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Pool Of Hybrid Vehicles To Expand August 2004Light-truck buyers with an eye on the environment and improved fuel economy have pretty much been out of luck ... until now.Environmentally friendly transportation has been limited to three smallish passenger cars - the two-seat Honda Insight, the compact Honda Civic Hybrid and the midsize Toyota Prius. That is about to change, and the menu of green vehicles will include more than 20 nameplates by 2010. Most of the new offerings are hybrids in which a comparatively small gasoline engine is combined with an electric motor. "This is a pretty exciting time for us and buyers," noted Dave Barthmuss, a General Motors spokesman and energy specialist in GM's Thousand Oaks office. "Over the next few years, there will be many new vehicles with technology that will not only help the environment but give (buyers) the kind of performance they have come to expect in their (gasoline-powered) vehicles." GM will be at the forefront of hybrid-powered auto proliferation this fall, when it will offer 2005 hybrid versions of its popular Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. Both are considered "mild" hybrids, because while they use a 42-volt starter/generator to produce electricity that powers various mechanical functions, the vehicles are propelled almost exclusively by their gasoline engines. GM is predicting a fuel economy gain of 10 percent to 15 percent in the trucks - a gain of perhaps 1 to 2 miles per gallon over a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab with a 5.3-liter, gas-fueled V-8. That's not a lot, but it's significant to Placer County resident Bonnie Washington, owner of assorted pickups over 20 years. "I kind of like that they're working to improve the efficiency of the trucks and help out the environment a little bit, too," said Washington, who was looking at full-size pickups at the Roseville Automall. "I think it's a step in the right direction, a good start. "It's better than going the other way, with worse mileage in a bigger gas engine, isn't it?" Washington's attitude reflects GM's approach - methodically developing greener vehicles over the long term. By 2006, GM plans to have a belt-alternator starter system in its Chevrolet Malibu passenger car and Saturn VUE sport-utility vehicle. The system generates electricity stored in a 36-volt battery. GM said it will match it with a four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission (a smoother, belt-like gearbox with hundreds of gear ratios) to achieve fuel economy improvements of 12 percent to 15 percent over powertrains in current Malibus and VUEs. For 2007, GM is working on what it calls Advanced Hybrid System II for full-size SUVs. The system will pair with GM's Displacement on Demand technology, in which four cylinders of a V-8 engine automatically deactivate when they are not needed to power the vehicle. Fewer operating cylinders translates to not only fuel savings but reduced emissions, GM says. Cylinder-saving technology is already on the market in the 2005 Dodge Magnum wagon, only Chrysler Group calls its version a Multi-Displacement System. With only four cylinders doing the heavy lifting in certain driving conditions, a Magnum with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and 340 horsepower gets relatively respectable fuel economy ratings of 17 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway. Chrysler's green program for 2004 also calls for a fall rollout of a diesel engine/electric motor version of its popular, heavy-duty Dodge Ram pickup. Ford already is beating the drum for its 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, which will be available in numbers by summer's end. Early reviews of the gas-electric version of the gas-powered Escape have been generally good, even with the announced starting price of nearly $27,000 for a two-wheel-drive model with a continuously variable transmission. That's about $3,000 to $7,000 more than 2004 gas-powered Escapes, which are marketed for their practical size and affordability. The Escape Hybrid's price is right, however, for Sacramentan Blaine Warner, who was looking for a compact car for his teenage daughter at the Folsom Automall and thinking ahead to buying a hybrid Escape for himself. "I've been waiting and waiting for it," he said. "I really like the (current) Escape, everything about it. And with the hybrid, it's even more attractive to me and my wife. ... I think it will pay for itself in the long run, with gas mileage and just with us keeping it for a long time." Fuel economy numbers for the gas-electric Escape have been pegged at an average of 33 to 35 mpg for combined city and highway driving, compared with an average 22 to 23 mpg for a 2004 gas-powered Escape with a four-cylinder engine and an automatic gearbox. Ford has acknowledged that it is trying to walk the line between the public's seemingly endless demand for small and midsize SUVs and pressure from the federal government and environmentalists to improve the vehicles' fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Installing gas-electric power in SUVs is one way of doing that. "They don't want to give them (SUVs) up, and we don't think they should have to," Ford CEO William Clay Ford Jr. has said. Auto industry analysts have praised GM, Ford and Chrysler for their upcoming hybrid-and alternative-powered vehicles, but America's Big Three also have been criticized for being late to the game. Toyota's highly praised hybrid technology already is in its second generation in the 2004 Prius. "Domestic automakers are trying to make up for lost time with hybrid cars and other green technologies," said Len Brewster, a Detroit-based auto industry analyst. "If they have success and establish some reliability in these larger vehicles, it will probably work out for them. But if their technologies are unreliable, that will give foreign automakers a chance to score more points with American buyers." Japanese automakers have said they wanted to test the waters of hybrid power in small cars sold in the United States before moving up to larger vehicles. Now, they're ready to make that move. In the fall, Lexus dealerships will sell the new RX 400h, a hybrid-powered version of the automaker's hot-selling, gas-powered RX 330 SUV. The luxury division of Toyota said the RX 400h will be loaded with comfort and convenience features and robust performance - a promised 270 horsepower. Toyota also plans to introduce a Highlander SUV with hybrid power in early 2005. The gas-powered Highlander has been very popular among women with its easy step-in height and cargo-carrying capabilities. Toyota hopes that loyalty will carry over to the hybrid version. While it might appear that environmentally minded motorists' day has arrived, auto industry experts anticipate rough patches of road for the growing fleet of hybrids, including higher prices compared with gas-powered autos, the cost of repairing complicated hybrid power systems, and the potential pitfall of sharp depreciation of hybrids. But generally, the coming wave of green vehicles is seen as a positive step among a diverse group that includes manufacturers and environmentalists. "We're definitely glad to see more of the auto companies joining the hybrid movement, and the evidence shows that consumers have really welcomed hybrids," said Bill Magavern, a Sierra Club lobbyist in Sacramento. "These cars have major benefits both for our clean air locally and for the global environment." Besides SUVs, mainstream passenger cars also are getting the hybrid treatment. Honda will introduce a hybrid version of its midsize monster-seller, the Accord, before year's end. And Nissan will bring forth the Nissan Altima Hybrid in 2006 as a 2007 model. Motor Trend magazine already has reviewed a prototype of the four-door car, which is equipped with technology provided by Toyota under an agreement signed by the Japanese automaking rivals. Brian Moody, road test editor for the online auto information firm, Edmunds.com, said he believes the introduction of hybrid power systems in mainstream passenger cars already well-known to the public is more significant than the coming wave of green light trucks. "As soon as you have cars like Camry, Accord and Malibu as hybrids, I think that's going to change the whole picture. I think that's when people stop looking at this as something quirky and odd that those people in California drive." | ||
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