There was a rumor at the 2007 LA Auto Show that there will be hybrid version of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. The Pontiac Vibe is a product of NUMMI, New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., a joint venture between GM and Toyota. So, if the rumor is true, GM and Toyota are working on a hybrid together right now.

Toyota wants to license their hybrid technology and GM has worked with other companies on their own hybrid system. I am not a big fan of what-ifs but making a hybrid is not something that's lightly considered and it would explain a lot of things like why has GM not come out with a full hybrid passenger car yet. Of course, the hybrid Vibe might also be a mild hybrid without any real exchange or license of technology.

I guess we find out soon enough; the 2009 Vibe and Matrix go on sale the first quarter of 2008.

[Source: New York Times]

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger certainly likes to look green when new cars are displayed. I remember the excitement when he arrived at the unveiling of the Tesla Roadster back in the summer of 2006. Sometimes, of course, the Governator's green sheen is less glorious, like with the GM flex-fuel vehicles controversy. But, at the LA Auto Show this week, Governor Schwarzenegger was happy to visit the Volkswagen booth to check out the new space up! blue concept car.

Also at the VW booth, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc., discussed more about what VW plans to do with clean diesels in the U.S. in the near future. As AutoblogGreen readers probably know, VW will bring clean diesel TDI engines to all 50 states, starting with the Jetta Sedan and Jetta SportWagen. The release date for the Jetta TDI was recently pushed back to summer 2008.



[Source: Volkswagen]

Click the Malibu hybrid for a high-res gallery

Chevrolet first showed the new 2008 Malibu early this year at the Detroit Auto Show and it's now in production. This week at the Los Angeles Auto Show they are showing the new Malibu Hybrid for the first time at an auto show. The Malibu uses the same mild hybrid Belt-Alternator-Starter system as the earlier Saturn Aura and Vue Hybrids. In the Chevy, the system helps the car achieve EPA ratings of 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, an increase of two miles per gallon in each case. The system is basically an automatic start/stop setup with a nickel metal hydride battery to capture some energy from regenerative braking and provide some power boost when needed for acceleration. The Malibu hybrid starts at $22,790, a premium of about $1,800 over a comparably-equipped standard model.

[Source: General Motors]

Click the Escalade for a high-res gallery

Word slipped out earlier today about the biggest, baddest hybrid of them all the new Cadillac Escalade and now we have most of the details. There aren't really any big surprises here as the Escalade is basically the dressed up black-tie version of the Tahoe/Yukon twins. The hybrid version basically carries over the same Two-Mode power-train from it's brethren as well.

What the Escalade Hybrid doesn't get is unique styling. Aside from small hybrid badges on the C-pillars and tailgate, the rest of the body work remains the same as conventional models. The big Caddy also doesn't get the weight reduction measures that went into the Chevy and GMC versions. During a recent discussion with GM's Director of Hybrid Powertrain development Larry Nitz, we got an explanation for this. Read on after the jump to find out why and to see all the specs on the Escalade hybrid.

[Source: General Motors]