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Instead of starting with its smallest cars and working its way up, Chrysler is starting with its biggest rear wheel-drive sedan, SUVs and pick-ups, The Detroit News reported Saturday.

"These are our first hybrids, but they are not going to be our last", Michael Berube, a senior manager for Chrysler brand marketing, told the newspaper.

Chrysler, which already debuted a hybrid Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen, has partnered with General Motors Corp., Daimler AG and BMW AG in developing a new hybrid fuel powertrain that next will be applied to its rear-wheel drive sedans and trucks, such as the Dodge Ram pickup, the News said.

"The ultra-environmentalist would say if you have to drive, you should drive the most fuel-efficient car possible", Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, told the newspaper. "But if the goal is to cut fuel usage, hybridizing a Dodge Durango saves a lot more oil than moving from a gas (Toyota) Corolla to a Prius, and some people are still going to want SUVs."

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