Amid the big picture of bailouts and bankruptcies, it can be easy to forget the products that could have been. One victim of GM's instability was the Saturn Vue Two-Mode Hybrid, which never made it to Saturn showrooms. The Vue Two-Mode Hybrid was originally slated for release in late 2008 as a 2009 model and would have joined its Vue Hybrid brother.
When the Vue Hybrid was first released in 2007, it was the first GM SUV to have a hybrid system. This Vue model, which came with an I-4 engine and 172 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque, was rated at 25 city/32 highway, giving it a combined EPA rating of 28 mpg.
Despite never reaching Saturn dealers, the Vue Two-Mode Hybrid was close enough to launch that the EPA tested its fuel economy. Even with the Vue Two-Mode Hybrid utilizing a more powerful 255-horse V-6, the EPA gave the Saturn fuel ratings of 27 city and 30 highway. The combined EPA rating of 28 mpg was on par with its less powerful Vue Hybrid brother, and with the additional power generated from the two extra cylinders, the Vue Two-Mode Hybrid could accelerate from 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds and tow up to 3500 pounds. The Vue Two-Mode Hybrid would have been the first front-drive hybrid to use GM's two-mode hybrid technology, which is currently mainly employed in GM's full-size SUVs and trucks, including the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.
A plug-in model of the Vue, originally planned for 2010, would have joined the Vue Hybrid and Vue Two-Mode Hybrid. With Saturn looking at its future to be a part of Penske's Automotive Group led by Roger Penske, GM's hybrid technology originally planned for the plug-in Vue will find its way onto a Chevy, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac.