In Bow to Impending MPG Law, Chrysler Chief Says All Cars Will Be Hybrids

[Bartek Sikorski]

NEW YORK — Everything will be hybrid. That was the message sent at a seminar here this morning by new Chrysler president Jim Press, as he settles rather rapidly into his post under new owner Cerberus just a couple months after being lured away from 37 years at Toyota.

Eventually, Press said, every vehicle that Chrysler makes would be hybrid-powered. He offered no timetable, but the United States government’s mandate to increase fleetwide fuel economy by 40 percent by 2020 is a big hurdle that hybrid technology can certainly assist in clearing. Carmakers have been bemoaning the impending regulations for a while, and even managed to get the EPA to back down a little and extend the deadline. Press’s statement was the first by a major auto executive that openly embraces hybrid technology as an across-the board sea change for all vehicles in a company lineup.

Press went on to say that it’s his intent to build and sell as many Chrysler-branded product outside North America as are currently sold in the U.S. (around 2.7 million units). That offers a major shift in Chrysler's business plan, because the company’s offshore sales are currently a very small part of its overall business.

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