2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid - 50% Fuel Saving (VIDEO)

GM will be showing off the 2009 Cadillac Escalade hybrid at the L.A. Auto Show next week, so I’ll be giving you the details on what it looks like up close.

“Incorporating the GM 2-Mode Hybrid System, the automaker says a fuel savings of up to 50 percent can be realized in city driving over a comparable gasoline-only Escalade,” Motor Trend said.

“Being a 2-Mode Hybrid setup, the Escalade Hybrid is able to run purely on electric power during city driving. Regenerative braking and a stop/start feature are incorporated for maximum efficiency. The gasoline engine is complemented with an electrically variable transmission containing two 60kW electric motors producing 30 horsepower, three planetary gear sets, and four wet clutches.”

The vehicle often associated with rap music, those wanting to flaunt a high status, wealthy soccer moms, and most commonly, drug dealers, may now lure a new market.

Environmentally conscious drivers have had an aversion to larger cars, SUVs and trucks for their gas-guzzling ways, but the emergence of hybridized versions could make these bigger vehicles more appealing to the green scene.

This may not qualify as full on forest green, but it’s a pale sea foam green for sure.

I have to be honest though; if it weren’t for the fancy chrome grill and iconic emblem, this vehicle would just look like a, dare I say, minivan. Urban moms are likely the target for these vehicles anyway, so in a way, it’s quite fitting. Still, it scares me. Is this the next gen minivan?!

In the clip, Jennifer Hudson walks the runway with the 2008 hybrid; no video clips of 2009 model are available yet on YouTube.