DETROIT ? For the second year in a row, a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle was named one of the North American vehicles of the year. This year it was the Ford Escape SUV, named Truck of the Year. Last year it was the Toyota Prius hybrid, named the car of the year.
Ford?s North American product development director, Phil Martens, who has been a leading proponent of the company?s hybrid program, said the award for the Escape, ?Legitimizes what we?re been doing as a company and it also legitimizes hybrids.?
Meanwhile, General Motors unwrapped two green machine concepts of its own during opening day of the North American International Auto Show. The GMC Graphyte is a prototype of a high-mileage crossover vehicles designed at the automaker?s Coventry, U.K. styling studio. The upscale wagon/SUV body conceals an early version of the new, two-mode hybrid powertrain GM is developing as part of a joint venture with DaimlerChrysler. The system can be operated in electric, gasoline or dual gas/electric mode.
According to the automaker?s powertrain director, Tom Stephens, the hybrid Graphyte would deliver about 45 percent better mileage than a conventional, gasoline-powered model. But in the long-term, GM is betting its green cash on an even greener technology. Hybrids represent a bridge to the long-term solution of clean, hydrogen-powered vehicles, said GM CEO Rick Wagoner. And the automaker rolled out an example of what one of those vehicles might look like on Sunday with the Sequel.
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This story was provided by content partner TheCarConnection.Com.
