with four or eight cylinders.

The computer picks from thousands of combinations of running on one electric motor, two electric motors, a combination of electric motors and the gasoline engine, or shutting down some of the V-8's cylinders.

The computer can judge speed, towing load, terrain, temperature, humidity, wetness of the pavement and other factors to decide the most fuel-efficient combination of technologies.

Truckenbrodt said the hybrid system will allow people to tow large loads and carry a lot of people or gear, yet still give them good fuel economy.

''We just know that this 5.7-liter Hemi is really a natural fit for this multi-displacement system,'' he said.

DaimlerChrysler plans to use it in Mercedes and more Chrysler vehicles, although Truckenbrodt would not say which ones.

GM plans to sell the hybrid system in its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs in the fourth quarter of this year, and the system will go into the Cadillac Escalade SUV and Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra crew cab pickups sometime next year.

Chrysler would not say the price of the hybrid models, nor would it state the towing capacity other than to say it knows people want something comparable to the current 8,950 pounds.

Most associate the 335-horsepower Hemi engine with muscle - and the new hybrid system may change that image - but Chrysler will have a lot of marketing work to do, said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at Global Insight, an economic research and consulting company.

Source: [url=http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5827467]Salt Lake Tribune[/url]