In an effort to save money and be environmentally conscious, I’ve started taking the subway to work. On my travels, I’ve noticed the latest advertisement campaign from the Canadian Cancer Society: “Driven to Quit.” To all smokers: If you quit, you could win a Chevrolet Malibu hybrid.

I like the symmetry.

Malibu-producer General Motors is quitting its dependence on the gas-powered combustion engine. It was a slow effort at first (as many of my smoking friends can attest), but today they are accelerating to green by building practical vehicles.

Introducing the GM-Allison hybrid buses in 2003, GM dreamed green: 1,000 hybrid buses would save an estimated 1. 4 million gallons of fuel annually. In January 2008, GM’s 1,000th bus was delivered to Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas). Kudos to GM: Those buses are now operating in more than 70 cities worldwide.

It took until late 2006 for GM to produce its first hybrid car, the Saturn Vue SUV. (I reviewed said line in 2008, and was pleasantly surprised that the Vue SUV lacked a general SUV characteristic: cornering like a drunken wooly mammoth.) The mechanics of the Vue hybrid system combine an electric motor/generator mated to a four-cylinder engine and a modified four-speed automatic transmission. Known as the Belt-alternator-starter (BAS) system, the mechanism is less complex than in other hybrids; yet is still able to deliver 10 to 20 percent better fuel economy than a standard car. The system saves fuel by providing an electric power assist during acceleration; shutting off the engine during idle; early fuel cut-off during deceleration; and capturing electrical energy through regenerative braking. The Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, the most affordable mid-sized hybrids in Canada, also use this technology.

Having actually driven the Vue, I believe it is the essence of what hybrid vehicles can be. So does Transport Canada, deeming the fuel economy rating of the hybrid Vue the best of any SUV offered in Canada at 6.1L per 100km (city and highway combined). But, apparently not satisfied with both my and Transport Canada’s endorsements, GM has upgraded the Vue with its patented two-mode technology, increasing its fuel economy by an estimated 45 percent over the non-hybrid model. I’ve been waiting with bated breath for this model: The new subway-me wants fuel efficiency so I can get back into a car and not feel guilty.

Think of the two-mode hybrid as a thinking car: GM technology determines the amount of power required at any given moment and selects the appropriate operating mode: engine power, electric, or both. Aiding in the overall fuel efficiency of the vehicle is the two-mode hybrid’s ability to operate using solely electric power at low speeds (with light loads). At high speeds, electric assist optimizes fuel economy. Innovative indeed: The technology was voted “2009 Best New Green Technology” By the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.

The GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, and the only hybrid pickup trucks available on the market (GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado) are all available as two-mode hybrids.

I’d like to make special mention of the Cadillac Escalade hybrid. The caddy is always been Hollywood’s guilty pleasure. Now stars can drive their classy SUV with the same pleasure, but with 25 percent less guilt. To thwart any pesky environmentalists, GM has placed not-too-discreet hybrid badges on the doors and tailgate. It’s a safety feature. It certainly made me feel better when I drove it around Toronto this past fall. If anyone began to give me obnoxious looks as I cornered the beast around the city, I smiled and pointed to the decals.

With nine consumer hybrids on the road today, GM is leading the competition in green. Make note for the future (I am): The acronym “GM” will no longer stand for “General Motors,” but for “Green Machines.”

Women’s Post automotive editor Angela Trimmer used to drive a Pontiac (before she started taking the subway, that is).

Pictured: The Saturn Vue Two-Mode Hybrid