DaimlerChrysler will sell a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Dodge Durango sport-utility in calendar year 2003 the automaker said Tuesday. The company said up to 33000 Durangos -- about 15 percent of those produced -- will come equipped with a hybrid powertrain. A V-6 engine with an automatic transmission will propel the rear wheels. An electric motor will drive the front wheels and assist the gasoline engine during acceleration. The electric motor also will trap energy normally lost in deceleration and braking and store it in a battery. The hybrid Durango will cost about $3000 more than the conventional Durango. But DaimlerChrysler is counting on legislation before the U.S. Senate that would create a consumer tax credit for hybrid vehicles. The credit would decrease or eliminate the price difference between the two versions. If the legislation doesn't go through we will still go forward with the product said DaimlerChrysler spokesman Sjoerd Dijkstra. But the automaker may produce fewer hybrids should the legislation fall through Dijkstra said DaimlerChrysler said there will be no compromise in performance with the hybrid Durango. In fact DaimlerChrysler said the hybrid version is quicker than the standard Durango equipped with a V-8 from 0 to 60 miles per hour. The hybrid powertrain will increase fuel efficiency by 20 percent. The automaker said it will get 18.6 mpg combined city/highway compared with 15.5 mpg for the conventional V-8 Durango. The hybrid version will come with a 20-gallon gasoline tank compared with a 25-gallon tank on the V-8. With the Durango DaimlerChrysler will join Ford Motor Co. and General Motors in the hybrid market. Ford Motor Co. in July said it would sell a hybrid version of its small sport-utility the Escape starting in 2003. GM will make hybrid powertrains an option for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups in 2004. -- Automotive News