GM Announces New Plug-In Hybrid
Just a few days ago, we looked at GM’s decision to shed the Saturn brand and the effect that would have on the company’s hybrid lineup. At its most basic, the situation boils down to two popular Saturn hybrids getting the axe and the GM only offering one non-truck/SUV hybrid, the Chevrolet Malibu. Well, the Two-mode hybrid system that was in development for the Saturn Vue and scheduled for release in 2010 has found a new home in the GM lineup.
There’s been no name released for the new plug-in hybrid that is planned, only a potential release date of 2011. This is another step towards GM’s plan of having 14 hybrid and electric vehicles in their lineup by the year 2012. Of course, the current bulk of the company’s hybrid offerings are pickup trucks and SUVs that have hybrid drivetrains which raise gas mileage by a few mpg. Also, many like the GMC Sierra hybrid pickup truck and the Chevrolet Silverado hybrid pickup truck are essentially identical as far as drivetrain is concerned and differ mainly in the badges at the front and rear of the vehicle.
There are few details about the proposed plug-in, but considering that the drivetrain will be taken from what was planned for the Saturn Vue, one would assume that the new model would be comparable in size. This puts it either in the compact SUV or larger sedan segments.
