Saturn is suffering when it comes to hybrid car sales. Despite accounting for 10% of all Vue sales, for example, when they are only selling 100 or so hybrid cars a month, that can hardly be called a successful campaign.
Mostly, sales have suffered because people aren't willing to pay $1,000 more for a car that only improves their fuel economy by 1 or 2 mpg. They want the wow factor (alright, I want the wow factor, but I don't think I'm alone in that).
Another part of the problem they are having recently is a recall they had to issue on their Saturn Vue Green Line. It seems the batteries they had installed weren't holding a charge. Which means they needed to install new batteries. The batteries had to come from somewhere, so that slowed down the 2008 Vue battery supply.
But good news is on the way, as the Vue experiment continues to evolve. The next generation of Vue hybrids will come with the dual-mode hybrid system. Since it's a full hybrid, unlike the previous generation, it will see a nice increase in fuel economy. It will also need different battery packs, so it won't be slowed down by the issues facing the mild 2008 version.
Saturn is planning on boosting output of the Vue dual mode.
After that, we'll see a plug-in version of the Vue in 2009.
Source: KickingTires: Hybrid Demand Staying Strong
Friday, April 04, 2008
Saturn Hybrid Sales Suffer From Recall, Lack of Production
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