CHRYSLER TECH, CERBERUS-STYLE.(News)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

Bad news aside, we haven't heard much from privately held Chrysler since it was acquired by Cerberus Capital Management in 2007.

CEO Robert Nardelli seems ready to change that, starting by marshaling the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker's latest technological breakthroughs and putting them into production as soon as possible.

Company engineers and designers are working together more than ever through the magic of computer morphing, which is helping to cut as much as 10 months out of the typical 31-month development time for a new vehicle.

What's the latest and greatest coming from Chrysler? Here's a peek.

* We're already driving two-mode hybrid-powertrain technology on General Motors sport/utilities, such as the GMC Yukon and the Chevy Tahoe, but Chrysler isn't far behind with its 2009 Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs, using the same system developed in a partnership with GM, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

On sale this fall, the Chrysler SUVs use the same four fixed gears and two electric-vehicle modes as everyone else in the joint hybrid-tranny project, but Chrysler powertrain gurus say its version is more refined. In the Durango and the Aspen, the two-mode system is tied to a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with variable valve timing, multidisplacement cylinder deactivation and fuel cutoff. Chrysler says the combination is good for a 25 percent bump in overall fuel economy (and a 40 percent jump in city mileage) versus a nonhybrid Durango or Aspen with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with cylinder deactivation.