GM to build two hybrid SUVs in Texas

General Motors Corp. said on Wednesday it will build the two-mode Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrid sport-utility vehicles at its Arlington, Texas, plant beginning in late 2007. The two-mode hybrid system, originally implemented by GM in transit buses, is being advanced and adapted by BMW AG, DaimlerChrysler AG and GM for use in cars, trucks and SUVs. GM spokesman Kyle Johnson said the two-mode technology allows for one mode for fuel optimization on the highway and another mode for city driving. GM, the world's largest automaker, said it will produce the world's first light-duty two-mode hybrid transmission, to be designed and built at its Baltimore, Maryland, transmission plant. The light-duty transmission is for SUVs and cars, while the heavy-duty is for buses, Johnson said. GM said it will invest up to $118 million to upgrade its powertrain facility in Baltimore.
[from the WWJ Great Lakes IT Report, Matt Roush mnroush@cbs.com]