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The US-only brand, Saturn, unveiled three electric-powered concepts at the Detroit show this year, making it "GM's green brand" according to the company's president of North American operations, Troy Clarke.
The Saturn Vue SUV uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to the Chevrolet Volt, but it offers only 10 miles of pure electric drive compared to the Volt's 40-mile range.
Saturn's greatest advantage may be the on-sale date. The Vue plug-in hybrid is likely to hit America's showrooms in 2010, beating the Chevrolet Volt to become GM's first commercially available electric vehicle.
The other eco-friendly Saturn Vue SUV on show at Detroit is likely to be on sale even earlier.
The Vue Green Line uses a petrol-electric powertrain to offer low-speed electric propulsion, making it up to 50 per cent more fuel efficient than the non-hybrid Vue. The Green Line should be available for order by the end of the year.
Finally, a re-badged version of the European-bound Opel Flextreme concept that debuted at Frankfurt last year was also on show, in the form of the Saturn Flextreme.
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