General Motors announced this morning that it intends to introduce in 2011 a plug-in hybrid version of an upcoming Buick crossover vehicle, while a standard gasoline-powered variant will arrive in showrooms in about a year. The five-passenger crossover is expected to be based on the soon-to-be-discontinued Saturn Vue, as we previewed earlier this summer.
GM hasn’t released details on a name or pricing for the new crossover, but the automaker did announce that it will be powered by a 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine used in the Chevrolet Equinox, as well as a 3.0-liter direct-injected V6. GM anticipates a highway fuel economy rating that will exceed 30 mpg.
Judging by the preview image GM released, the new model appears to be based on the outgoing Saturn Vue – itself based on a GM Daewoo/GM of Europe design. The Vue is built at GM’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, assembly plant, though GM has not announced where the Buick will be built.
GM had intended to introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the Vue as early as late next year.
Plug-in hybrid for 2012
The plug-in hybrid variant will arrive in late 2011 as a 2012 model and GM says it will be the first plug-in hybrid crossover or SUV produced by a major automaker for public consumption.
“LG Chem – the supplier of our battery cells for the [ Chevrolet] Volt – has also been selected to supply the lithium-ion cells for the new Buick plug-in hybrid, and its Troy, Michigan-based subsidiary Compact Power will supply the pack,” GM Vice President of Product Development Tom Stephens said in a prepared statement.
The battery, at 8 kwh, will contain half of the energy of the Volt’s battery pack and will be packaged under the cargo floor of the Buick crossover. The lithium ion battery will be capable of being charged in under five hours from a standard 110V household outlet. GM says that, in early testing, it has been able to achieve more than 10 low speed miles of gasoline-free driving.
The battery pack will supplement two electric motors and a conventional, direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 powertrain. The plug-in hybrid is expected to be not only the most powerful offering, but also the most efficient and most expensive.
