GM Says Coming Back in Hybrids

2007 Chevrolet Volt Concept

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While General Motors clearly lost the lead in the hybrid-electric vehicle market, theU.S. automaker intends to come back strong, with a goal of surging past its Japanese rival and hybrid segment leader, Toyota, said GM CEO Rick Wagoner. “This is nowhere a lost cause,” insisted the former college basketball star, turning to a sports metaphor. “It’s the first five minutes of a 40-minute game. No way, in any shape, is this a lost cause.”

Last year, GM rolled out its first true hybrid, the Saturn Vue Green Line. Within a year, the carmaker will launch a new hybrid system, developed as part of a joint venture with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. Dubbed the two-mode hybrid, the partners believe they can provide fuel savings even while driving on the highway, a weakness of existing systems, such as the one used in Toyota’s popular Prius. Between the two technologies, GM expects to soon have a dozen hybrids on the road.

And another form of hybrid technology could prove even more promising. At the 2007 North American International Auto Show, in Detroit , GM unveiled its Chevrolet Volt concept car, a so-called plug-in hybrid. Unlike existing hybrids, such as the Vue and Prius, the Volt’s oversized lithium-ion batteries can be charged up from a standard electric socket, providing about 40 miles range, or enough for most Americans’ daily commuting needs. “We’re only going to make a difference in energy consumption if we deliver on this,” said Wagoner.

The newfound religion marks a sharp turn for GM, though not all company officials are willing to buy into the concept of global warming. But many skeptics agree that there will soon be a peak to global oil production, which, according to Wagoner, would put a crimp in the steady, worldwide growth of automotive sales. So it will be critical for the auto industry, he said, to find alternative ways to power tomorrow’s cars.

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