Auto Trends

…Will be the hype of many celebrities, starts at no less than $70 grand a pop, has enough seating for an entire g-money crew, and comes with rims the size of its mpg?

None other than the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid…

Cadillac is no dummy. They don’t want to be left out in the cold this winter as sales for compacts continue to outdo most SUV’s like they were a one legged midget at a butt kicking contest.

Cadillac has set the bar at 20 mpg or so with its new Escalade, which is actually quite similar to several of the other SUV hybrids that are not selling too great. Is all that bling-bling going to be able to get peoples attention from the slew of 30-plus mpg hybrids coming into action?

Well, GM certainly thinks so, and here is what they plan to bring to the table to do it…

The ‘Greening’ of the Beast

First of all unlike the direction of a few luxury SUV’s, such as the Lexus RX 400h, the Escalade Hybrid is going to be close to the same functionality as the original 6.2 liter 400 horsepower Cadillac. This means it will be able to tow, haul, and haul-a__, slaughtering any Toyota Prius off the line using its 332 horsepower and 367 lb-ft of torque, 6.0 liter V-8.

But the Prius owner won’t mind, as they know slow and steady always wins the race. 20 mpg maybe good for a large SUV, but it is certainly not going to win you any humanitarian awards, especially if you don’t have any real use for a large luxury SUV. But 20 mpg is a lot more impressive than some environmentalists might give it credit for. In fact, a lot of technology went into the nearly 10 mpg gained from the standard V-8.

Let’s take a look at the Escalade’s recipe for achieving its green status:

30 hp Electric Motor

First and foremost the hybrid Escalade comes with a 30 horsepower 300-volt nickel metal hydride battery, which can regenerate itself much like the Toyota Prius during stopping and coasting. It does this by switching the electric motor over to an electric generator which helps recharge the battery without relying on the gas engine to do so 100 percent of the time.

The electric motor is claimed to actually be the sole mode of power during light take-offs and low speed cruising around town. The hybrid also has adopted smaller car-like tires (Yes, those 22’s are not conducive to good gas mileage) and a more aerodynamic front grill and bumper.

EVT Transmission

It comes with an (EVT) Electronic Variable Transmission, which offers multiple gear ratios for optimum transmission efficiency. The EVT also serves as the control module that decides at what point should the electric power become gas and vice versa (or a combination of the two).

Active Fuel Management System

To top things off, the V-8 Escalade Hybrid makes good use of the popular Active Fuel Management System that allows its V-8 the opportunity to become a 4-cylinder at a stable cruising speeds by shutting off half it’s cylinders. This is the whole reason that the 2010 Camaro is able to achieve 23 mpg with a 422 horsepower 6.0 liter V-8.

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid may indeed prevail this summer where other SUV hybrids have failed… especially if consumers continue to see the lower gas prices we’ve been enjoying!