General Motors is planning to introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the Chevy Cruze as a rival to the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid.  And this has been revealed by Jim Federico, General Motors executive director, group vehicle line director and VLE for global compact, mini, small and EV.

However, the powertrain of the Cruze will be completely different from the Chevrolet Volt. While the Volt is a range extended electric car, which is driven by an electric motor and the lithium-ion battery pack is replenished by an internal combustion engine, the plug-in hybrid Cruze will be driven by both the electric motor and internal combustion engine. The Cruze will have the option of recharging in an electric outlet.

The Volt features a 16 kWh Li-ion battery that provides an all-electric zero-emissions driving range of about 60 km. After that, the 63 kW 1.4-litre petrol engine comes into action to generate electricity and the driving range is extended to about 480 km. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the fuel economy of the Volt at 93 miles per gallon (2.5 liters per 100 km).

Well, you can’t expect the same from the Cruze. The Prius plug-in hybrid has an all-electric range of 13 miles. We can accept something similar in the Cruze hybrid as well. The highway fuel economy figures will be near 50 mpg and with the decent power the Cruze delivers, this should be a good bargain. And also, we can expect a lower price tag than the $40,000 Volt for the plug-in hybrid Cruze.

via egmcartech