Electric Vehicle Forums - Two-mode hybrid

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/au...es/28MODE.html

Quote:

By LAWRENCE ULRICH
Published: December 28, 2008

LAST year at this time General Motors expressed high hopes for its first full-range hybrid-drive system, which G.M. executives insisted was superior even to Toyota’s gas-electric technology.
. . .
Last month G.M. sold just 767 Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade two-mode hybrids; combined 2008 sales through November of those three trucks were barely 5,700. On eBay, dealerships have been offering nearly new Tahoe and Yukon hybrids for as little as $30,000 — about $25,000 below their 2008 sticker price.
. . .
G.M.’s next shot at hybrid redemption will be a two-mode version of the Saturn Vue, to go on sale in early 2009. The Saturn, smaller than G.M.’s current hybrid S.U.V.’s, will start at less than $33,000. G.M. also said it expected the Vue to deliver at least 28 m.p.g. in combined city and highway driving, a 50 percent gain over the nonhybrid Vue V-6.

A Saturn spokesman, Mike Morrissey, said the Vue’s smaller footprint, lower price and roughly 32 m.p.g. highway economy might give it a better shot in the market than G.M.’s herculean hybrids.

My first thought is Toyota only sold about 5,000 Prius the first year they were offered for sale. A slow start of a new technology is only to be expected. However, I throughly agree that the target market was wrong.

Going for the high-end, high priced market put these hybrids outside of the reach of middle class buyers. IMHO, too high of a value was put on towing and big in a passenger only body style. Perhaps if it had been adaptable to a Class B RV package, I might have been able to take a look at one instead of buying a 1994 Coachman built on a G30 van body.

For all but the last few months, Prius was in short supply. A Saturn two-mode would have had an excellent opportunity to take up the hybrid slack when gas was $4/gal.

Bob Wilson