GM open to 'car czar'; US launch of Chevrolet Spark in 2011

General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz has said that he is looking forward to having a "car czar" in place so US auto makers have someone sympathetic to its needs in Washington.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show, Lutz said the car czar would be someone who would talk about the pain the auto industry was being subject to "for no unearthly reason" and hoped that the appointment would lead to a "competitive energy and transportation policy."

Chevrolet BeatPresident-elect Barack Obama's administration is likely to appoint the "car czar". The conditions of the $17.4 billion bailout given to GM and Chrysler in bridge loans last month stipulate that the Treasury Department appoints someone to oversee the work of the auto makers, in order to ensure that they remain viable and competitive.

Lutz was reported as saying that GM's plans for future vehicles remain fluid in the face of spikes and falls in the price of gasoline, and that the company would need to figure out whether to focus on small cars, hybrids or trucks.

GM is going to announce a battery supplier for its all-electric Chevrolet Volt this week, who will supply lithium-ion batteries for the Volt, Lutz told reporters. Two suppliers are reported to be in the running, one being a unit of Korea's LG Chem, and the other a tie-up between German auto parts supplier Continental AG.

The Volt uses lithium-ion batteries and is a highly anticipated rechargeable car in the US that has production plans slated for November 2010. Reports said it is being designed to run 40 miles on battery power alone, has is slated to become the icon for GM's attempts to reinvent its product line by focusing on the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles.