http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=85485 Chrysler may add hybrids in 2006 DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler Group doesn’t intend to cede the growing hybrid car market to rivals such as Ford Motor Co. and will offer front-wheel-drive hybrid vehicles in the United States perhaps as early as 2006, group Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said in an interview. He did say that rather than develop its own hybrid systems, DaimlerChrysler probably will license the technology from another manufacturer. By emphasizing diesel technology, which is popular in Europe, Chrysler seemed to be giving up on the critical California and Eastern Seaboard markets, where diesel passenger vehicles can’t be sold because of strict air pollution regulations.
I really am surprised to see Daimler-Chrysler say this; they've pretty firmly entrenched themselves in the diesel camp up until now. (Which, if you're only interested in fuel economy (and don't live in a state that outlaws diesel cars) is not a bad solution.) I wonder if D-C is doing this to shush up stockholders and critics who are saying "Why aren't you building a hybrid? Prii are selling like hotcakes!!"
Yeah, D-C has been the most vocal of the diesel advocates, along with VW. I can almost hear them in the back room "Ve Vill Crush de puny Hybridz" But, I don't think it's just a publicity/PR issue for them right now. I believe they are facing two facts that don't bode well for diesels. 1) US consumers have a bad opinion of diesels. 2) It is proving harder than they thought to make competitive diesels that meet the new, more stringent emissions regulations. They have always said they will meet the emissions mark, but in the background they have been lobbying hard for diesel exemptions in the US just like Europe grants. It looks now like the US isn't going to go along, and at a minimum they won't be able to sell the diesels in the CARB states, and may in fact have problems making them cost effective options in the other states. So, they aren't left with many options.
I think you're right, Tempus. Particularly, Right or wrong, the image of the "stinky diesel" seems to hang on. Particularly since you encounter the older diesels, and their emissions, many places. And the cynic in me is surprised that they have had such trouble lobbying for a relaxed emissions standards for diesels. Particularly in an atmosphere that fosters the idea of drilling in environmentally sensitive areas for ~5 months worth of oil. Whoever's been saying "No" to them in Congress: thank you!
This is the one thing I can think of for which to thank George Bush: he has kept Clinton's schedule for mandating ultra-low-sulfur Diesel fuel (starts 1 July 2006), and has even proposed rules for extending clean Diesel standards to off-road applications (farms, locomotives, construction equipment; I'm not sure about ships).
