GM, Toyota in race to produce hybrids
By Greg Miles and Greg Bensinger, Bloomberg News
January 9, 2008
General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, is keeping pace with Toyota Motor Corp. in developing vehicles powered by alternative-energy sources, chief executive Rick Wagoner Enhanced Coverage Linking chief executive Rick Wagoner says.
"We're right in that race," Mr. Wagoner said in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where GM showed a futuristic Cadillac sport-utility vehicle powered by hydrogen and a lithium-ion battery.
"Right now, we are rapidly expanding our offers" of vehicles powered by such alternatives as gasoline-electric engines and a gasoline-ethanol mix, Mr. Wagoner said.
GM has been working to reshape its image on fuel-saving initiatives as Toyota, helped by a reputation for environmental leadership, has boosted sales in a declining U.S. market. Over the next four years, GM plans to introduce about one hybrid vehicle every three months.
GM isn't "perceived as being fully competitive on hybrids," said John O'Dell, senior editor for Edmunds.com's Green Car Advisor Web site. "Toyota has made Prius completely synonymous with the very concept of hybrids."
Mr. Wagoner said Toyota had a "good start in gasoline-electric" vehicles. But GM's hybrids are now on par with Toyota's, he said, and GM is testing hydrogen-powered autos.
Toyota's Prius sedan remained the top-selling hybrid in the United States last year as sales climbed 69% to 181,221.
The Cadillac prototype unveiled yesterday, called the Provoq, would be able to travel almost 500 kilometres on a tank of hydrogen, the Detroit-based automaker said.
Mr. Wagoner said he is "shooting" to produce the Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in 2010.
"There's good progress" on the battery and electronics, he said, "but breakthroughs are needed."
The car's future is electronic and green, using alternative fuels and slick technology to protect both people and the environment, the head of the world's largest motor company says.
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