Saturn Vue

Does AFS Trinity's hybrid deserve the hype?

The video above is a news report about AFS Trinity Power's new hybrid from CNN. The New York Times has an article about the hybrid which will be at the Detroit Auto Show. Grist, a popular green blog, says they were interviewed for a report by CBS New that will air this weekend. Some of our readers have sent tips and commented on the hybrid as well. AFS Trinity converted a Saturn Vue hybrid and says the vehicle now gets 150 miles per gallon for just $8,700 extra. Is this a break through? I don't think so.I have posted not-so-positive things about conversion companies before. I honestly admire their work and think they are doing great things. The only problem is the automakers want to make hybrids now and I see little possibility conversion companies can compete with them by converting cars that automakers plan to convert themselves. For example, one of our readers commented about AFS in a post I wrote about GM's CEO hinting of big news on the plug-in Saturn Vue, almost exactly the same kind of car AFS Trinity is showing.You tell me readers, do you think AFS Trinity made a better hybrid than GM with "off the shelf parts"? Even if they did, GM will have many good come-backs like, we make the VUE and AFS voids your warranty, if a reporter asks them about it. I simply don't see how AFS Trinity wins here. A little advice for conversion companies: don't convert GM's hybrids. GM plans to release a hybrid every 3 months for the next 4 years. A little advice for the popular press too: read AutoblogGreen :

GM CEO: "Expect an announcement on the VUE plug-in hybrid very soon"

In his CES keynote, part of which you can watch above, General Motor's CEO Rick Wagoner hints that an announcement with the release date for GM's first plug-in hybrid is coming "very soon." GM told us the release date for Saturn Vue plug-in might be in the end of 2008 or "2009-ish" range. From what Rick says in his keynote, I get the feeling we might get news of a firm release date at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Here is exactly what he said (watch 5:30 into the video above):We've already announced our intention to build a "plug-in" version of our Saturn VUE hybrid. Our team is hard at work to get this technology to market as soon as we can. Expect an announcement on the VUE plug-in hybrid very soon.I guess we will find out next week when the 2008 Detroit Auto Show begins. If there is news of a release date in Detroit, the best I am hoping for is an October 2008 release and maybe a few details about possible MPG ratings for the vehicle. If anyone can buy and drive off with the Saturn Vue PHEV from the Detroit Show floor, that would be okay too, I guess.

Detroit 2008: Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrid
·
Saturn introduced the first General Motors production hybrid vehicle when the Saturn Vue Green Line appeared in 2006. The Vue was equipped with GM belt-alternator-starter (BAS) mild-hybrid system. The BAS system has subsequently been added to the Aura and Malibu sedans in addition to the redesigned 2008 Vue. The functionality of the BAS system is limited, providing start-stop functionality, some regenerative braking and some power boost from the motor. It cannot, however, run the vehicle solely on electricity. For the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Saturn is introducing what will be the second of three hybrid variants of the Vue. This one uses the Two-Mode hybrid technology that was introduced in 2007 on the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Unlike the big GMT900 SUVs, the Vue has a transverse mounted engine and front wheel drive. That required designing a new transaxle that incorporates the same technology as the big trucks. Read on after the jump to learn more.

Saturn Astra production could shift to US

It's always been tough for automakers to build small cars profitably in the United States. The high overhead that they faced, combined with limited demand for small cars, made things tough. When GM decided to start selling the Opel Astra as a new small Saturn in the US market they started off by exporting European-built cars to the U.S. With the US dollar in free-fall against the Euro, this obviously isn't a sustainable strategy. As a result, if the Astra proves to be popular as a Saturn, GM is likely to start producing them in the U.S. especially when the next-generation model debuts and shares more hardware with the Chevy Cobalt.

GM started making Saturn Vue hybrids in Mexico today

Even Mexican President Felipe Calderon is excited about the Saturn Vue hybrid. Today, Calderon announced the start of production of the vehicle in Mexico, Automotive News reports. The plant is in Ramos Arizpe and has an annual capacity of 6,500 hybrid Vues. GM employees have been making standard Vues there since July. These SUVs will be exported north to the US and Canada. GM is still undecided on whether to offer the Vue Green Line in the country where it is produced. Read more about the 2008 Vue hybrid at the link below.