GM doesn’t plan to have a dedicated plug-in hybrid on the market until 2010 when it releases a production version of its Volt Concept car, however, there could be a Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid on sale one year before that. GM brand manager Jill Lajdziak has hinted that a Vue plug-in that can travel up to ten miles on electric power alone could be on the market “in 2009-ish.”

Lajdziak revealed that the car would use lithium-ion batteries and GM’s new two-mode hybrid system. She also said that owners will be able to top up the batteries using a household power outlet, reports the Free Press.

The system is substantially different to the set-up used in the Chevrolet Volt, whose internal combustion engine is used solely for charging the batteries. In the case of the Vue, the engine can also drive the car once the batteries are flat.