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SAN ANTONIO – They say everything is bigger in Texas. Now add hybrids to the list, with the launch of the ’09 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2-Mode Hybrid pickup.
The nation’s second-largest pickup market behind California starts seeing the trucks at dealerships now, as does the rest of the U.S. for that matter, but they arrive everywhere during a record-weak economy, inexpensive gasoline and a nightmarishly low new-vehicle sales environment.
In short, it appears the timing could not be worse for an expensive, niche product like the Silverado/Sierra hybrid. Or maybe not.
General Motors Corp. says everyday consumers never were the primary target of the pickups. Instead, the auto maker believes fleet owners operating in a predominantly urban environment will comprise its core consumers, and President Obama just signed an $800 billion stimulus bill with lots of money going to infrastructure improvements.
Those worksites certainly will need the brawn of a fullsize pickup, and the 40% gain in city fuel economy the trucks deliver is a cost savings worthy of a project manager’s consideration.
The trucks also carry a $2,500 tax credit, which helps defray the $3,000 premium GM’s hybrid system adds to their $38,995 base sticker price. Talk in Washington hints of even greater consumer incentives toward the purchase of alternative-propulsion vehicles.
