For almost 30 years after Chrysler stopped selling its Hemi performance V-8, journalists at various media events would often ask about the possibility of the company bringing the engine back.

Without fail, whichever Chrysler executive was at the lectern would look amused and patient and make polite noises about how the Hemi was a great engine for its time but it belonged to the past and how the company was now much too mature for that kind of thing.

Then, marketing desperation set in as Chrysler floundered spectacularly a few years back, and the Hemi made a flashy return in 2002 in a 5.7-litre V-8 form.

Actually, the name made a flashy return. Engine experts will tell you that the hemispherical-shaped combustion chamber was not brought back precisely as before, but what does that matter when you have cars to sell?

Today, of course, the Hemi is perhaps the crown jewel of the Chrysler Group empire, having come from misty memory to marketing miracle.

It actually outpaced Chrysler's hopes for it, since it's ordered in about half of the models it's in -- Chrysler 300, and Dodge Ram, Durango and Magnum. It will soon also appear in the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

In so doing, the Detroit arm of Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG has done what only GM had previously managed to do with its Northstar engine: Give it a profile outside of the vehicles it's in.

Other car companies have tried to do this but have been largely unsuccessful. Try to think of the family name of the large engine series that Ford has tried to promote.

(If you said Triton, you probably work at Ford.) So it should come as no surprise Chrysler has decided to create a second iteration of the Hemi, specifically a bigger and more powerful one that will be used for low-volume, big-ticket cars.

That would be the 6.1-litre Hemi V-8, which will debut in the 2005 Chrysler SRT8 to arrive in showrooms in Canada and the United States next spring, and then probably show up again in the 2006 Dodge Charger later in 2005.

The newest Hemi will deliver 425 hp, which is an increase of 85 horses from the current version. Torque is rated at 420 lb-ft.

When the SRT team set out to develop a more powerful Hemi for the Chrysler 300C SRT8, says Dan Knott, director of Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group, it was "mindful of the engine's heritage, which led to adopting traditional Hemi engine cues such as an orange-painted cylinder block and black valve covers."

Even if it takes them 30 years, the smart car company should indeed be mindful of its heritage.

Jeep prices

To launch the latest version of its Jeep Grand Cherokee line, DaimlerChrysler Canada has added equipment and dropped the price on the entry-level Laredo model.

On the other hand, the Windsor, Ont.-based firm has raised the price on the upscale Limited model to take advantage of the buyer interest in its optional 5.7-litre Hemi V-8 engine.

The Laredo will start at $38,990 (a decrease of about $785 from the old model), while the Limited will go for $48,595 (an increase of $2,760) with the 4.7-litre V-8 or $49,990 with the 5.7-litre Hemi V-8. There is also a $950 delivery surcharge. All models will arrive in Jeep stores across Canada this fall.

Laredo comes with a 3.7-litre V-6 engine mated to an all-new five-speed automatic transmission.

Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Brake Traction Control System (BTCS) are standard, as are 17-inch satin silver-finish wheels and tires, four-wheel disc brakes, power eight-way driver's seat, driver and front passenger adjustable lumbar support, mini trip computer, advanced multi-stage driver and front passenger airbags, tire-pressure monitoring system and cargo storage with reversible load-floor.

Options on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo include the 4.7-litre V-8, 17-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels, leather-faced seating, DVD navigation system with integrated six-disc CD/MP3 player, rear DVD entertainment system, power sunroof, Boston Acoustics sound system, front and rear side curtain airbags, off-road package with tow hooks and skid plates.

Grand Cherokee Limited comes standard with a 4.7-litre V8 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, with the Hemi V-8 optional.

Other standard features on the Limited include premium two-tone leather interior trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, power sunroof and dual zone temperature control.

Ford prices

Canadians interested in buying either of Ford's two high-roofed new vehicles are going to have to pay $30,000 and up for the privilege.

Oakville-based Ford of Canada has launched its Five Hundred sedan with an MSRP of $29,295. That's the price for the front-drive SE package.

A front-drive Freestyle wagon (or crossover vehicle) in the SE trim will start at $33,295.

All-wheel-drive versions of all trim levels cost $2,750 more. So a Five Hundred SE with all-wheel-drive will retail for $32,045, while an all-wheel-drive Freestyle SE will carry a sticker of $36,045.

In SEL trim, the front-drive Five Hundred stickers for $31,795 and the front-drive Freestyle for $34,795. With AWD, the respective prices would be $34,545 and $37,545. In Limited trim, the front-drive Five Hundred is $36,095 and the front-drive Freestyle $40,445. With AWD, the respective prices would be $38,845 and $43,195.

A new EV for Canada?

A company called Greening Motors is trying to raise some interest in the idea of importing a convertible electric vehicle called the Topless from Norway to Canada.

Dave Braden, president of Greening Motors, said that the "Th!nk is the most advanced car in the world and, with oil prices rising, that the timing is great."

Braden said the new two-seat Th!nk Topless will make its North American public debut at the AMO Conference next week in Ottawa.

"We are not trying to sell it now," Braden said, "but we are trying to generate interest, enthusiasm, questions and positive press."

Ford had previously spent considerable time and money getting ready to bring the Th!nk to North America, but abandoned those plans when it hit a financial crisis a couple of years back.

Braden said more than 1,000 of the previous model were made, with about 400 of them actually going to the United States. "We tried to buy them all," he said, "but without success."

That may have worked out for the best, Braden says, since the new model is "even better. To our knowledge, no other car meets the Kyoto standards on emissions."

The new Th!nk is not a hybrid, Braden says, but is completely electric and "therefore has no combustion equipment" and no tailpipe emissions. As always with electric vehicles, the primary source of their pollution is the plant generating the electricity.