Quote:
Originally Posted by tcampb01
....In the meantime, the flawed CAFE standards are still mandating fuel economy averages and I believe the manufacturers are pumping out these poor excuses for hybrids because they do help them achieve those CAFE standards at least a little, while still selling the consumer the powerful car they want.......
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The impact of the small volume of Sierra / Silverado hybrids or Saturn VUE hybrids on CAFE is ridiculously small. In order to even move the needle by 0.01 mpg on a fleet average, GM would have to put several more zeros behind the production numbers of each.
The reasons for having them in the portfolio are actually fairly clear. There are some who
NEED pickup trucks either as work trucks or to double as a work truck and family transportation. Many of them would also like to have improved fuel economy. Granted, 14 mpg for a Silverado doesn't compare to 24 for a Camry (using KenG's examples) but if the Camry doesn't provide the utility the Silverado owner requires, he can take comfort in knowing he's driving the most fuel efficient Full Size pickup in the market. The hybrid variant gets him a little more fuel efficiency and the bonus of an on-board generator that can be used on work sites.
From GM's perspective, it provides a level of technology learning that has filtered into development of a 2-Mode system that will enable the existence of a 20 city / 22 highway Chevy Tahoe & GMC Yukon.
Similarly with the Saturn VUE. It provides the buyer a fairly significant improvement in fuel economy (12 - 15%) for not a lot of money.
If you want the absolute highest mpg you can get, you look for a Prius, HCH, or Jetta Diesel. Unless you're in Europe. Then you go for a Mini Cooper diesel with start/stop (72.4 mpg). If you need more passenger room or hauling capability, you start to look at Escape, Highlander, and VUE hybrids. And soon you'd consider the Tahoe and Yukon 2-Modes. If you have to have a pickup, your options are very limited. You either go for the FAS Silverado and Sierra currently available or you wait for the 2-Mode versions to launch.
Peace,
Martin
(someone in my building has been assigned a Tahoe 2-Mode. I'm gonna have to find out who that is and see if I can grab it for a weekend)