Fuel-Efficient Saturn Vehicles
The Saturn Vue small SUV was supposed to come in three different shades of green: mild hybrid, full hybrid, and plug-in hybrid (as shown here).
When General Motors introduced its first hybrids, the company applied the advanced fuel-saving technology to the Saturn brand. It made sense considering that, at some point, the Saturn brand stood for “a different kind of car company.” The first models introduced as “Green Line” vehicles were unconvincing mild hybrids, but a future version of the Saturn Vue small sport utility was scheduled to use full “two-mode” hybrid technology—followed by a plug-in hybrid version.
That would have made the Saturn Vue the only vehicle on the market with three different flavors of hybrid—a truly innovative and forward-thinking approach to hybrid technology. Perhaps the move would have earned new customers for the company, because, to date, sales of the Saturn mild hybrids have been, uh, mild.
Unfortunately, the entire Saturn brand—hybrid and conventional—is apparently falling victim to GM’s financial woes. When the company returned to Congress in February for another dose of bailout funds, company officials said the brand would likely fade away after 2011. The Saturn era began in the late 1980s to avert the crisis of the first invasion of Japanese cars—but is finally falling 23 years later with the global economic crisis.
See our list of Saturn models and read the latest news about GM's fuel efficient models.
Sponsored links:
Saturn Hybrid and Fuel Efficient Vehicles
Top news for Saturn
GM Plots Return to Mild Hybrids- Less than a year after pulling its mild hybrids off the market, General Motors announced that it will bring back the less expensive hybrid technology. According to Larry Nitz, G.M.'s executive director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering, the carmaker is prepared to roll out the next generation of its mild hybrid technology on at least one mid-sized sedan next year. Is General Motors once again misfiring with its hybrid strategy? Or could G.M.'s new and improved mild hybrids be the key to taking green to the mainstream?
GM Pulls Plug on Buick Plug-in Hybrid- General Motors announced today that it has canceled plans for a Buick plug-in hybrid crossover.
GM’s Latest Plans for Plug-in Hybrid SUV, Now As Buick- General Motors announced last week that it plans to produce the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV, in the form of a new yet-to-be-named Buick crossover. The vehicle will be a mash-up of the Chevy Volt, GM's full-size SUV "two-mode" hybrids, and the Buick brand.
GM: Buick Plug-in Hybrid Is Pure Speculation- Auto industry publications are reporting that an upcoming Buick Crossover due out in 2011 will be the first application of GM’s two-mode plug-in hybrid system—technology that was originally intended for the Saturn Vue. “Those reports are pure speculation,” GM spokesperson, Dayna Hart, told Hybridcars.com.
Separate Green Car Brands Die in Down Economy- When the economy was booming, car companies could offer a range of brands to satisfy the shopping whims of Americans looking for a new ride. This gave auto executives the option to assign one of their brands as the “green” choice. But times have changed, and the auto industry is shedding brands and dealerships as quickly as they can. In this era, and going forward, it’s no longer viable for companies to designate one of their brands as green; advanced fuel-efficient technology will become the mainstream.
- GM Marketing Czar Turns Toward Efficiency
- One day after the US government rejected GM’s turnaround plan, Mark LaNeve, the company’s vice president of sales, service, and marketing for North America, spoke with Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine. For most of the discussion, LaNeve and Alterman talked about restoring consumer confidence and the future of GM brands. But finally LaNeve said that GM needs to turn away from high-performance and toward fuel-efficiency to send "a better message" to key stakeholders."
Looking for the New Lutz - GM’s jet-flying, cigar-chomping product czar Bob Lutz announced last week that he will be retiring. Mr. Lutz Lutz bemoaned what he saw as a depressing new period of government oversight, one driven by the need for higher fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. He said that his abilities no longer fit the times.
Bad News Batteries- These days, auto safety recalls don’t get much attention, so the news that General Motors was recalling 9,000 of its 2007 Saturn mild hybrids to replace the high-voltage battery pack in each one was no more than a blip in the press. But behind the scenes, it was an expensive and annoying distraction for General Motors, and a huge blow to Cobasys, makers of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries. For six months now, GM has been forced to divert batteries it should have fitted to this year’s mild hybrids toward its dealers’ repair bays instead.
GM’s Hybrid Battery Story Called Into Question- A General Motors spokesperson told Automotive News that the company planned to sell 27,000 mild hybrid vehicles this year, but is falling short because its supplier, Cobasys, provided faulty batteries. In an exclusive interview with HybridCars.com, a Cobasys executive—who asked not to be named—responded to GM statements and press reports, saying, “A lot of it is not correct," but declined to elaborate further.
- Deja Vue, Hybrid Saturn Vue Debuts Again
- Get ready for a wave of hybrid press releases coming from Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, running from January 13-27 January. The first two announcements to hit the wire are about “two-mode” hybrid SUVs from General Motors and BMW. GM will unveil the 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line and BMW will show the X6 ActiveHybrid Concept. Both vehicles will be available in the United States in late 2008.