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

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

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 7, 2009 12:19 PM CDT

(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.”

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

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. "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. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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. (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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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 14 comments

Newser001

Jun 8, 2009 12:41 PM CDT

hydrogen NOT nitrogen; oy

kokuaguy

Jun 8, 2009 12:33 PM CDT

Wow, I was learning so much and enjoying this immensely and then it ends with this aclepd,com clown. Anyway, mucho mahalo guys.

Newser001

Jun 8, 2009 12:30 PM CDT

It's a great concept, which could be just around the bend. We'll require Generation IV reactors which would be required to alternate between power production during the day and hydrogen at night (taking into account alternating demand periods). They aren't expected until around 2030+. In theory, they could supply all US domestic needs. Just remember, nitrogen is highly volatile - especially when concentrated into a liquid form, but would imagine we'll find a way to safely contain it for vehicles of all types. It takes about 4x the volume to equal the same amount of energy equivalency contained in diesel / gas.

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