Chrysler Plans Hybrid Dodge Ram
DETROIT — Chrysler LLC plans to release a hybrid-electric powered Dodge Ram pickup in 2010, the automaker’s product development chief said here today.
Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president of product development, told the SAE 2008 World Congress in Detroit that the hybrid version of its high-volume hauler is part of the automaker’s plans to reshape its product portfolio in the coming years.
Less than a year since being acquired from Daimler AG by Cerberus Capital Management LP, Chrysler is under pressure to revive its vehicle portfolio amid a major downturn in North American sales.
Klegon — today and in recent public remarks — says help is on the way as the automaker beefs up features in many of its vehicles.
Klegon also mentioned company plans to introduce UConnect, a system similar to Ford’s SYNC system. Chrysler’s UConnect would wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and allow the user to dial hands-free using voice activated software.
Another key initiative: The automaker’s 2009 minivans will have blind-spot detection systems and a cross pass system, which alerts a driver to oncoming traffic when backing out of a spot in a parking lot.
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