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Are
Toyota hybrid truck plans an opportunity for GM hybrids?
Sure GM
offers a mild hybrid, but the Silverado
hybrid truck barely offers any gains in fuel economy.
Really, the best thing about the Chevy hybrid is the
ability to plug some tools into the standard electric
outlets it offers.
By 2007; however, GM should offer much better hybrid
trucks - in terms of fuel efficiency. Of course, so to
will the king of hybrid
vehicles, Toyota.
Offering the best selling Prius,
Toyota sells far more hybrids than any other automaker,
but Toyota also sells two hybrid
SUVs, the Highlander
hybrid and the Lexus
RX400h, but what about hybrid trucks?
Currently, Toyota
is working on a feasibility study to determine if a Toyota
Tundra hybrid can meet consumer demands. According to AutoWeek,
because "many truck owners require their vehicles to
tow or haul heavy loads over long distances. Hybrid
battery power is nearly useless in that aspect. As a
result, a pickup cannot scrimp on engine displacement
without sacrificing towing performance. That hurts fuel
economy, the main benefit of a hybrid."
Only time will tell if Toyota can overcome this issue. For
many hybrid truck consumers, towing might be a non-issue,
but this could be an area for GM to capitalize. GM's
dual-mode hybrid will not rely as much on batteries as
much as Toyota hybrids. Thus, GM trucks will not face
these towing problems; however, GM trucks might not be as
fuel efficient as Toyota trucks. Nonetheless, the hybrid
truck segment could offer GM a real window of opportunity.
In addition to Toyota, Ford
hybrids, such as the Escape
hybrid, or the Mercury
Mariner hybrid, also use a powertrain very similar to
Toyota, which means that Ford will also face many of the
same towing issues as Toyota with Ford hybrid trucks.
Trucks are a huge market in the U.S. and a top selling
hybrid truck could be a real winner for GM. I expect the
marketing hype to really begin to heat up around this
market segment towards the end of 2006, early 2007.
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