Can New Hybrid Slow GM's SUV Slide?
With fuel prices in a reprieve for what is only expected to be a short time before soaring again, GM unveiled two new hybrids that it
hopes will reverse a trend that has the automaker experiencing steep declines in SUV sales - the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line and the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid, featuring the world's first two-mode full hybrid system in an SUV.
"The Vue Green Line and the Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid SUVs will offer customers a choice of fuel-saving technologies depending on their driving habits and budgets," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president of Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing.
The Saturn Vue Green Line will not only make the environment a little greener
but expects to leave a little more green in buyers' wallets. When it hits showrooms this summer, it is expected to be the lowest-cost hybrid-powered SUV on the market, which would place it somewhere below $33,599, which is the price of Ford's Escape Hybrid, the only competitor that the hybrid Saturn will be up against in the compact SUV class.
GM also claims that its more affordable hybrid system improves fuel economy up to an estimated 20 percent over non-hybrid Vues, with an estimated 8.7 L/100 km in the city and 7.4 L/100 km on the highway.
With fuel prices in a reprieve for what is only expected to be a short time before soaring again, GM unveiled two new hybrids that it
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| GM hopes its new Saturn Vue Green Line and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid will reverse a downward sales trend in large SUV sales. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
"The Vue Green Line and the Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid SUVs will offer customers a choice of fuel-saving technologies depending on their driving habits and budgets," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president of Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing.
The Saturn Vue Green Line will not only make the environment a little greener
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| The Saturn Vue Green Line will not only make the environment a little greener but expects to leave a little more green in buyers' wallets. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
GM also claims that its more affordable hybrid system improves fuel economy up to an estimated 20 percent over non-hybrid Vues, with an estimated 8.7 L/100 km in the city and 7.4 L/100 km on the highway.