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Old 01-30-2004, 07:29 PM   #8 (permalink)
Ming
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: SE Texas
Posts: 13,484
GM has 100 excuses why it still uses pushrod engines in so many vehicles, why so many 4-speed transmissions in all-new cars, old chassis/frames under so many refreshed and restyled cars, and even lets its so called "sport vans" come with a Chevy Venture console shifter, so the avoidance and excuses for implementing Hybrid powertrains on a wide variety of mainstream passenger vehicles -- heck even one -- (no fleet Silverado mild hybrids don't count since you can get them with a diesel anyway) doesn't shock me.

GM avoiding hybrids is just like their avoidance and eventual grudging acceptance of just about every kind of new technology (how long until the Cavalier finally gave in and got an overhead cam base engine?) that requires major changes in their mainstream vehicles. GM prefers to change and invest as little as possible, it seems, unless the tech in question is something fluff-like such as night vision cameras or other doo-dad add ons. Honda, on the other hand, knows that investment in this kind of thing pays off in the form of free PR from the techno-geeks that drool over this kind of thing, and the Democrats and Greenies who love them almost as much as they love Taxes .

DOD in revised pushrod engines won't win PR wars. Even just one Suzuki co-developed hybrid passenger car would.
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