Chevy Drops Two Hybrids
Word from General Motors indicates that the company will be getting rid of their Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and that they will not be going ahead with a Chevrolet Equinox Hybrid model. The Malibu Hybrid has proven to have very sluggish sales to the point where GM claims that they have a sufficient backstock of the 2009 models, so there is no need to continue producing them for the 2010 model year. The dropping of an Equinox Hybrid also comes as a surprise.
The Chevrolet Equinox, a CUV, proved to be one of the company’s most popular models prior to the gas price spike of last year, when sales dropped. The previous generation Equinox was only available with a V6 engine, but the new 2010 model is going to have a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that offers much better fuel economy, making it more desirable in a segment dominated by the Honda CR-V, the Toyota Rav4, and the Ford Escape. Many expected the Equinox to offer a Two-Mode Hybrid drivetrain that had originally been slated for the Saturn Vue CUV before GM decided to discontinue the brand (Saturn, which has found a new owner, doesn’t own the hybrid drive, so the next Vue won’t have it).
One of the reasons given for not producing an Equinox hybrid is that Chevrolet says the gas mileage is already great in the car, getting 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway (manufacturers estimate) in a front wheel drive model. One can’t help but wonder how this already imressive rating (for a CUV) could have been improved with a hybrid drivetrain. On a closing note, further word from GM is that they will continue to manufacture the Malibu Hybrid for fleet customers, but it may never again be seen in dealer showrooms.
