GM's skewed vision of Saturn Vue hybrid, Volkswagen hybrids in 2008

I laughed as soon as I read the title of AutoWeek's article, Saturn says its upcoming Vue hybrid will be less-expensive than competition.

While any drive towards fuel efficiency is a welcome one, let's get real for a second. The Saturn Vue really won't have much competition, as it will mostly be in its own class. The Saturn Vue will be a 'mild' hybrid, meaning that it cannot be powered only by its electric motor.

The Vue hybrid's "competition", on the other hand, such as the Ford Escape hybrid, or the Toyota Highlander hybrid can be powered by just the electric motor at low speeds. It is this feature which makes these hybrid suvs so fuel efficient in urban and stop-and-go traffic.

Thus, the Saturn Vue Hybrid will be less expensive than the "competition" because it offers less than the "competition". Boy, you'd think GM could be a little more innovative with its $3 billion advertising budget.

Volkswagen hybrids in 2008

Volkswagen will begin developing hybrid cars with its Chinese partner in 2008, with full-scale production set for 2010. The Volkswagen hybrids will be built upon a proprietary hybrid powertrain that Volkswagen will work alone to develop. (More)