Saturn Makes Hybrid Technology More Accessible

Anthony Fontanelle
March 24, 2007

Recent spikes in the price of gasoline made American car buyers opt for fuel efficient vehicles. This demand for fuel misers was responded to by car makers like the Toyota Motor Corporation by offering the hybrid technology.

Essentially, these cars combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor to consume less fuel. This technology has been widely appreciated by American car buyers evident on strong sales of the Toyota Prius which is the first hybrid vehicle to be offered in the United States.

The only drawback to buying a hybrid electric car is that it is priced considerably higher than conventional gasoline engined vehicles. But developments in the auto industry paved the way for Saturn, GM’s marquee, to sell a hybrid car at a price considerably less than other hybrids on the market.

The subsidiary of General Motors producing an entry-level vehicle recently announced that the sticker price for the Saturn Aura Green Line starts at $22,695. That figure already includes destination charge, which makes the car the lowest-priced hybrid today.

Aside from the relatively low price, buyers of the Saturn Aura can also avail of the $1,300 tax credit certified by the IRS. This good news to car buyers looking for a hybrid is announced by Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak. “The Aura Green Line is a great value among the hybrids in the mid-size car segment. With a starting sticker price over $2,000 less than any mid-sized hybrid sedan and a $1,300 tax credit, it makes true hybrid fuel savings available to more people than ever before,” Lajdziak claims.

Aside from the tax credit that car buyers can take advantage of, the car can give good savings on the pump with its 28 mpg for city and 35 mpg for highway ratings. The Saturn Aura Green Lines gas mileage represents a 30 percent improvement over the conventional version of the Aura.

Of course, the car’s fuel efficiency depends on driving conditions. Hybrid vehicles are more efficient on city streets where constant acceleration and deceleration is needed depending on traffic flow.

The Saturn Aura Green Line is powered by a 2.4-liter gasoline engine that is coupled with an electric motor which provides addition la power whenever it is needed. The car’s onboard battery pack provides power to the electric motor while the internal combustion engine recharges the batter aside from giving power to the car. The hybrid vehicle saves fuel by shutting off the engine during stops, and under light loads.

It is also equipped with a regenerative braking system which means that the energy produced during braking is used to charge the car’s battery pack. The Saturn Aura Green Line’s powerplant can produce as much as 164 horsepower at 6,400 revs per minute and a torque of 159lb-ft at 5,000 rpm. That amount of power can be easily checked by a brake component from Active Brakes Direct.

Source:  Amazines.com