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Saturn's "Friction & Regenerative Brake Control" system allows for more stops to be handled with regenerative braking. That means more energy is saved and less fuel is consumed. Just as important, we are working hard to make sure that the Vue 2 Mode's brakes provide the same stopping performance and smoothness as any traditional brake system, making the entire process feel transparent to the driver.

People get all excited when they hear the H-word that makes them feel all warm and green inside. The Saturn Aura Green Line is a hybrid, but lets all calm down and clear a few things up. It is what you call a "mild hybrid." It differs from the sort of systems in Toyota’s hybrids or the Nissan Altima Hybrid in that it is a less powerful system and can’t operate under electric power alone. The Aura hybrid still has a lot going for it though, as it is significantly cheaper than the other mid-si...

Richard Truett from Automotive News: When General Motors closes down Saturn later this year, it will lose just over a quarter of its sales of fuel-saving hybrids – the type of vehicles that the Obama administration wants automakers to build more of. And it's not yet clear how the end of Saturn affects GM's ability to meet toughening corporate average fuel economy standards. Because Saturn does not offer a V-8 engine or have trucks or body-on-frame SUVs, it is GM's most fuel-efficient North Ame...

Cobasys will provide the NiMHax Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery systems for the '07 VUE Green Line.

Turn the key in the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid and it drives like a well-sorted, peppy crossover. That's exactly the point. GM Powertrain engineers weren't trying to save the world with technology that takes a postgraduate engineering degree to appreciate or operate. People like Steve Tarnowsky, the assistant chief engineer of GM Hybrid Systems, simply wanted to build a hybrid that made sense to buy and drive.

After dismissing hybrid cars as a fad, General Motors Corp. is diving into the fast-growing business with plans to offer gas-electric vehicles for every taste and budget. When the Vue goes on sale in the summer, "people will be very surprised at the kind of price you get in a hybrid and that it will deliver very pleasing performance and 20 percent (better) fuel economy," GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner told The Detroit News.

For 2009, Saturn will offer two hybrid versions, the light version tested here and a full hybrid using GM's new two-mode hybrid system first seen in the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. Without the ability to operate in electric mode, the Vue hybrid system is virtually seamless. The only clues that it is any different than other Vue include some logos, a green light on the dash that says "eco" and a gauge under the tachometer that shows whether the electric system is charging or assisting propulsion of the ...

Read the script of the press conference when the Green Line was unveiled with GM's hybrid strategy.

GM has picked its production plant in Spring Hill to make the gas-electric hybrid version of the Vue sport utility vehicle, the company said Monday. Production of the vehicle will begin this summer, GM spokesman Randy Fox said. Production numbers on the Vue, called the Green Line, haven't yet been announced.

Colin Bird from Cars.com: According to GM spokesman Brian Corbett, the suspension of the Malibu Hybrid is temporary and has no implications for future hybrid products from Chevrolet. The Saturn Aura Hybrid and Vue Hybrid, which use the same “mild” hybrid technology as the Malibu Hybrid, may also cease production. Corbett said there’s an understanding between GM and Penske Automotive Group, which has a deal to buy Saturn, that will provide Penske with 2010 Saturn vehicles, including the Aur...

GM will build a hybrid version of the Saturn Vue in Spring Hill this year, giving Tennessee two auto plants that produce hybrid vehicles. The Spring Hill plant has already built several hybrid prototypes, including one that was shown to automotive journalists at the annual North American International Auto Show here yesterday.

The Green Line is intended to be a practical, high-value, fuel-saving hybrid rather than a technical showcase, says Larry Nitz, executive director of GM's hybrid powertrain team. Hence, this compact SUV employs a less complex hybrid system than others on the market and will be more affordable. When the hybrid comes to market late this summer, it will be priced within $2,500 of its conventional counterpart, GM says.

GM will upgrade its system with more powerful lithium-ion batteries. GM will call the new system "BAS-plus," according to people familiar with the company's plans. The first supply contract for the batteries will go to Japan's Hitachi Ltd., these people said. Mr. Lutz, speaking at the Parc Des Eaux-Vives hotel, said the upgrade to lithium-ion batteries will allow the new hybrid system to produce "limited electric drive" during the "extremely fuel-consumptive phase of initial acceleration." He sa...

Kevin Krolicki from Reuters: General Motors is on track to launch a plug-in sport-utility vehicle in 2011 despite scrapping its Saturn brand as part of a sweeping reorganization in bankruptcy, according to the automaker's product chief. "I can tell you that I won't lose one day in terms of customers being able to walk into dealerships and actually purchase a plug-in," GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said in an interview. Last year GM also announced plans for a plug-in version of its Saturn Vue SUV...

GM's current hybrid strategy calls for implementing three distinct hybrid propulsion systems targeting different levels of fuel economy and price points.