GM touts next generation

General Motors’ new full-size hybrid pickups will begin arriving at dealerships early next year, with prices beginning at $38,995 (including freight) for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab two-wheel drive.

The other one, the 2009 GMC Sierra Crew Cab hybrid, will begin at $39,365.

The only hybrid pickups to be announced so far, these vehicles will be eligible for a $2,200 federal tax credit for buyers who qualify. That helps reduce the extra cost of the hybrid drivetrain to somewhere under $1,000, GM has said.

The biggest advantage of a hybrid such as these is the better fuel economy they offer. In the Chevy and GMC pickups, EPA ratings are 21 miles per gallon city/22 highway for the two-wheel-drive versions and 20 mpg city and highway for the four-wheel-drive models.

On both vehicles, the city mileage rating for the two-wheel-drive models is the same as the EPA city ratings of both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry four-cylinder sedans.

But these are vehicles built for the rough duty that pickups are famous for, with the cargo-hauling and trailer-towing capabilities that consumers expect from a full-size GM truck. Both models have a 6,100-pound towing capacity.

Available only in the crew cab configuration, with four full-size doors and a back seat comfortable for three adults, the Silverado and Sierra hybrids will begin coming off the assembly line in December and should begin trickling into dealerships in early January.

The base version of the Silverado has mostly the same standard equipment found on the regular Silverado’s 1LT model package.

Included in the base price for the Silverado are such features as a heavy-duty towing package, locking rear differential, EZ Lift tailgate and lock, and 18-inch wheels.

Other standard amenities include automatic climate control, steering wheel audio controls and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

An eight-year/100,000-mile warranty covers the components of the hybrid drive system, which includes the electric motors and the computerized control module, as well as the battery pack, which sits under the rear seat.

Both vehicles come with the new GM two-mode hybrid system, which includes a 6.0-liter V-8 gasoline engine, coupled with an electric drive motor that can move the vehicle on its own up to 30 mph, GM says.

With the 26-gallon fuel tank, the two-wheel-drive models have a cruising range of more than 500 miles between fill-ups, and the four-wheel models drive more than 470 miles, the automaker said.

Besides the hybrid drive system and 6.0-liter engine, the hybrid models also come with low-rolling-resistance tires, special hybrid badging, a soft bed cover and standard side-curtain air bags for both rows of seating.

An optional, uplevel Silverado model lists for $45,130 (with freight) and includes such extras as a navigation system/radio combination unit, leather seats, a hard bed cover, rear parking assist and more.

The Sierra model also comes in two trim levels, with the base model equipped similarly to the Silverado base version; and the uplevel model, with a sticker price of $45,500, getting upgrades similar to those of the pricier Silverado.

Other standard equipment on both the Silverado and Sierra base models includes electronic stability control, XM satellite radio and OnStar, with optional turn-by-turn navigation service.

The uplevel Sierra model comes with leather front bucket seats with six-way driver and passenger power adjustments; the navigation system with Bose audio and rear-seat controls; rear park assist; power adjustable pedals; and a three-piece hard bed cover.

With the new pickups on the way, GM now has more hybrids in its lineup than Toyota does. Hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon large SUVs arrived last year, followed this year by the Cadillac Escalade hybrid sport utility.

GM also has two hybrid cars and a compact SUV in its lineups, using the same two-mode technology found in the big trucks/SUVs.

They are the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedans and the Saturn Vue, a small crossover utility vehicle.

The automaker already had light-hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra on the market for a couple of years, through 2007, using a system that boosted fuel economy by about 10 percent to 12 percent using a single electric motor in the transmission.

But the new two-mode system, which has two electric motors in the automatic transmission (one for propulsion, one for accessories and battery charging), boosts overall fuel economy of the pickups and large SUVs by up to 25 percent, GM says.

The 6.0-liter V-8 engine in the hybrid trucks and large SUVs features automatic cylinder deactivation to help boost highway fuel economy. This system, which cuts out half of the cylinders during level highway cruising, also is featured on the 5.3-liter gasoline-only models of these vehicles, which accounts for their 20 mpg highway rating (two-wheel-drive models).

The Malibu and Aura models are the first hybrid cars in GM’s lineup. The system boosts fuel economy to EPA ratings of 26 mpg city/34 highway, up from 22/33 for the four-cylinder gasoline models and 17/26 for V-6 models.

Both the Aura and Malibu hybrids come with a four-cylinder gasoline engine coupled with the electric drive system.

GM’s NEW HYBRIDS

General Motors has moved heavily into the hybrid world with the introduction of midsize sedan, compact SUV, large SUV and now full-size pickup models. Here is a list of the GM hybrids, with their EPA fuel-economy ratings and on-sale dates.

> Saturn Aura: Midsize sedan; on sale now; 26 mpg city/34 highway

> Chevrolet Malibu: Midsize sedan; on sale now; 26/34

> Saturn Vue: Compact crossover; on sale now; 25/32

> Chevrolet Tahoe: Full-size SUV; on sale now; 21/22 (2WD), 20/20 (4WD)

> GMC Yukon: Full-size SUV; on sale now; 21/22 (2WD), 20/20 (4WD)

> Cadillac Escalade: Premium full-size SUV; on sale now; 21/22 (2WD), 20/20 (4WD)

> Chevrolet Silverado: Crew cab, full-size pickup; early 2009; 21/22 (2WD), 20/20 (4WD)

> GMC Sierra: Crew cab, full-size pickup; early 2009; 21/22 (2WD), 20/20 (4WD)

Source: General Motors Corp.