"I wouldn’t want to be a Buick sales rep trying to tell his or her “traditional customers” (insert your own stereotypes here) that they need to pay more for less: “Why, yes sir, for only $690, we will cut your power in nearly half and remove the spare tire for you. As a bonus, a good chunk of usable trunk space will also be taken up by a battery pack.”
Mike, that is exactly what I thought when reading the article. I suspect this will be a tough sell for Buick salespeople. And removing the spare tire alone would be a deal breaker for me. On the other hand, unlike some other posters, I think GM may be on to something with their mild hybrids. The potential of regenerative braking and the extra torque upon initial acceleration could be worth it IMO - if the battery pack is small and light. Problem is, GM NEEDS to use a mild hybrid to cover up the fact that their vehicle is overweight and underpowered (in both LaCrosse and Regal applications). Maybe if added to a lighter vehicle (like the ATS, under 3500 lbs) this mild hybrid could be more effective.
I see that the price range for the Lacrosse goes from 35 to 45K - what do you get for that extra 10K? I bet GM dealers would easily give you 5K off the price - I suspect they'd have to if they want to sell any.