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MILFORD, Mich. (AP) - Two electric motors, a V-8 engine that can work on only four cylinders, a really smart computer, and a four-speed transmission that joins them into one package. GM calls it "dual hybrid" technology and says that soon it will make pickup trucks or big sport utility vehicles as fuel efficient as some cars.
The technology, showcased with General Motors Corp.'s future engines and powertrains Thursday at the company's proving grounds northwest of Detroit, will start showing up in the 2008 model year with the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. It will be available on the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade SUVs and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup — GM's top-selling vehicle — later that year.
GM says the hybrids, similar to those now in use in the transit buses of 39 cities, are so versatile that they will boost fuel economy by 25 percent over the current SUVs and pickups. For the two-wheel-drive Tahoe, which now gets an average of 18.3 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving, that means nearly 23 mpg.
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