DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group doesn't intend to cede the growing hybrid car market to rivals such as Ford Motor Co. and will offer front-wheel-drive hybrid vehicles in the United States perhaps as early as 2006, group Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said in an interview.

Zetsche's remarks came during a preview in Santa Barbara, Calif., of the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the new diesel-powered Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicle. Chrysler, based in Auburn Hills, Mich., has been emphasizing diesel vehicles rather than hybrids in the United States to bolster its fuel-efficiency ratings. Hybrids combine gasoline engines and electric motors to improve performance while reducing gas consumption.

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