General Motors is cutting its hybrid losses. The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and it's even lesser known sibling, the Saturn Aura Hybrid, are both going away for 2010. Neither model ever made much of a dent in the hybrid market, largely because their mild hybrid drivetrains didn't allow the cars to boast the big mileage numbers most consumers expect from hybrids.
GM says it's concentrating on newer, more efficient technologies like those used in the Chevrolet Volt. In the meantime, it will have to bolster its green credentials with the Silverado/Tahoe/Escalade hybrids. That should be interesting.
IL News: General Motors Kills Off "Mild Hybrid" Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura
kingkhalas says:
10:53 AM, 06/12/09
it was a joke to even use the word "hybrid" for those cars anyway.
eric808 says:
11:58 AM, 06/12/09
I'm really not that surprised that GM would kill the "mild" hybrids. I knew they were going to be a letdown eventually.
albook says:
10:58 AM, 06/13/09
They need to stop being idiots and build a real cobalt/cruze hybrid. And a real Malibu hybrid. GM builds great products, but sometimes they just dont get it. Why take a huge gamble on a 40k plug in when the Prius is having huge success? But you have how many SUV hybrids? Lets get the priorities striaght.
estreka says:
02:38 PM, 06/14/09
I don't think the SUV "hybrids" are any more real than the sedans.
firstwagon says:
04:54 PM, 06/14/09
The SUV hybrids are actually full hybrids. They get remarkable real world mileage too.
Trouble is they are too pricey to be good sellers.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
11:39 PM, 06/14/09
Good to see GM is moving forward with more realistic hybrid designs.
Hopefully their HCCI engine will end up being successful.
aurakr says:
10:28 AM, 06/15/09
believe it or not, I think that GM should have instituted the mild hybrid as standard. I think they should update the system to the BAS+ along with continuing the implementation of the 6 speed auto across the board as they are doing.
Now that they will only have Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC, why not?
bepperb says:
10:43 AM, 06/15/09
It was just too expensive for what it delivered.
Well, Honda proved you can't sell a fast hybrid with bad gas mileage (Accord V6) and now GM has proven you can't sell a slow one with bad mileage either.
Hmm. I guess people buy hybrids for good gas mileage? Think they could have saved a few million with a focus group or something.
aurakr says:
02:06 PM, 06/15/09
The mileage for the mild hybrid wasn't all that bad. Many people averaged more than 30 mpg in overall driving. I agree they did not compete with the full hybrid of the Altima, Fusion, or Camry.
I think however, with future CAFE regulations, that GM now has a chance to have this as standard, alongside full hybrids, ie two mode.
The key would be to use the new BAS+ along with the 6 speed automatic, which would improve highway mileage and improve city mileage. Every little bit will help in the future.