Strong increases with weak pull backs in the price of gasoline made American car buyers opt for more efficient cars again this year. The demand for fuel misers was responded to by car makers like the Toyota Motor Corporation by offering the prius hybrid technology in different levels including an all electric.
Essentially, these hybrid 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 was the first hybrid vehicle to be offered in the United States. One of the drawbacks of buying a hybrid is that it is priced considerably higher than conventional gasoline engined vehicles.
However, developments in the auto industry paved the way for Saturn, GM’s marquee, to sell a Saturn hybrid at a price considerably less than others on the market. The subsidiary of General Motors producing an entry-level vehicle had a sticker price for the Aura Green Line starting at $22,395.
It was one of the lowest priced hybrids ever built in America. Aside from the relatively low price, buyers of the Saturn Aura also got a $1,300 tax credit certified from the IRS.This good news to car buyers lwas not enough to save the Saturn line up from being shut down during GM’s reorganization.
The Aura Green Line was a great value among the hybrids in the mid-size car segment and can still be found used. This makes fuel savings available to the used car market and in turn to more automotive consumers than ever before. Search one down on Ebay Motors.
Saturn Hybrid What Else Does it Offer
Aside from the tax credit that car buyers can take advantage of the vehicle can give good savings at the pump with its 30 mpg for city and 38 mpg for highway ratings. The Saturn Aura Green Line gas mileage represents a 35 percent improvement over the conventional versions of the Aura and Vue.
Of course the overall savings or efficiency depends on driving conditions and habits. These cars are more fuel efficient on city streets where constant acceleration and deceleration is needed depending on the traffic situation.
What About the Saturn Hybrid Engines
The Aura and Vue Green Line is powered by a 2.4-liter gasoline engine that is coupled with an electric motor which provides additional power whenever it is needed.
The car’s onboard battery pack provides power to the electric motor while the internal combustion engine recharges the batteries aside from giving power to the car. The hybrid vehicle saves fuel by shutting off the engine during stops, Speeds under 30 mph as in many city driving situations and under light loads as when driving down hills.
The Saturn hybrid 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 latest hybrids as in the Chevrolet volt uses 2 generation series technology where a tiny gas engine is used to charge the batteries. The Saturn would be considered old school with it’s generation one regenerative system. There are no external plug-in locations for charging at home or quick charging in those sweet plug and go stations popping up in some communities.
The good news is you don’t have to get a ford escape if you need a hybrid SUV because the same configuration is also available in the Saturn vue that is considered a sub compact suv and also pictured on this page. The Aura Green Line’s power plant can produce as much as 164 horsepower at 6k RPM and a torque of 159lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.
I have a lot more to say about the hybrid explosion and alternative fuels. This next link takes you to the hybrid car page.
The home page is a great place to visit to find out what else is available on the website. This next link takes you there and provides answers to more automotive questions.