Link to article:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/10/02/...ura/index.html

 

Wow, you are taking that article a bit too harshly. That wasn't quite a "slam" on the TCH. One sentence regarding how the hybrid battery takes up 5 cubic feet of trunk space, which is a statement of fact that we are all aware of, it's not an opinion of the author.

 

I have to agree with Flopshot. However, I wish they expanded on the statement a bit. Yes, the Aura hybrid may not lose much trunk space. However, being a mild hybrid with a smaller battery pack the Aura will not see the efficiency increase of a TCH.

 

Not necessarily true. It all depends on whether the car is configured for efficiency or performance. The Lexus is a full hybrid and gets poor FE but performs highly. It's configured for performance. The HCH is a mild hybrid and gets good gas mileage. The MH's ICEs run 100% of the time when in motion so I think they may not do as well in the emissions arena.
J

 

Jeez, a little sensitive aren't we? The article isn't even about the TCH. There is nothing new here, except that GM is trying to grab a little reflected glory with its so-called "mild hybrid."

 

Good point about the HCH being a mile hybrid. How about the part about the smaller battery? Maybe it's anti-GM bias, but I can see them making a car with marginal performance and/or FE gains just to hop on the hybrid bandwagon.

 

Sorry -- my limited vocabulary and the late hour affected my word choice. My point is that the TCH is not universally praised in the press.
The author could have compared the Aura's 15.7 cu. ft. to the 15 of the non-hybrid Camry without putting a negative spin. Better yet, why not post the actual figures (10.6 cu. ft.) for the TCH and (??) the Aura "mild"?

 

Vioarc writes:Sorry -- my limited vocabulary and the late hour affected my word choice. My point is that the TCH is not universally praised in the press.

Exactly, In the sunday paper this week they had a writeup and mentioned all the others even the Prius and nothing on the TCH.

 

Lets start from the very beginning: definition of Hybrid, it usually means combination of 2 species, in automotive world it means combination of 2 drive trains, electric motor and internal combustion engine. How can GM call Aura a hybrid is totally beyond me. This car has nothing to do with Hybrid, since there is nothing to propel the car by electricity. All they did is put bigger battery with bigger starter, so the engine can be started faster and therefore the engine can stop running when the car is not moving (I wonder what happens to AC then?). There is no electric drive, there is no electric boost, there is nothing hybrid about this car. So how and why are they comparing this to Camry Hybrid is a mystery to me. It is also beyond me how GM can BS everybody, calling this car a hybrid. Isn't there a law against false advertising, claiming something which it isn't? Panasonic sells High Definition Plasmas, which are not high definition, GM starts selling hybrid cars, which are not hybrid, when is this nonsense going to end? Outside of the fact that the article incorrectly states that GM will be selling hybrid Aura, which it is not, the article seems to me like a paid advertisement from GM. BTW I hate the red/brown leather interior, it is the most ugly think I've seen for long time IMO.

 

This is a tangent, but what do you mean by this? I own a plasma hi-def plasma TV and would love to know why it is not hi-def.