General Motors is finally starting to regularly break out the sales figures for its hybrid vehicles and while the numbers are improving, they still look very weak compared to the competition. August was the company's best month yet for hybrids with a whopping 1,629 units delivered of the six available models. Buyers took home a combined 797 examples of the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon plus a single Escalade hybrid. The Escalade only went on sale in late August so we'll be looking for the September numbers to see if there really is any demand for a $70,000+ luxury hybrid SUV. Over on the mild hybrid side of the tally, the Saturn Vue was the winner with 417 sales, followed by the Malibu at 388 and finally the Aura with a mere 26 sales. These numbers are still pretty weak but at least they are trending upward. Over 12 months the current rate amounts to over 19,500 units, a number that will likely grow significantly when the two-mode Vue goes on sale in a few months. With six hybrids on sale though, that's still pretty tame compared even to Ford, which sells every one of the 25,000 Escape and Mariner hybrids it offers. Ford will likely jump well out ahead in the new year with the Fusion hybrid. Next month, we'll be carefully watching Chrysler's numbers as well, since the first sales of the Durango and Aspen hybrids should be recorded.

Related:

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited FWD
• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid
• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2008 Chevy Tahoe Two-Mode Hybrid

[Source: General Motors]

We already heard news that there could be a smaller Caddy on the way, likely powered by at least one four cylinder engine along with a possible small displacement V6. We like the sound of that and we know that the 2.0-liter direct injection four-banger is up to the task. There are also some rumors floating around that the next vehicle in America to get electric drive after the Chevrolet Volt could come from Cadillac. This rumor is certainly to be taken with a grain of salt, but there may be good reason to go upmarket with the technology. As has been widely covered, the cost of the battery pack and its associated electronics is pushing the price of the Volt higher and higher - though the real price consumers pay may be somewhat less thanks to the Feds. Offering the EV bits and pieces with a Cadillac badge and all the expected trimmings could go a long way towards defraying some of those high development costs.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

The long-rumored smaller Cadillac now looks set to debut in 2010 and may be offered exclusively with four cylinder engines. The new sedan would be slotted under the existing CTS and be built on a new rear drive platform. The last time that Cadillac offered a four cylinder car in the U.S. market was in the early 1980s with the Cavalier based Cimarron. More recently, the Saab 9-3 based BLS has been on sale in Europe. Neither of those cars has been a commercial success, but neither was a particularly appealing car in its segment either.

The new car would be developed specifically as a premium Cadillac model. Nonetheless, Cadillac general manager Jim Taylor is concerned that American consumers might not yet be ready to accept a Cadillac without at least the option of a V6. The new model would likely use the 2.0L direct injected turbo as used in the Pontiac Solstice GXP. At this point it appears that Cadillac will likely offer the 6-cylinder option, although if gas prices resume their upward spiral that could well change. If a V6 is part of the plan, it will probably be a rumored smaller displacement 3.0L version of the 3.6L currently offered in the CTS.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click for a high-res gallery

As of this month GM is adding a third model to its family of Two-Mode hybrids as the Cadillac Escalade hybrid becomes the first luxury SUV so equipped. The Escalade is of course built on the same GMT900 platform as the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. As such much of what goes in the places you can't see is exactly the same on all three vehicles including the entire powertrain. All three SUVs get the same 6.0L V8 paired up with the Two-Mode transmission. Unlike Chrysler's new hybrid SUVs all three GM trucks are available in either rear or all wheel drive.

The Escalade distinguishes itself from its siblings with unique front and rear styling and a significantly more upscale interior. If you thought the first two hybrid SUVs were expensive you haven't seen anything yet. The rear wheel drive Escalade price tag tips the scales at a mere $71,685 some $20,000 more than the Tahoe. That makes the Escalade the world's second most expensive hybrid behind the Lexus LS600h. Unlike the earlier hybrids GM is actually declaring that the Escalade hybrid commands a $3,600 price premium over a comparably equipped conventional model. We had a chance to take a short drive in the Escalade around Birmingham MI today.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

With everyone else working on downsized engines to deal with rising (in spite of the current respite) fuel costs, one brand who hasn't said anything is Cadillac. One model in the lineup that would be ripe for the treatment is the CTS. For all the praise the model has earned since its debut last year, one problem it has is mass, as in too much of it. GM has already indicated that they are open to the possibility of using the 2.0L direct injected turbo four cylinder from the Solstice GXP in the Camaro, and the CTS would be another prime candidate. The four cylinder has as much power and more torque than the base 3.6L V6 in the CTS. The four cylinder would be more efficient and probably weigh less than the V6 to boot. Whether this combination ever appears will depend on whether American consumers start to show a desire for smaller engines in premium cars. At the dedication of GM's new powertrain engineering center last week EVP Tom Stephens told AutoObserver that the company is watching the market and will respond with appropriate engines from its lineup.

