NAIAS Blog: General Motors

Bryan Joslin

Invest in ethanol; General Motors is. GM CEO Rick Waggoner unveiled two concepts today in Detroit that show continued support for ethanol-based E85 fuel. The Hummer HX concept uses a flex-fuel V6 engine, while the Saab 9-4x BioPower makes use of an E85-powered turbocharged four-cylinder.

The Hummer HX is the off-road brand's glimpse at future viability, incorporating features that are becoming more important to younger buyers; it's smaller, lighter, more efficient and kinder to the environment on which it might trample. The HX concept's powerplant is the brand's first six-cylinder, and clears a path for future flex-fuel Hummers, which Waggoner indicated would be available across the board by 2010.

The Saab 9-4x BioPower concept looks ready for production as Saab's first crossover vehicle. As GM Europe's CEO Carl-Peter Forster stated, "Saab is a brand on the move," and the 9-4x signals the start of its product expansion. Running on E85, the 2.0-liter turbo is capable of 300 horsepower and 285 lb-ft of torque, delivering the kind of performance that turbo Saabs were once known for.

Waggoner addressed concerns over ethanol's apparent drawbacks by announcing a relationship with Warrenville, Illinois-based Coskata, who has plans to produce ethanol from just about anything carbon-based for around a dollar per gallon. Coskata's process not only allows such materials as used tires and municipal garbage to be converted to fuel, it also uses far less energy and water in the process. The company hopes to be producing between 50 and 100 million gallons of ethanol annually by 2011.