The media spotlight was on GM Chairman Rick Wagoner and the big announcement yesterday at the Los Angeles Auto Show that GM would offer a plug-in hybrid sometime in the next few years. Over at the EDTA Conference, where such an announcement would have been right at home, the news was delivered to attendees Wednesday afternoon by Pete Savagian, engineering director of GM hybrid powertrains. When Savagian mentioned the announcement, people clapped and cheered. The news seemed to validate a lot of what was going on at the EDTA show, and fit well with Savagian's presentation on GM's hybrid line-up. That line-up looks like this:

• Two-mode hybrid: Allison bus (upcoming: Tahoe/Yukon, Escalade, Silverado/Sierra)
• Light hybrids: Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra
• Hybrid: Saturn Vue, (upcoming: Saturn Aura, Chevy Malibu)
• Upcoming plug-in hybrid: Saturn Vue

That PHEV Vue will be a two-mode front wheel drive vehicle that Savagian said would deliver at least a 45 percent improvement in fuel economy and can go about ten miles on electric power alone in certain driving conditions. "There are a whole lot of hurdles to get this car to production," he said.

The upcoming Tahoe and Escalade group is also posing a challenge to GM, Savagian said. Engineers are working to put electric motors into these large truck and SUV vehicles, but they feel they cannot "sacrifice what this segment represents," he said. The challenge – achieved – was to put all of the hybrid components into a space the size of the transmission. Engineers came up with a two-electric motor system that will be on display at NAIAS in January. This system can move the vehicle on electric power alone at low speeds, and will not reduce performance when the engine is fully engaged.

On Thursday, Don Hillebrand, director of the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory, will give a talk at the EDTA Conference about the path to commercialization for plug-in hybrids (PHEV). But why wait until then to hear what he's got to say? You can click here and hear him now (MP3 file, 4 MB). Hillebrand met with AutoblogGreen late on Tuesday at the conference and shared his insights on the rumor of GM's upcoming PHEV, the best combination of powertrains for fuel economy and performance, why it's bad that California is already writing standards for PHEVs, new ways to figure fuel economy for PHEVs and more. His coolest idea? A PHEV that knows where it is and where it is going and is able to conserve energy to run exclusively on the electric motor whenever possible.

After you listen, you can read more about Argonne National Laboratory after the jump and check out these earlier AutoblogGreen posts about the lab and Hillebrand:

Related:

• Alternative Powertrain Research: Argonne's Mobile Automotive Technology Testbed
• Argonne National Lab develops materials that could drastically lower the cost of new fuels
• DOE verdict: Ethanol is net energy positive

It not exactly a surprise (see all the hints dropped in the related stories below), but it's still good to hear again that GM will likely unveil a prototype plug-in hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, the Detroit News is reporting today. This would be the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) from a major manufacturer, and we've hear it called the "I-car" (for Icon car).

But look at the image above. While the Detroit News used a picture of the EV-1, Reuters accompanied this announcement with a picture of a truck power cord plugged into a pick-up truck bed. My guess is that this is really a standard-issue accessory source for any electronics you'd want to run at a tailgate rather than a leaked preview of the I-truck. Why else would there be two plugs? Anyone else have any guesses?

Lastly, what is a bit of a surprise, and an oh so tempting one to the fuel conscious, is that unnamed GM officials told the newspaper that the engine coupled to the electric motor would be powered by either gasoline or diesel. Wow. If GM gets a diesel hybrid to the North American market first, the green crowd will have a new hero. It'll leave Ford wondering how come they didn't announce this bold move first and Toyota and Honda have yet to unveil any PHEV vehicles they are working on.

Related:

• GM's new green strategy to focus on plug-in hybrids with "I-car" project
• Lutz says electric cars very much alive at General Motors
• Go ahead, place an order for that plug-in hybrid already. A "soft order", that is
• AutoblogGreen Q&A with Sherry Boschert: why plug-in hybrids will recharge America

[Source: Detroit News, thanks to John Stockard]

I like everything about this story except Bloomberg's use of "people say" in the headline. Considering how big the news is, though, Bloomberg's use of people "who asked not to be identified because the research is secret" as sources is understandable. Anyway, let's get to the good stuff: there may be a plug-in hybrid coming from a major auto manufacturer in about six months.

Unnamed GM officials told Bloomberg that the also unnamed hybrid could be "ready in time for the Detroit auto show in January," and that any commercial production is at least a year away. The vehicle will get more than 60 mpg and plug into any outlet.

Officially, GM had no comment on this rumor, but it is convenient that the news slipped out today, just a week before the film "Who Killed The Electric Car?", which is critical of GM, opens in theaters.

[Source: Bloomberg, Thanks to CoreyTheGent]