General Motors Going Hybrid…finally

General Motors maker of quality GM parts has never really backed out from any challenge especially if it comes from Toyota Motor Corporation which as we all know is hot on the heels of the world’s number 1 automaker. GM is planning to go head-to-head with ToMoCo in targeting fuel-conscious consumers. The world’s number one automaker will sell the cheapest hybrid, the Saturn Aura on the US market, as announced by GM last Monday.

A hybrid version of the Saturn Aura sedan is scheduled to hit showrooms this month and will carry a price tag of $22,695 approximately $100 less than Toyota’s trend setting Prius hybrid. The Aura will be the very first hybrid sedan that will be sold in the United States produced by an American automaker.

And similar to the Prius, the Aura hybrid will also get tax incentives. Aura buyers will be able to take advantage of the $1,300 tax break as part of the federal government’s drive to attract more drivers to purchase hybrid cars. According to Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak the tax break given by the government makes true hybrid fuel savings available to more people than ever before.

GM after realizing the enormous success that Toyota Motor obtained from being an environmentally friendly technologically advanced carmaker has finally decided to join the bandwagon. GM’s announcement came at the eve of the President Bush’s visit at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., where both versions of the Aura are made.

The automaker has also set 2010 goal to start production on all electric car called the Chevrolet Volt which is scheduled to come out with other hybrids that employ different types of technology. The Aura will go up against the Prius which is one of the most popular hybrids in the US with 107,000 units sold last year.

However, beginning in April Prius buyers will be eligible only for $787 federal tax credit which means that GM will have the advantage since its Aura hybrid will have $1,300 tax break. This federal tax credit gradually declines as more and more of a particular model is sold. GM lists the Aura Green Line’s EPA fuel economy rating obtaining 28 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

Despite the fact that gas-electric hybrid vehicles cost several thousand dollars more than conventional models; they have become popular with buyers as fuel prices fluctuate wildly. Hybrids have conventional internal combustion engines as well as electric motors which can assist the gas engine. Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. also have their own hybrid models to offer.

GM has attributed a great part of its revitalization on the Aura which has obtained favorable reviews. The automaker has been able to sell 7,898 Auras in the first two months of 2007 which is a good start for GM’s hybrid model.