view them as thrillers: The Case of the Missing Hybrids, double-billed with Last Hybrid Standing.
It appears that Chrysler will discontinue the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen full-sized hybrids just two months after both vehicles began full-scale production.
Chrysler confirmed its plans today to release a hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup in 2010. Chrysler’s timeline puts the company about two years behind General Motors, which will introduce the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid pickups later this year. Hybrid technology has not yet been applied to high-volume full-size pickup trucks.
