Cadillac to Offer SRX Crossover in Dual Mode Hybrid Configuration

The Cadillac SRX Dual Mode Hybrid









As the automakers scramble to save their lives, we continue to see a push towards more economical, hybrid drivetrains. Until these technologies can become mainstream, we will pay a premium for their benefits. However, when alternate energy vehicles become the norm, then the prices will drop in proportion to production.

I am not a big fan of the dual mode system because its gains in fuel economy are modest in relation to the cost, yet it is still a step in the right direction. Specifically, today's vehicles MUST be more economical in city driving, and this is where the dual mode system shines.

From edmunds.com

Cadillac officials acknowledged today that the SRX crossover, which will arrive in U.S. dealerships in early August, will eventually be fitted with the two-mode electric hybrid system.

It would be the same basic arrangement of parts as used in the full-size pickup trucks and SUVs for the last couple of years. General Motors' plan initially called for the Saturn Vue to be the first mid size crossover withing the corporation to receive a version of that system. Ooooh...yeah, that situation is very much in flux, as they say. Saturn said that it expected the Vue two-mode to be able to do 0-60 mph in 7.3 seconds and return 27 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway with its combination direct-injection V6 and twin 55-kilowatt electric motors. It's fair to assume the Cadillac would perform similarly. For comparison, Cadillac estimates that a conventional front-wheel-drive SRX powered by the 3.0-liter direct-injection V6 should return 18/25 mpg, city/highway.

No word on timing for the two-mode SRX but we wouldn't expect it before the 2011 model year. A few main competitors either already offer a hybrid crossover in roughly the same size and price class (Lexus) or plan to within the next couple of years (Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen).