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GM will release a new hybrid every 3 months for the next 4 years

GM will release a new hybrid every 3 months for the next 4 years

Posted Nov 18th 2007 1:38PM

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In an interview that should air soon ~~tonight (Nov. 18) at 8 p.m. EST~~ on CNBC's Beyond the Boardroom, GM CEO Rick Wagoner says General Motors will release a new hybrid every three months for the next four years. Three days ago, CNBC teased the interview with that quote and you can watch the tease here. This program highlights page says "the popular Cadillac brand and GM's plans to roll out a new hybrid every quarter for the next 4 years." That page also includes another tease of the interview where Rick says he really thinks things are going to change in the next 10 or 20 years. Here is exactly what Rick says in the video about hybrids;

We will have one new hybrid coming out every quarter for next four years. We've got four on the market right now. We are getting in the game with a range of technologies.

Doing some simple math and knowing that a quarter means three months and that there are four quarters in a year; this means there will be 16 new hybrids from GM by 2011. There are about 16 hybrids on the market currently. This release schedule easily puts GM ahead of any other car maker's announced hybrid release numbers and should make GM the car maker with the most hybrid brands for some time. Stay tuned, I will live blog the the interview as it airs. Feel free to hoot and howl in comments.

Related:

Wagoner through the years - video interviews with the GM CEO, 1999-2006

[Source: CNBC]

Category: Hybrid, GM

Tags: GM, hybrid, interview, Rick Wagoner, Rick-Wagoner, RickWagoner, video

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Schmeltz

Lascelles:
I also agree that this is BIG news and am a little suprised that it doesn't seem to garner a little more attention. I think there are a few reasons for this though however. GM has the dirty, non-green perception issue with many U.S. customers that will take time to unload. I think they are making significant inroads against this problem, but it will take time, and consistent successes to that end. The BAS system, although helpful and inexpensive, will not be enough to cut it. It just doesn't gain enough efficiency to score GM a "win" in the green category. This 2-Mode system on the other hand...now you're talking. This may have a chance if it's not too costly as an option. You had an excellent point earlier in that the more choices of hybrids that are available, the better chance of customers making the good choice to buy a hybrid as their next vehicle.

I am just very happy to see such expansive efforts by these automakers to pursue these vehicles. Think back to just 5 years ago...Do you think that you would read headlines almost daily of major automakers pursuing all kinds of alternative energies and vehicle architectures? I consider myself pretty forward thinking, yet I wouldn't have imagined some of the things they are actively engaged in doing such as the Volt, the many fuel cell car projects, the coming clean diesel proliferation, H.C.C.I. engines, and an electric sports car??? We got to step back some times and see the forest through the trees here! The times, they are a'changin!

November 28 2007 at 11:49 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Lascelles Linton

Karkus, Models = sales numbers. They already have 4 hybrids. It will be 12 hybrid models in 2 years and we would have been previewed another 4. They don't have that many brands. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saturn... yes, the hybrid is crap but it's cheap. I would not be surprised if they just made a hybrid standard on a line of cars... even ALL OF THEM before Toyota! I know brand may not mean much in the modern world where everyone knows what corporate twin means but it matters. What if Toyota said this and they should if they really meant that hybrid-in-every-car-soon statement? I bet everyone would be more excited then but when a bigger car company, with a cheaper hybrid system, that has put the hybrids in unexpected places does it, suddenly sales is worry? I am not defending GM. I am defending the commoditization of hybrids! It's not going to be pretty because a lot people will drive around in hybrids and no even know it like many drive flex fuel cars today. It will no longer be a club, just a car part.

November 19 2007 at 5:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Karkus

"Don't be surprised to see a 1 M hybrid sold PR from GM VERY SOON!"

I'd be VERY surprised. How much do you want to bet on that?
Let's do some basic math. Let's say "very soon" is 2 years.
So there will be 8 hybrids out by that point, each one on average will have been sold for 1 year by that time.
That's 1,000,000/8 = 125,000 hybrids per model per year (or 10,416 per model/per month). NOT happening.

