Fifteen fuel-saving hybrid vehicles are hitting the showrooms for 2008, four more than last year. But they're not just gas-sipping compacts anymore.
Two huge SUVs and a full-size luxury sedan are among the new hybrids available for U.S. drivers, giving them a wide choice in price, size and mileage ranges. And the world's manufacturers plan more than a dozen new models using the complex gas-electric technology in the next two years.
The 2008 big SUV hybrids are from General Motors Corp., which had been criticized for offering half-hearted hybrid systems in the past. It is adding a new hybrid system to its popular full-size SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. GM says the hybrid versions average 25% better fuel economy while retaining big-truck capabilities.
"This will be the first hybrid in a full-size sport utility vehicle," said Jim Sloan, marketing manager for the Yukon hybrid. "Just because you drive a full-size doesn't mean you're not concerned about being green."
Jim Furcini of Phoenix plans to buy a hybrid Yukon or Tahoe this fall to replace his full-size SUV, but he has no illusions about soaring gas mileage. He said all he wants is to lessen his impact on the environment while "making an attempt to be part of a shift away from oil dependency."
"I want a full-size Yukon or Tahoe for me and my family that offers the greenest possible solution," said Furcini, a 56-year-old building contractor and developer. "I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem that my generation has created for 30 years."
GM also adds a hybrid system to the 2008 Chevy Malibu, with the same technology used in the Green Line versions of Saturn Vue and Aura.
Another step up in 2008 hybrids is the first full-size luxury sedan, the Lexus LS 600h L, which will be powered by a gasoline-electric system similar to those found in other Lexus and Toyota cars and SUVs. Toyota and its luxury division, Lexus, have been in the forefront of hybrid development.
The 600h also will be the first hybrid with a V8 engine and the most expensive hybrid yet, priced at $104,765.
Neither the big Lexus nor the GM trucks will get the kind of mileage touted by the Toyota Prius or the compact Honda Civic Hybrid, but each shows significant improvements for those drivers who want or need large vehicles.
GM has not yet released mileage estimates for the new hybrids, but if the 25% claim is accurate, drivers can expect 17.5 m.p.g. in the city and 25 on the highway, compared with 14 city and 20 highway for the standard V-8-power models, according to 2008 EPA estimates.
Prius, the most popular hybrid on the market, gets 48 city and 45 highway, according to the EPA, which revised its mileage estimates for 2008 under a new testing system.
Prius remains the only hybrid with a unique appearance that sets it apart as a hybrid car, which analysts say is a large part of its widespread appeal.
"There are still a lot of buyers who say, 'Look at me, guys,' which is one reason for the success of the Prius," said John O'Dell, publisher of the Green Car Guide for Edmunds.com. "Toyota did a marvelous marketing job. It has become the gold standard of what a hybrid is supposed to be."
Drivers still pay a premium -- several thousand extra on some models -- for hybrids, and it can take years to recoup the extra expense through gas savings.
But Toyota is rolling out a less expensive, no-frills model of the Prius priced under $21,000.
One hybrid that goes away for 2008 is the Honda Accord Hybrid, which failed to attract much interest. The Accord was unique in that it offered an electric motor to boost its already powerful V6 engine, making it more of a performance car than a green or economical model.
"What Honda was effectively selling was an electrically supercharged Accord," O'Dell said. "One reason it didn't work out: It was a fairly expensive proposition."
[Via - www.freep.com]
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