A
skeptic's view of GM's hybrid vehicles
Wednesday,
August 01, 2007
No
Prius-fighter for years?
When it comes to hybrid
cars, Toyota is king. Of course, when 2 members of the
Big 3 aren't even selling full hybrids, it's easy to be
king. So, will that change when GM starts selling its
first full hybrids?
There is no doubt that GM's first dual mode hybrid
vehicles, the Yukon
hybrid and the Tahoe
hybrid, will have an advantage over Toyota's hybrid
trucks and SUVs. In particular, GM's dual mode hybrids
can tow big loads and achieve impressive highway fuel
economy for such large vehicles.
On the other hand, GM's hybrids might cost over $10,000
more than their conventional counterparts. Thus, while
some can claim GM's hybrids are more technologically
sophisticated than Toyota's, they also appear to be more
expensive. Will the rewards justify the costs?
More alarming, as Americans downsize, sluggish SUV and
truck sales have slowed GM's U.S. auto sales. Yet, GM's
hybrids are currently focused only on this segment, and it
appears that GM's hybrid technology is better suited for 6
cylinder, or greater, vehicles. Even 6 cylinder dual mode
hybrid cars, such as the Malibu
hybrid, are still a couple years away from reality.
That means no Prius-killer
- not even a contender - for GM anytime soon.
Call me a skeptic. Call me a GM-hater if you must, but I
just don't see how GM's hybrid efforts can drive any new
market share. While I'm glad that GM is developing dual
mode hybrids, it seems the company still cannot look
beyond large SUVs and trucks for the U.S. market. Sure,
the profits are good for this segment. Nonetheless,
greater competition and less interest is demonstrating
that this segment alone cannot be GM's lifeline into the
future.
In America, it's time for GM to do something radically
different. While the Chevy
Volt is a great concept, the Volt's success is still
too far into the future. Thus, in my humble opinion, I
think GM should bring a full hybrid Aura or Malibu to
market much sooner.
|