[Source: AutoObserver, Image ©2008 John Neff]

Click the Escalade hybrid for a high-res gallery

This fall, GM is adding its 2-Mode hybrid drivetrain to the Cadillac Escalade in an attempt to actually make some money off the system. Those of you who thought the existing Tahoe and Yukon hybrids were too rich for the average Joe, with prices starting at $50,000, you might want skip right past the Escalade, which is expected to be priced in the mid-70s. The Escalade uses the same 6.0L V8 as the other Two-Mode hybrid vehicles and will be available with both rear- and four-wheel-drive. The extra mass of the better-equipped Escalade means that it loses 1 mpg compared to its lesser siblings, getting 20 mpg city and 21 mpg on the highway. Unfortunately it looks like Escalade hybrid buyers will still be saddled with those ridiculous "HYBRID" graphics along the rocker panels. If you're interested in a tour of what will likely be the second most expensive hybrid after the Lexus LS600h, check out the video after the jump.


[Source: GMNext]

GM has decided that the fuel economy of its vehicles should be the main focus in its advertising, rather than attempts to merely buff its battered brand image. Even the luxury line, Cadillac, is talking up miles per gallon in its new ads. Take the CTS, for instance. Please. It is capable of a somewhat surprising 26 mpg (on the highway, downhill, with a tailwind).

New "pump less and drive more" commercials will show the General's vehicles at the gas pump with the likes of Toyota, Ford, Mazda, and Chrysler to help try and make the point that their Pontiac, GMC, or Buick models either have better fuel economy or are capable of going farther on a fill up. GM hopes this will help slow the freefall its sales and stock price are currently experiencing. Yeah, that and $6,000 rebates (now without trade-ins!) ought to do the trick.

[Source: The Detroit News]

2009 hybrid Escalade.

You can put canola oil in a Cadilac. You can almost get an Escalade with a hybrid powertrain. And, now, you will be able to get the behemoth (either the Escalade, the Escalade EXT or the Escalade ESV) with an ethanol-ready flexfuel engine. GM announced today that all 2009 Escalades will be flexfuel capable. This announcement isn't a surprise - is there anyone more gung-ho about living green and going yellow than the General? - but now at least it's official. The flexfuel Escalades are the latest step to GM's stated goal of getting half of GM's U.S. production vehicles flexfuel capable by 2012. GM made the announcement in Atlanta, where 12 new E85 stations opened this week.

There was a time not too long ago that Lincoln and Cadillac fought over the high-end auto market in the United States. These days, the field is pretty much wild open for Caddy, though Lincoln still sells some nice vehicles. A few years ago, Lincoln commissioned the boys from Orange County to build a chopper commemorating the beginning of production of the Mark LT pickup. Cadillac apparently had to keep up, so the company will be showing off a new chopper at the upcoming LA Auto Show. This will actually be Cadillac's second commissioned bike, but this one is a bit special, as it's been designed to run on ethanol and will supposedly represent GM's "strength in science and technology." With all due respect to the builders of the bike, there's not a whole lot that's technologically advanced in a chopper built with a big fat rear tire and an air-cooled V-Twin, even one that has been jetted properly for alcohol fuel. Still, the machine should make a wee bit more power running on ethanol, and we look forward to seeing the new Cadillac bike in LA.

[Source: D Business via Autoblog]

Although the target launch date is still over two years away and there haven't been any major hitches, some consultants are expressing doubts that the GM Volt program will end in success. The "experts" to which I refer are members of the Gerson Lehrman Group Automotive Council who conducted an analysis of a Reuters story that appeared on the MSNBC website detailing the efforts and progress of the Volt program.

The most critical of the four assessments (two of which lie behind a subscription service and whose tone can only be estimated to be positive and mixed by their given report titles) was written by Mark Fendley who is the "Continuous Improvement Manager at BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, South Carolina" and has been with that company since 1998 according to the GLG website. His report, titled, "The Volt - GM's Attempt at Green Marketing without the Green Product or the Green Return," contends that the battery technology behind the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is too unproven, environmentally destructive, and expensive to "ensure a 2010 launch." No sources are given to bolster the environmental claims in the article. Also unmentioned, unfortunately, are any details of the battery tech an all-electric car his employer is rumored may produce.

