DETROIT — General Motors will stop making its "mild hybrid" gas-electric Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura. The cars sell at a $4,000 premium over the standard versions of the sedans and get negligible fuel economy boosts. GM said it will come out with more efficient hybrid cars by mid-2010.
General Motors is expected to replace the cars with hybrids using a more efficient lithium-ion battery system, although the company has not said which models will use the new system. Earlier this week, the automaker trumpeted the opening of its new Global Battery Systems laboratory at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, which it called "the largest U.S. automotive battery lab."
Inside Line says: Another false start on alt-powered vehicles as GM strives to get it right. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
Add A Comment »