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General Motors Corp. North American Chief Troy Clarke today unveiled a FlexFuel Chevrolet HHR, the company's first four-cylinder model that can run on E85 ethanol as well as gasoline.
Clarke, speaking at the launch event at the Chicago Auto Show, which opened to the media today, pledged that all of the automaker's new four-cylinder cars will be capable of burning ethanol. So far, GM has 11 FlexFuel models planned for 2008 and 15 for 2009.
GM today also rolled out the Chevrolet Traverse crossover. The automaker is positioning the wagon-like entry, to be built in Spring Hill, Tenn., as its next generation family hauler.
To underscore that point, the Traverse was rolled out by vehicle line executive Sue Wilson, who brought her entire family on stage to tout the Traverse.
"You can have all the greatest features in the world, but if you're plowing down the street in a vehicle that looks like a box - how good is that?," said Wilson, flanked by her husband and three kids.
The crossovers fill a niche for GM and for rival Ford Motor Co. as both companies get out of the minivan business amid tanking sales in that segment.
Clarke said this morning that the automaker expects demand for crossover SUVs will continue to surge as customers look for fuel-friendly alternatives to trucks.
"The need and demand in this segment is so strong," Clarke said.
GM, with three full-size crossovers already on the market, is banking on the trend to continue. Sales of crossovers and sport wagons were up 15 percent last year, and competition is heating up as more companies enter the segment.
In his speech, Clarke also emphasized GM's commitment to alternative fuels and alternative energy sources, calling for more government sponsorship of battery research.
Earlier this year, the automaker announced that it had taken a stake in Coskata Inc., a biofuels research firm that aims to market $1-a-gallon ethanol as soon as 2011.
Clarke said this morning that Coskata has teamed with a builder and expects to have its pilot plant operational this year.
