According to "Money" magazine, the Malibu hybrid is 2nd only to the Prius in terms of gas savings vs. the "hybrid premium". http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/autos/0711/gallery.hybrids_that_pay/index.html The Camry hybrid did come in at #3. Hopefully, pressure from GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, BMW, VW, Porsche, etc. will keep Toyota and Honda working harder to provide even more fuel efficient and environmentally responsible cars in the future.
Notice how no value whatsoever is placed upon smog-related emissions. Imagine if some of those other automakers began to get pressure from reporters about using the "green" imagine to sell hybrids that don't actually reduce pollution to the air we breath. Sadly, virtually all focus is on MPG only.
It would also be nice if it was noted that the Malibu is what they call a mild "Hybrid" and I don't consider a Hybrid at all since the batteries can not move car by themselves. It is basically what VW had in the early 80's a shut-off restart system for stop lights.
repost Repost. See http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40192. Their findings are possibly wrong since they didn't compare apples to apples on all cars. For the Prius and HCH, they used 08 method EPA numbers it seems for hybrids and compared them to pre-08 method EPA numbers for non-hybrids. I haven't had time to check the others.
CNN (receiving $$$ for GM ads) may simply be parroting GM stats. After all, isn't this anothre one of GM's cars not yet even released? Seems I read early '08 was when it's supposed to be available. Oh well, that's at least closer than the fantacy Volt.
CNN used to be highly regarded as a news agency but has since lost a lot of credibility, alas. Regardless, the real deal with Detroit 3 hybrids, mild or otherwise, is if or when the dealers will actually have them on the lots. A friend looking for an American hybrid was told by the Saturn dealer that they didn't know when they'd actually see a Vue hybrid, let alone an Aura. The Ford dealers don't have an Escape hybrid on their lots and use the lame excuse that NYC is buying them all and it will take three months after you've ordered it. I've heard of plans for a Fusion hybrid and haven't bothered to look for a Malibu hybrid. I reserve judgement although I suspect that the Detroit 3 commitment to hybrids isn't quite what it should be.
I don't think I've ever seen a Vue hybrid or Aura hybrid anywhere on the road around here, only at auto shows. I've seen some Escape Hybrids running around here and test driven one briefly before.
The odds of a sighting are pretty slim. The annual production of 2008 Vue-Hybrid for the US and Canada combined is only 6,500. Delivering so few is a sad sign that GM is not taking the technology seriously... basically just a token gesture.
But that's the beauty of GM strategy . . . make only a hand full, sell them in limited markets, so that when you stop production, you are justified when you say, "see? no one wants these silly nominally sized 'green' cars, so we're gona put hybrid drives in our 15mpg land yachats ... increasing their mpg to 19mpg. Yah!"
GM doesn't even produce a true hybrid, only their goofy mild hybrid. The friend who is waiting for three months for his Escape hybrid asked me, initially, about hybrids and when I mentioned that the Vue wasn't a true hybrid he was like 'I didn't know that!' That's one of those little things that the Saturn salesman didn't bother to mention. I'm glad that he's getting an Escape hybrid, it proves that at least one of the Detroit 3 makes one, even if you have to wait in line for a lonnnnnng time.
