Remember The Purloined Letter, the classic Edgar Allen Poe story where a letter is hidden by storing it in plain sight?
General Motors may not have realized it, but the industry trade journal Automotive News seems to have published a previously unannounced piece of its future model plans--right out in the open.
The vehicle is a hybrid-electric version of the Buick Verano, the compact luxury sedan that's just now hitting dealerships.
The hybrid Verano won't arrive, mind you, until 2015.
At least, that's what it says on an Automotive News graphic spread, "Suppliers to the 2012 Buick Verano," that breaks out ... well, the major companies that supply components to the 2012 Verano program.
The data used comes from Supplier Business, which tracks supplier relationships across the entire industry.
The entry is for a "2.5-liter Hybrid (2015-2020)," which we suspect is the successor to the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine fitted with the mild-hybrid system known as eAssist (in the 2012 Buick Lacrosse and Regal) and also used in the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco.
Excerpt from Automotive News supplier chart for 2012 Buick Verano, provided by Supplier Business
All automakers are under increasing pressure to raise their gas-mileage ratings from now until 2025, when the corporate average fleet economy will average 54.5 mpg.
The "light electrification" of the eAssist hybrid system is a simple, relatively inexpensive way to boost mileage without making radical changes to vehicle designs.
We'll bring you more information on the Buick Verano Hybrid as we get it, though don't hold your breath. We may not hear anything more for a couple of years.
Meanwhile, we were alerted to the Verano Hybrid plans by a tweet from Auto_Bird. We thank him for his keen eyes.
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