In March of 2008 we announced that the upcoming 2009 Saturn Vue hybrid, the one that would be built with GM’s 2-mode hybrid system, might possibly end up being the most popular hybrid SUV yet. What we were most excited about was the chance to finally see how the two mode hybrid technology would perform in a smaller, front wheel drive sport utility, rather than the much larger hybrid Yukon, Tahoe, or Escalade.

Then in November 0f 2008, rumors started circulating that the 2mode Vue would be delayed or “re-timed” and wouldn’t be launched in late ‘08, but it would instead have to wait another 3-4 months. While the GM spokesman made it sound like pushing launch dates back was a normal process, I remember thinking that maybe there was a problem, or possibly the plan had changed.

The GM crisis seemed to be nearing rock bottom when last month the news for a greener Vue got even worse. GM announced they would stop building Saturn vehicles at the end of 2009 rather than what they had promised earlier, which was to keep building them through 2010 and into 2011. When I first saw that story scroll across my RSS reader all I could think was that now there wouldn’t be enough time to build and deliver the full hybrid Vue I’d been anxiously awaiting. Turns out, it was all just a dream.

General Motors made it official last week that there will be no 2-Mode, FWD Saturn Vue hybrid. Instead, the powertrain will be applied to another one of GM’s compact crossovers in 2011. In addition, the SUV that takes the place of the Vue for this technology will also be a plug-in version. According to Automotive News (subscription required) GM plans to install the advanced gasoline-electric drivetrain, teamed with GM’s Two Mode front-wheel drive transmission, in a compact crossover vehicle and introduce it at the same time as the Saturn Vue plug-in crossover was to debut, early in 2011.

So, which sport utility will get to be called a Plug-In-Two-Mode? Speculation is already circulating that we could see a hybrid Chevy Equinox, hybrid GMC Terrain, or maybe even a hybrid Cadillac SRX. Whichever it is, GM plans to send the first ones to the Department of Energy and the Electric Power Institute for fleet testing in 2011. Question is, will the public ever get their hands on one of these PHEVs? Based on the demise of the most popular hybrid SUV never built, we won’t get caught waiting for it any time soon.