The other viewable report, written by Michael Kowalski (described as a self-employed consultant who is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and who worked for GM as a staff engineer from 1970 until 2002) is titled, "Can the General Motors Volt meet the expectations?" and is a little less hysterical in tone. He does make sobering mention of GM's diesel engine "experiment" in the '80s and outlines some of that company's other efforts to develop alternative drivetrains. Although we can't say we completely agree with his analysis, especially as it pertains to GM using nickel metal-hydride as a battery chemistry it could fall back on, it does make for an interesting read. We look forward to reading analysis from our own experts (i.e., our readers) in the comments section following this post.

[Source: Gerson Lehrman Group]

In a further sign of weakening demand for large, gas-guzzling SUVs, GM has announced it is idling its 54-year-old Arlington, Texas plant for three weeks. This comes only two weeks after a GM spokeswoman said this about Arlington: "We are currently running at full production and foresee continuing to run at full production indefinitely..." Workers at the plant had been producing 900-1000 Chevrolet Tahoes and Suburbans, GMC Yukons, and Cadillac Escalades a day.

Ten months ago, Autoblog reported large SUVs were holding their own. Now, these models are seeing reduced sales compared with last year as consumers react to the worsening economy and increasing gasoline prices. "Sales of the Escalade fell 25.7 percent in March from year-ago levels, and the others fell more than 30 percent," the Associated Press reports. New orders from dealers have slowed as a result.

[Source: Dallas Morning News and Dallas Business Journal]

After recently compiling a dubious list of the most technologically advanced green cars, Forbes is at it again. They've produced a list purporting to be the least efficient luxury cars. This bottom ten list actually numbers twenty-one cars including most of the Audi S models, BMW's M-fleet and Mercedes AMG bombers. The only car on the list not originating from the land of the autobahn is the Cadillac STS-V. They came up with so many cars by including rides that were tied with the same mileage as one position on the list. While being on the list is undoubtedly somewhat embarassing for these three German brands, the list is unfortunately incomplete and fails to include some even bigger offenders. The editors failed to catch the entire lineups from both Maybach and Bentley. Then there are of course the exotics from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Maybe next time.

[Source: Forbes]

General Motors announced this morning plans to invest $69 million in their Moraine Ohio joint venture diesel engine plant to produce an updated version of the Duramax 6.6L diesel V-8. The plant is a 60/40 joint venture with Isuzu Motors and began producing the popular diesel for GM trucks in 2001. The engine comes in variants ranging from a 300hp/520lb-ft to the top 365hp/660lb-ft unit used in the heavy duty versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. The 6.6L has 4 valves per cylinder and a common rail injection system. In 2007, GM added a diesel particulate filter to clean up the soot emissions. The 2010 update will add a selective catalyst reduction system that will allow it to meet Tier 2 Bin 5 NOx emissions standards for all fifty states.

[Source: General Motors]

Forget going to Disneyworld. Last night's Super Bowl MVP selected a Cadillac Escalade hybrid as his award. Eli Manning was given his choice of Caddys, and he chose the upcoming huge SUV with Two-Mode powertrain. The SUV will be available later this year. Manning told Cadillac's CEO that, "I know it comes out in the summer. I want the first one."

Guess we really shouldn't be too surprised. Football players in SUVs are a pretty common sight. At least one person says hybridizing the large rides is a step in the right direction. Given your choice of Caddy's, what would you have selected?

Related:

• LA 2007 Preview: Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, all the details
• Spy Photos: Cadillac Escalade hybrid caught in the wild again
• Spy Shots: 2008 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid in the wild
• Car and Driver shares a few details regarding the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

[Source: Newsday]

Since its launch a couple of years ago, sales of the Cadillac BLS have been less than stellar, to say the least. The BLS is a Europe-only model based on the Saab 9-3 and built at Saab's factory in Sweden. At its launch it was only available in four-door sedan form with gasoline engines. Aside from the fact GM that did a less-than-optimal translation of the Cadillac design language, the absence of a diesel or Estate (European for station wagon) helped to doom the BLS. Cadillac has now remedied at least some of the flaws with a new wagon model and some new engines. The BLS is now available with GM's 180hp 1.9L turbodiesel as well as Saab's 200hp flex-fuel turbocharged four cylinder. GM expects the wagon to account for up to half of BLS sales in the UK.

[Source: General Motors]