SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

The Advanced Hybrid System 2 (AHS2) is designed to provide the acceleration consumers want and need while at the same time drastically improving mileage.

The announcement was made at the big International Auto Show in Detroit and touted as a step toward the kind of mass-market appeal the auto industry contends will be vital to produce the high-volume sales needed to actually make a dent in air pollution and oil consumption.

The system will be introduced in the 2007 models of GM's Yukon and Chevy Tahoe sport utility vehicles.

In basic terms, the AHS2 system is made up of two systems of gears using electric and conventional gasoline power to give hybrid vehicles the acceleration of conventional models and the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. GM estimates the SUVs will have 25-percent better gas mileage than current models.