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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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 ANALYSIS 
15

GM's Car of the Future Sparks Doubt in the Present

Even top exec fears hybrid will fail to herald new start for automaker

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(Newser) – Success has many fathers, and for the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, paternity claims could stretch from Detroit to Washington. But if the GM hybrid turns out to be an orphan, it could be because many of its backers, including a top GM exec, are ambivalent about its potential to rejigger the company’s gas-guzzling image, Michael Leahy writes for the Washington Post.

Bob Lutz spearheads the Volt’s 2010 rollout but remains devoted to the SUV era and calls global warming “a crock.” He says the Volt is GM’s future, yet insists hybrid-mania is a coastal phenomenon. Lutz knows “GM's survival hinges on a successful fight for the souls of American auto buyers. It just so happens his soul has been one of them.”

Robert A.
Robert A. "Bob" Lutz, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development at GM, is ambivalent about the new Chevrolet Volt.   (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Robert A.
Robert A. "Bob" Lutz, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development at GM, is ambivalent about the new Chevrolet Volt.   (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
The Chevrolet Volt is unveiled at a General Motors centennial celebration in Detroit.
The Chevrolet Volt is unveiled at a General Motors centennial celebration in Detroit.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
In this Sept. 16, 2008 file photo, the Chevrolet Volt is unveiled at a General Motors centennial celebration in Detroit.
In this Sept. 16, 2008 file photo, the Chevrolet Volt is unveiled at a General Motors centennial celebration in Detroit.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
General Motors executives stand with the Chevrolet Volt.
General Motors executives stand with the Chevrolet Volt.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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He cannot shake his conviction that Americans are being asked to give up something that defines them and their culture, a beauty and roar to which no monetary value can be attached. - Michael Leahy on Bob Lutz

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15 comments
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Newser001
Jun 7, 09 1:11 PM CDT
Driving a $22,000 '05 Toyota Prius, which averages 58 to 63 MPG, since Dec. 2004, I've increased my gas millage from my previous '02 Jeep Liberty's (2 wheel drive, not 4) 18 MPG average to a whopping 336% + increase in gas millage based on an average of Prius' 60.5 MPG; A savings of 42.5 miles per / gallon. At present, I have 70,000 miles + on the Prius. I consumed 1,160 gallons of gas with my Prius v 3,900 gallons of gas with the Jeep Liberty. A savings of 2,740 gallons of gas, CO2, etc... Why on Earth wouldn't GM proceed...? Well, that is, unless it can't meet its projected goals. Furthermore, the cost for the GM vehicle may not be able to compete in MPG nor the expected priced point - near $40,000 - $45,000 v Prius' base of $21,000. Toyota did not use lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion) in the 3rd generation Prius, as previously announced; attributable to its cost factor, as it is so extravagant v nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), along with Li-ion's known safety issues, causing vehicle prices to increase, dramatically (the basis of the Volt's electrical storage). Reply
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paul123
Jun 7, 09 1:47 PM CDT
they can build the most eco-friendly vehicle known to man, but will the consumer buy it? Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Doctor_Zaius
Jun 7, 09 2:02 PM CDT
Of course. Look at all the Hybirds and E85 vehicles on the road.
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IN RESPONSE:
paul123
Jun 7, 09 10:28 PM CDT
Let me repharse that....will the majority of consumers buy it
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IN RESPONSE:
paul123
Jun 7, 09 10:28 PM CDT
typo.....rephrase
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