Can this really be true? From a brand that once owned the older car buyer market, that tried so hard to reinvent itself by latching on to Tiger Woods, will come Detroit’s first plug-in hybrid SUV? The announcement from General Motors that the technology once planned for the Saturn Vue will now instead end up in a Buick came as a huge shock to me. With the Saturn brand being sold off (along with Hummer, Pontiac, and the Saab story), there may not have been many other options.

Chevy already has the most fuel efficient sport utility/crossover in their 2010 Equinox (not a hybrid, but a direct injection model). They also are getting a ton of press with their recently announced 230 mpg Volt (which should really be calculated in cost per mile by the way, right?).

GMC, Chevy, and Cadillac already own the seven and eight passenger, mammoth hybrid SUV segment with their 2-Mode Yukon, Tahoe, and Escalade models.

So, the only GM brand that isn’t green yet is Buick and adding a plugin powertrain gives them the quadfecta, or perfecta, or whatever comes after the trifecta. According to GM’s Tom Stephens, the yet-to-be-named 5 passenger plugin CUV will get a 3.6 liter V6 engine, along with a modified version of the two-mode technology, and a lithium-ion battery pack.

Apparently the battery pack will be about half the size of what they are putting in the Chevrolet Volt, so expect to see a marketing campaign built around something like a 70 to 120 mpg figure.

The “Wouldn’t You Really Rather Have A Buick?” slogan was a huge success in luring buyers over age 65, but GM will need something a little more hip if they are want to be successful in respelling Buick “G-R-E-E-N”. One thing that would really help would be to come up with a great name for this plugged-in sport utility. I think they hit a home run with “Chevy Volt” so why not follow it up by calling this one the Buick Joule or the Ampere?

In all seriousness, I am excited about GM building a plug-in sport ute. At the same time, the waters continue to get more muddied. Dealers will soon need a chart to explain all of the green technologies offered by General Motors.  Mild hybrids, 2-mode hybrids, extended range electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids. That might be even harder to sell than a high tech Buick.

Update 8/20/2009: I really was excited about this, and I hope this latest news from GM isn’t a response to my green Buick SUV satire, but now there apparently won’t be a plug-in hybrid crossover from Buick. Tom Stephens cited poor feedback from media (not specifically me), dealers, and consumers as the reason the plug was pulled, no pun intended. As excited as I was, I think this was a smart decision. Sounds like this powertrain that was planned for the Saturn Vue, then for the Buick something, will now end up in some other General Motors SUV or CUV in 2011.  My face is turning blue.