When I hear HEMI, the thing that first comes to mind is performance - mind-blowing performance that is. And of course, I think about Chrysler because after all, they made the HEMI what it is today. But today, the HEMI is not all about power but it is also about fuel efficiency.

Recently, The Auto Channel reported that Chrysler LLC unveiled the 2009 Chrysler Aspen HEMI Hybrid and the 2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid. These two vehicles are a long time coming but they are here now and the automaker is showing that it is not only about large and gas-guzzling vehicles but it also has the ability to develop green vehicles. I can't help think that somehow, Jim Press has something to do with the unveiling of these hybrid vehicles.

We know who Press is and what he has done at Toyota. It is widely believed that it was Press who lobbied the Japanese bosses to approve the production of hybrid vehicles. With that in mind, I think Press may have put some pressure on Chrysler to do the same. Although developing hybrid vehicles takes a lot of time, it would have been possible that Press' arrival has put the development of hybrid vehicles on fast mode.

Naturally, the guys at Chrysler are proud of their creation just like Suzuki car owners are proud of their car's Suzuki shocks. Frank Klegon, the executive vice president for product development at Chrysler, had this to say: "The new 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid vehicles will offer our customers the sought-after blend of performance, utility, capability and vastly improved fuel economy - all in one package. Combined with Chrysler's Multi-displacement System (MDS), our advanced, two-mode hybrid technology immediately delivers a more than 25-percent fuel economy improvement to our full-size SUVs - and up to a 40-percent improvement in the city."