Dodge

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.