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The birthplace of General Motors' Two-Mode hybrid system is growing. GM Powertrain has committed $27 million to nearly double the space available for the hybrid engineering group that used to be part of Allison. When GM sold the Allison transmission division in 2007, they retained all the rights and intellectual property to the system. That included the Indianapolis engineering facility where the Two-Mode system was conceived for transit buses. The doubling of floor space will include five new dynamometer test cells. Thirty-five more people will be added to the 110 currently on staff at the facility. The Two-Mode system is now in production in the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon with four more coming before the end of this year in the Escalade, Silverado, Sierra and Saturn Vue. Over the next few years a smaller rear wheel drive version for passenger car applications as well as lower cost versions will be developed at the facility.

[Source: Indianapolis Star]