SAE circus starts

4/11/2008 12:18 PM EDT

Automotive DesignLine is at the SAE Congress (April 14 to 17) in Detroit. Usually there is some blockbuster (or mini-blockbuster) news coming out of the show. Last year it was Honda's unveiling its clean-diesel-technology catalytic converter that didn't need urea to function—which will be hitting the road next year.

This year, one contender is the diesel electric hybrid SUV announced by Indian automaker Mahindra and power train specialist FEV—the first of its kind in the Asian market.

The Scorpio Hybrid Diesel SUV looks like a mini-dual cab pickup and features a parallel hybrid power train. Electric motor functions include starting, launch, power augmentation, and regenerative braking. The 4-cylinder diesel puts out 85 kW of power and 270 Nm torque and the electric motor is capable of 30 kW and 270 Nm, respectively. The 288V NiMH battery has a capacity of 8.4 Ah.

Stay tuned for other tech surprises to come out of the annual SAE get together.