Here we go again. They just don't get it.

[Rybold]

"The market for hybrid full-size sport utility vehicles may be small, but Chrysler LLC is determined to get a piece of it, saying Tuesday that its new hybrids will be nearly $8,000 less than competitors from General Motors Corp.

The Durango and Aspen are Chrysler's first entries into the hybrid market and will go on sale in August. Chrysler said the hybrid SUVs get up to 20 miles per gallon and improve fuel economy by 40 percent in city driving and up to 25 percent overall.

Sales of full-size vehicles have tumbled this year, the victim of high gas prices and growing consumer preference for smaller cars. But it's unclear if hybrid SUVs will lure some buyers back to the segment."
Chrysler takes aim at GM with hybrid SUV prices: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

----- Do Chrysler and GM think we are stupid or something? I think most people that have the money to buy a $50K car are going to be able to figure out that it's still going to cost them $90 to fill up their gas tanks!

[chogan2]

I think they were behind the curve, and the rapid shift in gas prices just made them further behind the curve. I'm guessing the decision to do this was made two or three years ago. With the thinking being that, within a stable and profitable market segment (gas guzzlers), a relatively more efficient gas guzzler would be a seller. Then the price of gas went up, and in retrospect, they've just make a major investment in a rapidly declining market segment. But their decisionmaking is too cumbersome to allow for rapid change and/or they've already sunk the costs in developing it, so ... they are about to make a major new move in gas guzzlers. I think it's not precisely as stupid as it looks, it's more like the cumulative result of a lot of little stupidities, a long corporate lead time to do anything, and the unexpectedly rapid change in gas prices and buyer preferences. In effect they've just launched a product that might possibly have made sense three years ago. (Not to me, I mean -- guzzler-lite is still guzzler, but in the sense of a product that a fair number of people might want to buy.)

[bac]

Originally Posted by Rybold

Do Chrysler and GM think we are stupid or something?

I believe the short answer to be .... yes.

... Brad

[TonyPSchaefer]

GM's Lutz pitched this position a couple years ago. I have some math in the "Ford Focus commercial targets the Prius" thread, but the crux is that you reduce gasoline consumption far greater and at less expense if you improve the mileage of a guzzler - even a little - compared to improving an already high-mileage vehicle.

I have no doubt that if/when they implement this technology they will start bragging about the total amount of fuel saved and the percent improvement (10 -> 12 = 20%!) without even hinting on the actual mileage numbers.

[freshmtt]

Yes, I honestly do believe that they think we are stupid,, I can't get over the auto ads lately in the paper, they are advertising as much as 10 grand off MSRP for the big gas guzzlers, Tahoe, Hummer, Expedition etc.. It just makes me laugh, and in the same ad, advertising high MPG for these cars . So when they start advertising for a hybrid Tahoe and the like, I bet people will be stupid enough to go out and buy one,,

[MaxLegroom]

Actually, I don't think they are that stupid, here's why. Some people in this country simply feel they need a larger vehicle to carry their family in. My brother, for example, is one of these, and uses a Dodge conversion van to haul his family, which includes five dependents (not all children, alas). I suggested a top line minivan to him, but he didn't see the small increase in fuel economy to be worth it. Any mercy on these people in the way of fuel consumption is greatly appreciated, I figure. You see, there are some of us, who for whatever reason, refuse flatly to move to something like a Prius. I know why he did this. When my parents used to take us to his parent's home, up in Rhode Island, it was always in the back of Dad's VW Bug. By the time I was 12, whenever I came home from the car show, or the local Chevrolet dealer, I'd invariably drop the passenger van brochure in his lap, as I was quite tired of traveling in the back of that car. We got our van, a '75 Dodge, when I was a high school freshman, and it was so much better to travel in. So if he refuses to put his family in anything that even faintly smells of that experience, I can't blame him.

Just because I fail to see a SUV as a aspirational vehicle, doesn't mean that there aren't still a lot of people who do. If this helps them along, I'm all for it.

[richard schumacher]

Apparently they do it to help meet CAFE requirements without having to sell anything. See
Green Car Congress: Chrysler Prices New Two-Mode Hybrid Full-Size SUVs 15% Below GM

[morpheusx]

the worst part is they could get to the 20 MPG improvement by making a few inexpensive changes. A few examples
Lighter sheet metals or some added fiberglass panels,
better wheels and tires,
Improve aerodynamic design of heavy vehicles,
a better gear ratio for cruising without a load,
better mechanical parts of the engine such as improved intake and exhaust manifolds,
iridium spark plugs, nice thick ignition wires and better coils,
improved cooling system so that you can use more alluminum inside the engine without the risk of melting to lessen weight
Use Smaller engines with some turbo charging

A good example was I immediately improved on my previous car's gas mileage simply by going from the stock OEM plugs to Platinum plugs by 2 MPG went from 31 MPG to 33 MPG instantly for the life of the car.

[jackal454]

I am sorry that you are so mistaken regarding what makes a car get better fuel mileage. The only difference between inexpensive spark plugs and platnium/irridium plugs (besides the price) is that the more expensive ones last longer. They are generally good for 100k miles, the difference you noted on your car was mostly due to having new spark plugs which were gapped correctly. Cooling systems, plug wires, and coils have literally no noticeable effect on mileage.

I know firsthand that the tahoe does use lightened panels among other things to improve fuel economy, including the hood, tailgate, and more.

Do you really think that the intake/fi systems arent pretty much maximized?If they could make a smalll alteration to these items to save fuel, dont you think they would? mpg sells cars as does power, etc.

I own a prius now for reasons that fit MY life, I also own a Hemi powered Durango because i need one, I hate filling the thing up, but I cant pull a boat and load 7 people comfortably into a minivan.

I find the arrogance of some hybrid/prius owners to be the worst thing about owning one of these cars. People assume we all feel that the rest of the world should fit into our neat little idea of how things should be. Fact is that different people have very different needs when it comes to purchacing a car, not everyone can fit their needs into a compact car.

Be glad that you are saving some money and if you are worried about global warming, then be glad about your lack of contribution to that also.

Regarding the hybrid suv's, I think they are a great idea. These will make it better for those who need/want a big vehicle. I hope they continue finding ways to improve fuel economy for all vehicles not just ones that are already efficient....without sacrificing performance so they all run like its 1981 again(if you were there you know what I mean)

[Rakimb17]

The only good thing I can find about these new hybrid SUVs is the design. It looks like they using a standard chevy truck transmission as the main component of their hybris system. That means that it can probably be retrofitted into other older suvs fairly easily.
But, They did not put a lot of effort into the total design. The main problem is the fact that they are using huge displacement engines. They could easily get the same or more power out of a turbo 4.0 liter engine.