General Motors (GM) is set to launch a plug-in sport-utility vehicle (SUV) in 2011 notwithstanding having recently canceled its Saturn brand.

Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman of General Motors, said in an interview that that the company also could consider launching an all-electric small car for crowded cities. This plan will, according to Stephens, mark GM’s return to a technology that it had abandoned in 2003.

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Not many would be aware why the Mercedes Benz ML450 is creating such hype at the 2009 New York Auto Show until you tell them that it is a hybrid variant.

Meant for both the green minded and the adrenaline junkies, the new ML450 gas-electric hybrid uses a specially designed 3.5-liter V6 Atkinson cycle engine that is doubled up with a 288V NM battery pack for a total output of 335 hp.

Based on a Two-Mode hybrid powertrain (co-developed with General Motors and Chrysler ) the hybrid SUV gets 21mpg in the city and 24mpg on the highways, while the battery pack helps it add an extra 34 miles range. And that’s a great option even against a Prius …

But can you afford it? Mercedes will let us know soon! [via Autobloggreen]

Honda Motor Co gets it. Arguably one of the most economical car makers there is, Honda Motor gets it. Honda knows that America is fat and needs equally large sport utility vehicles and minivans to ride in. Even so, Honda will scale back production on its Odyssey minivans and Pilot SUVs in the U.S. It’s not because America suddenly went on a diet, it’s because even the wealthy are feeling the pinch of high gasoline prices.

The automaker will cut production of the two units over the next three months by 10,000 units. to make up for the loss, Honda will roll out even more of its Civic subcompacts. My son drives one of these – 35-40mpg. Honda gets it.

Honda also has  an SUV-sized vehicle that goes 1,300 miles between fill-ups. Honda gets it.

Leave it Honda to build an ultra efficient SUV-sized vehicle that can cover 1300 miles between fill ups. It carries 6-8 passengers – 8 Japanese but just 6, sometimes 5 or even 4 Americans.

But it doesn’t come cheaply.

The vehicle costs $1.5 million and the fuel costs are about 80 cents a mile. Comes to about $1000 per fill-up. (These figures may be a bit old…)

The vehicle is Honda’s Hondajet…a super efficient light jet that weighs about the same as an SUV.

And to think, so many people think of Honda as car and motorbike maker.

I wonder if my wife and kids remember this Sunday is Father’s Day.

On my wish list is a HondaJet. Oh, and flying lessons, too. Oh, and can I have a year’s worth of free fill ups, please?

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=5qWFH5Eb8ek[/youtube]

Images by frenchrice