If you change "very soon" to 4 years, then the math is 1000000/16/2=31250 per model/per year (or 2604 per model/per month).
Not impossible, but that would still require hybrid sales of each of the 16 model to exceed that sales volumes of most of the hybrids sold today. I hope that happens, but I wouldn't bet on it.

November 19 2007 at 4:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Karkus

It's nice to see that GM seems committed to putting out lots of hybrid models. Their two mode seems nice (unfortunatly it only works for big vehicles). But their BS hybrids... uhh I means BAS hybrids.. should only count as half a hybrid for comparison purposes.

But before they can claim to have "beaten" Toyota, we need to see the sales numbers to back it up. It doesn't matter how many models you have if they aren't selling well. GM still won't even tell us how many hybrids they sell every month ! Why ? Are they trying to hide their abysmally low sales numbers?

Most of the dozen or so hybrid models out there sell on the order of 1000 per month in the US,
http://hybridreview.blogspot.com/2007/11/hybrid-car-sales-october-2007.html
except for the Prius which is doing about 15,000 per month this year.

So if you have 16 GM hybrids at 1000 per month, you're still not going to beat Toyota's current monthly sales (which are going up every year). So it's going to be tough, even if you do have 16 models and are generously counting the BAS hybrids.
The game is not over by any means. Let's see some number, GM.

November 19 2007 at 2:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Lascelles Linton

Evan, You are right and think most people agree with you but I am kinda shocked more people are not more excited over this. This probably means every single car they offer or the corporate twin anyway might have a hybrid option. I am guessing he says more in the interview and I will cover it but I think this is really the best news for green cars EVER! Other news like VW saying we will have the option or Toyota saying all our cars will be hybrids are in the future. This is NOW! Dare I say it, THIS IS THE green car A-Bomb! GM has beat Toyota in the green car race. Another car company can only equal GM in their support of hybrids. Even if it's HORRIBLE mild hybrids, it will improve things. Don't be surprised to see a 1 M hybrid sold PR from GM VERY SOON!

November 19 2007 at 12:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Evan

HMM, a new hybrid every three months for four years. This merely a ploy to garner pulic attention. All these will be redundant vehicles in GM's various brands. For example up next is the mild hybrid system in the Chevy Malibu which is already in the Saturn Aura. Also the two mode system will move into the light duty pickups which are identicle except for the body as the large SUV's. Don't get me wrong, I say good on ya to Rick Wagoner and GM for spreading these technologies across their line but don't hold back these vehicles so you can make a splash in the head lines every few months. And please mix two mode hybrid with a diesel for a 1/2 ton pickup.

November 19 2007 at 12:46 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Chris

Must not be too hard or costly to add their BAS "hybrid" technology to any of their vehicles. Doesn't seem to do much for emissions but I guess the few extra MPG and no idling spread over a large number of vehicles is a start.

I still contend that a hybrid should be able to travel on it's own via electric power. The BAS does not do this.

however, I am excited to see how their two-mode technology works out. Hopefully this is the technology they mean when they are talking about a new hybrid offering each quarter and not the BAS.

November 19 2007 at 8:53 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Lascelles Linton

Joe, Sorry about that. I must have read the highlights page wrong. I guess it must air next Sunday.

November 19 2007 at 8:13 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Joe

Bummer. Wasn't him.

November 18 2007 at 8:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

why not the LS2/LS7?

The dealer installed option is a joke. It's not integrated into the NAV. Traffic? Yes. XM? Yes. Onstar? Yes. Bluetooth? Nope. It's just an aftermarket unit installed by the dealer.

I should be able to look up a business on my NAV and call them with a single button press to see if they are open. I can do so with my standalone Garmin. But not with the system in the CTS.

The Cadillac dealer installed aftermarket system is this one:
http://www.hwaccessories.com/AutoInt/AI-BlueConnet.htm

November 18 2007 at 7:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply