Fuel-Efficient Dodge Cars & Trucks
Instead of delivering on a hybrid Dodge Ram pickup, Chrysler is pushing its impractical Dodge Circuit electric car concept.
It’s tough to make sense of Chrysler’s forays into hybrids and other advanced fuel-saving vehicles. In 2008, Chrysler said it would release a hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup in 2010. Chrysler indicated that the Dodge Ram Hybrid would use the hemi-powered hybrid system being applied to the hybrid versions of the Dodge Durango Hybrid and Chrysler Aspen Hybrid. Unfortunately, the factory that makes the Durango and Aspen has already been shuttered. So who knows if Chrysler will follow through on a hybrid pickup?
Also in 2008, reports about a hybrid version of the Dodge Grand Caravan started to emerge (from Canadian media sources). A hybrid drivetrain could breathe new life into the Chrysler-produced minivan, a bread and butter vehicle for the company since 1984. But nothing has been confirmed.
Instead, the company is making a Hail Mary pass to pure electric vehicles. The electric Dodge EV sports car, previewed in fall 2008 by Chrysler’s ENVI advanced technology group, was renamed the Dodge Circuit—and unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The Circuit has a 200-kilowatt (268 hp) electric motor and can do 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds—allowing the car to go nowhere fast.
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Dodge Fuel Efficient Vehicles
| Sort by: | Name | Combined MPG  | Technology | MSRP | Available | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dodge Caravan E85 | 18 MPG | E85 Ethanol | $22,400 | Now | One of the true workhorse E85 vehicles. |
Top news for Dodge
Chrysler To Stick Toe Into US CNG Waters- 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.”
Consumers and Carmakers Still Look to Gas-Powered Compacts First for Fuel Savings- 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.
The Tale of Three Detroit Electric Car Programs- 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?
Dead Hybrids Walking- 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.
Durango and Aspen Hybrids Killed- 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 Confirms Dodge Ram Hybrid- 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.