Thanx to Mike at JEEPNEWSNOW.com for posting the following link:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=130708

For those of you who are not technological challenged, how do you think a hybrid would fare in serious off-road situations, like high water or big boulders?

Would the hybrid parts be more prone to damage than if the vehicle had just a gas/diesel power plant? Would the additional weight cause adverse performance issues with the vehicle?

Grand CherokeeNew Grand Cherokee Plant Hints at Hybrids?
Posted by mike on 2008/8/19 13:52:00 (437) reads

When the news hit last week that Chrysler was investing $1.8 billion in its Jefferson North facility in Detroit where the Grand Cherokee is assembled, there weren't a whole lot of details. The juiciest tidbit was that the Grand Cherokee would be car-based. We just heard something a bit more interesting...

Edmunds Inside Line is reporting now that a hybrid might be in store for the Grand Cherokee by 2011:

Supplier sources told Inside Line that the investment focuses heavily on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, in two-row and three-row configurations. The new Grand Cherokee will be powered by the new Phoenix engine, a V6 that is likely to be either a 3.3-liter or a 3.5-liter. The new Grand Cherokee will be engineered with "more space for hybrid components," a source said. There was talk about "Dodge spin-offs" to be built at Jefferson North, but one source said those "talks have quieted down."


As you can see, the article mentions 2- and 3-row configuration for the Grand Cherokee - this appears to be yet another indication that the Commander (also assembled at Jefferson North) is not long for this world.