GM takes two-way road on hybrids

General Motors didn't try to cram a full hybrid system into the Chevrolet Malibu sedan. Instead it relies on what GM calls a "Belt-Alternator-Starter hybrid system." Basically, it's an overgrown starter motor.

Simplicity is the whole point. It reduces cost to GM and the customer and makes it the cheapest hybrid you can buy. That could mean more hybrid cars on the road saving more fuel.

But figuring out a simpler answer and making it work isn't always so easy. The Malibu Hybrid is a much better car than the Saturn Aura Green Line, with the same basic system, that I drove last year. In less than a year, GM has made enormous progress in refining it for better performance.