2011 Buick plug-in hybrid crossover SUV

GM readies 2011 Buick plug-in hybrid crossover SUV

In about 18 months GM will start selling a plug-in hybrid mid-size crossover SUV under their Buick entry-level luxury brand.

According to the company, the yet to be named SUV will be motivated by a 3.6-liter V6 flex-fuel engine working together with GM’s advanced Two-Mode Hybrid system.

The engine in question will probably be a close relative of the 275 horsepower, 251 lb-ft VVT job powering current GMC Acadia crossover SUV.

Its lithium-ion batteries, produced by LG Chem, will be fully recharged in about five hours using a standard 110V outlet using the Voltec technology developed for the upcoming Chevy Volt / Opel Ampera hybrids.

The 8 kwh battery will be hidden in a box “under the cargo floor,” probably, taking the place of a full-size spare wheel.

In its press release, GM says that current working prototypes of the PHEV SUV can travel up to 10 miles on a single charge, but only when moving at low speeds, say, in a major traffic jam in a city like, say, New York.

It is safe to assume that the Buick model will take place of the doomed Saturn Vue PHEV that was originally scheduled for the next year but was effectively written off together with the whole Saturn brand.

I truly hope that GM will not run out of brands before the actual “green” crossover will hit the streets.

Photo: GM/Buick

See also: 41mpg PHEV Ford F-150 by HEVT