Saturn Aura Green Line Becomes America's Lowest Priced Hybrid

by Brandon Hill

The Saturn Aura Green Line starts at $22,695 including destination charge

General Motors has officially announced pricing for its 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid sedan. The vehicle will retail for $22,695 including destination charge and will also be eligible for a $1,300 tax credit from the federal government for 2007 tax returns.

Saturn Aura Green Line

For comparison, the Honda Civic Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Toyota Camry Hybrid are priced from $22,985, $25,015, $22,975 and $26,820 respectively, including destination charge.

The 2007 Aura Green Line is considered to be a "mild hybrid" since it cannot move forward under electric power alone. The Aura Green Line hybrid powertrain (164HP 2.4 liter 4-cylinder plus electric motor/generator) is capable of providing mild electric assistance under acceleration, stopping the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and starting it back up again when the gas is pressed. The car also takes advantage of regenerative braking to help recharge the battery pack.

The Aura Green Line boasts EPA ratings of 28MPG/35MPG city/highway compared to 20/30 for an Aura with the 224HP 3.5 liter V6 and 20/28 for the Aura with the 252HP 3.6 liter V6.

A more viable comparison may be with the Pontiac G6 base sedan. This vehicle is the Saturn Aura's platform-mate and also uses the 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine and transmission without the hybrid add-ons. EPA ratings for the G6 are 23/33 city/highway which means that the Aura Green Line’s hybrid system affords the driver an additional 5MPG in the city and 2MPG on the highway.

(c) www.dailytech.com

Univ.Car Tags: Saturn Aura Green Line, Hybrid, Honda Civic, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Mild Hybrid

GM brings hybrid technology to a larger class of vehicles

While most manufacturers efforts with hybrid vehicles have been limited to compact or mid-sized cars, there have been production hybrid vehicles available in larger packages. Ford has the Escape Hybrid, while GM has the Saturn Vue Green Line. For those looking for an even larger vehicle, Toyota offers the mid-sized Highlander Hybrid crossover complete with third-row seating.

GMC Yukon Hybrid

General Motors is taking its new dual-mode hybrid technology to an even larger class of vehicle: full-size SUVs. GM will make its new hybrid system available on the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs in 2008.

GM is currently gearing up for pilot production of its hybrid SUVs at its Arlington plant. These pilot runs will give GM a chance to work out any kinks before regular production takes place in the summer.

"We'll do a block of 12 [vehicles] starting at 6 a.m. on Tuesday," said Arlington plant manager John Dansby. "We'll have them spaced out over two days. We'll do a few during the day and some at night so both shifts get a chance to work on them."

The dual-mode hybrid Tahoe and Yukon are estimated to get a 25% boost in fuel economy over their traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. That would put their fuel economy at roughly 20/25 city/highway.

GM expects the price premium for the dual-mode system to be in the $2,000 to $5,000 price range. Given that the average transaction price for a Chevrolet Tahoe is already over $42,000, an extra few thousand bucks might be worth it to customers looking for a few extra MPG.

(c) www.dailytech.com

Univ.Car Tags: General Motors, GM, SUV, Tahoe, Chevrolet, Hybrid