General Motors chose the Texas State Fair to preview its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Two-Mode Hybrid models &mdash which seems fair to us, as the trucks are built at the company's Arlington, Texas, assembly plant. When they arrive in dealer showrooms late this year, the Tahoe and Yukon will stand as the only full-size hybrid SUVs on the market. They feature a two-mode gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain co-developed with BMW and the company formerly known as DaimlerChrysler that analyzes such factors as speed and engine stress to determine the best combination of internal combustion and electric-motor drive. The system can disengage four of the 6.0-liter engine's eight cylinders for light-load highway cruising, but the hybrids will gladly tow up to 6000 pounds when called upon to do so. GM claims the gasoline-electric Tahoe and Yukon will return some thirty-percent better fuel economy than their gasoline-only brethren and, at speeds up to 30 mph, run on electric power alone.
For more information in GM's two-mode hybrid system, read Michelle Krebs' excellent first drive on Edmunds.com's Inside Line.
Photos courtesy of General Motors.
