In creating its first gas-saving hybrid vehicle for the mass market, General Motors took the cheap way out. This time, it could prove to be a very smart move. The Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid SUV, coming out this summer, will cost about $2,000 more than a regular Saturn Vue. It’s sticker price will be about $23,000, making it the cheapest hybrid SUV you can buy.

The Vue Green Line uses a system that relies on lower voltage than other hybrids. That means, for one thing, that the Vue Green Line doesn’t need nearly as large of a battery pack. Batteries cost money and add weight. It also made the Vue’s hybrid system easier to integrate into a normal automotive electrical system which, again, means lower cost.

The VUE Green Line’s electric motor will not be powerful enough to actually power the vehicle, but the Green Line will still get about 20% better gas mileage than a regular 4-cylinder model. Its gas mileage will be slightly less than an Escape or Highlander, but it will cost thousands less than those models.

[Read](http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/04/17/saturn_vue_geenline/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) (CNN)