GM SUVs to Get Hybrid Options
General Motors has announced that its new full-size replacements
for Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Denali or Cadillac Escalade SUVs will get
hybrid power options in the 2007 calendar year. According to GM, the
two-mode system should offer real-world mileage gains of about 25
percent, without sacrificing either performance or towing capacity.
However, there are no plans to offer diesels in the upcoming
replacements for these models.
Toyota Models Will Be Hybrids
A Toyota executive recently announced, “In the future, the cars
you see from Toyota will be 100 percent hybrid.” Toyota said it is
responding to higher fuel prices and could build as many as 400,000
gasoline/electric vehicles in 2006. These vehicles would include the
Prius, Camry and Highlander SUVs, and possibly pickup trucks.
Testing International’s Diesel-Electric Hybrid Truck
International Truck and Engine Corporation, the nation’s largest
medium-truck company, has a diesel-electric hybrid truck that is in the
testing phase. Independent test results involving the truck, compared
against driving cycles typical of the utility industry, showed a
decrease of 40-60 percent in the amount of fuel used, along with
emissions reductions.
