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GM To Sire Hybrid Pony Car?

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning received a trophy, a ring, and his pick of Cadillacs for being the game-winning MVP of Super Bowl XLII earlier this month. But he won't be driving his new Caddy anytime soon.

Manning passed on the current fleet of Escalades and opted for a brand new Cadillac Escalade hybrid. But because the first green Escalade isn't due to rumble off the production line until sometime this summer, the QB will have to wait.

If what he really wanted was a bitchin' Camaro, Manning will have to cool his heels even longer and endure his hybrid hoopty prize until 2009 or maybe 2010. Only then is GM's rumored dual-mode (diesel/hybrid) Camaro expected to become available.

And Manning will have to drop some Giant bucks to get his hands on the clean-burning muscle car. "The extra hybrid hardware will certainly add a premium to the price tag, but that concern is outweighed by the General's need to meet CAFE standards," opines auto blog Jalopnik.com.

"GM's hybrid system is so sophisticated and expensive that the automaker went looking for partners to help develop and pay for it," writes columnist Mark Phelan in the Detroit Free Press. Chrysler, Chevrolet, BMW, and Mercedes participated in development of the two-mode hybrid transmission and have announced models in which they intend to use it.

Whether the 2009 or 2010 Camaro will sport a hybrid transmission or not is still in the rumor stage, but it's nice to see the hybrid market finally opening up beyond the ubiquitous Prius and a handful of SUVs and sedans.

Take a peek at what the exterior of the Camaro hybrid might look like here. For engine and interior spy shots of the purported 2009 Camaro, see here.

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