Saturn VUE Hybrid Model Years and History

Promoting the hybrid crossover utility vehicle as the Green Line, Saturn would sell two versions of the VUE Hybrid between the 2007 and 2009 model year. Both variants of the Saturn Vue Green Line featured what was classified as a mild hybrid setup. While electric motor was not directed as momentum for moving the crossover utility, the Saturn VUE Hybrid instead operated a belt alternator starter (BAS). Utilizing regenerative braking and energy stored in a nickel-metal hydride battery, the BAS hybrid system allows the gasoline engine to temporarily shut off in order to conserve fuel. Applied to the first generation Saturn VUE in 2007, the hybrid powertrain utilized a 170-horsepower, 2.4-liter Ecotec engine. More powerful than the VUE's base 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine, the Saturn VUE Hybrid boasted a five-mile per gallon fuel economy improvement. While the second generation Saturn VUE dropped many aspects and traits belonging to the previous model including dent-resistant polymer body panels, a hybrid version was retained. Introduced in 2009, the second iteration of the VUE Green Line wore all-new sheetmetal but utilized a near identical powertrain. A two-mode hybrid version of the Saturn VUE was planned but ultimately cancelled when the car brand was shuttered.