GM has announced that it is to offer hybrid vehicles this year. The announcement, made at the Detroit Auto Show is the biggest commitment to the technology by any US car maker. GM will produce hybrid models for cars, pickups and SUVs.

Up to now, the only hybrid vehicles available in the United States have been small cars made by Honda and Toyota. But GM plans to scale-up the concept – putting hybrid powerplants initially in the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups for use in commercial fleets. The same vehicles will be available to retail customers in 2004.

GM president and chief executive Rich Wagoner says: “We're taking a very pragmatic approach, targeting a wide array of popular models with varying degrees of complexity to give consumers a variety of choice.”