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Rolling it out at Red Rock:
GM fleet event highlighted new solutions for fuel savings
Eric Descarries and Tim Dimopoulos
There's no secret oil prices have sent business administrators racing back to their desks. They have to figure out new numbers on fuel consumption. Added to that, their vehicles are now the target of clean-air concerned citizens.
Speaking to both those concerns, GM held its annual Fleet and commercial vehicle event in May at red rock canyon near Las Vegas, showing its 2009 cars and trucks to North American fleet owners and operators.
Brian Mcveigh, GM's manager of fleet and commercial vehicle operations, started out the meeting by reassuring attendees that in his opinion, there's no recession in North America, only a slowdown. and most experts are looking at a third or fourth quarter recovery.
But actually, what fleet managers are more concerned about are the rising costs of fuel, so solutions on that front are gaining popularity. Most fleets have some large vehicles for heavy-duty work. so GM is rapidly introducing hybrid-powered vehicles, including many light duty trucks.
For late 2008 and 2009, GM will introduce its hybrid full-size SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Sierra, with a bi-mode electric configuration (an electric motor being added between the engine and the transmission) that delivers up to 50 per cent better fuel economy.
Better still, the ever popular Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks will shortly be available with such a configuration. GM also has quite a few hybrid electric cars and light trucks to offer its customers, whether private or fleet. Among them are the new Malibu hybrid and the already available Saturn Aura hybrid mid-size sedans and Saturn VUE hybrid SUV, available in two configurations. The first one is considered a "mild" hybrid (powered by an Ecotec four-cylinder engine that shuts off when stopped and refires by an alternator starter when the driver lifts the foot off the brake pedal). The second is a two-mode (an engine with electric motor combined that will allow short distances on the electric motor only).
What's most helpful to today's fleet administrators though is what GM calls its "30 MPG Club." That club consists mostly of cars and some light SUVs with an average fuel economy in the 30 miles to the (American) gallon range, including subcompacts Chevrolet Aveo (and the new Aveo5 version), Chevy Cobalt and HHR wagon and Panel Delivery, Malibu Hybrid, Pontiac G5 and G6 and Vibe, Saturn Astra, Aura Hybrid, VUE and VUE Hybrid and more.
At the fleet show, GM even announced a four-cylinder Ecotec powered Malibu that will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission in 2009 to deliver better fuel mileage than a similarly equipped Camry.
GM has also stepped up the production of vehicles running on alternative fuels such as E85...if only E85 was more readily available.
For 2009, GM has 20 E85 FlexFuel vehicles in its line-up, including Buick Lucerne, Chevy Impala, Malibu, HHR, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Express passenger and cargo van, even Tahoe and Impala police vehicles.
Added to those are the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, GMC Sierra, Savana and even the Hummer H2. Already, GM boasts having more than three million FlexFuel vehicles on the road in America.
Looking further ahead, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol and even fuel cells are on the radar.
Then there's the Volt, the most visible vehicle of its type, a prototype that could soon be available as a production plug-in hybrid electric car. Indeed, though GM has many projects in store for tomorrow, the manufacturer still has to fill today's needs. Therefore, some of its most recent cars and trucks were designed and built not only with private customers in mind but also fleet and commercial users.
Among them is the recently redesigned Chevrolet Malibu that Ed Peper, general manager for Chevrolet, fears will beat Chevy’s own Impala as the next favourite fleet car. Note the Impala is celebrating its 50th anniversary and for the last three years, has been North America’s favourite fleet car.
More effort in light duty Chevrolet will soon join the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook line of crossovers by offering the Traverse, the SUV crossover it needs to fight off competition such as the new Honda Pilot and the most recent Toyota Highlander. Pontiac will soon launch its new G8 full-size sedan on the Canadian market, a rear-wheel drive car powered by a potent V6 or a spectacular V8!
If sales of heavy-duty trucks have been dwindling in the past year, those of lighter duty commercial trucks have been more interesting. That's why GM is putting more effort than ever in the segment. Among noticeable improvements is the with a 300-hp 5.3-litre V8 (and standard StabiliTrak) with certain chassis-cab models with a 5500 lbs. GVWR-some 200 lbs. more than last year.
Actually, the most recent Colorado/Canyon available with a van body has a better payload than the older Astro and Safari. The Hummer H3 is also available as the H3T, a five-passenger Crew Cab truck with a separate five-foot pickup bed. Among one of GM's most important unveilings for 2009 is the new 4500 Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana cutaway in the 4500 series with 14,200 lbs. GVWR.
GM has also announced plans to sell its medium-duty truck segment to Navistar's International truck division. More news will turn out earlier in summer but GM has assured its customers the Chevy Kodiak and GMC TopKick trucks should stay the same for the next two years.
As far as W-series cabover trucks are concerned, they won't be part of the deal with International. If the deal is concluded as planned, in the future, GMC TopKicks and Chevrolet Kodiaks will be built in a Navistar plant by International Trucks but still be sold by GM dealers.
Fleet administrators will be watching that development, along with the latest solutions for fuel economy.
Eric Descarries is an automotive writer in Laval, Que. Tim Dimopoulos is senior publisher of Purchasingb2b and MM&D.
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