General Motors Touts Its Diverse Portfolio of Alternative Energy Solutions at Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2007

2007-11-14, SHANGHAI – General Motors is demonstrating its global portfolio of advanced vehicle technologies this week at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2007 in Shanghai, China. GM’s participation underscores its leadership in using a variety of technology strategies to reduce dependency on petroleum, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and boost fuel efficiency.

This is the fourth year GM has participated in Challenge Bibendum, an international forum where automakers, policymakers, media and other stakeholders discuss the future of sustainable transportation and demonstrate current and future vehicle technologies.

GM is improving the efficiency of the internal combustion engine – both gas and diesel – with a variety of advanced technologies; increasing production of vehicles that operate on biofuels; and developing and producing a portfolio of electrically driven vehicles that includes hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric extended-range vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. GM’s strategy is to offer customers vehicles that can be powered with many different sources of energy, particularly important in emerging markets such as China, where the unprecedented growth in motor vehicles could strain limited resources.

“GM is committed to offering sustainable transportation options to customers around the world,” said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “ Our participation at Challenge Bibendum gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that commitment and also be a part of the discussion surrounding sustainability issues in the automotive industry today.”

Because no single technology will address vehicle energy and environmental issues in every part of the world, GM is investing its global resources in a broad range of technologies. These include advanced engines and transmissions and biofuels such as E85 ethanol that help reduce petroleum use. GM, with more than 2.5 million E85 vehicles on the road in the U.S., will offer 25 FlexFuel lines and more than a million new vehicles globally in 2008.

GM also will introduce four new hybrid models, including the world’s first two-mode hybrid passenger vehicles that boost fuel economy by 50 percent in city driving and 25 percent overall. GM also is exploring hybrid technology in Europe and a plug-in Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid for the U.S. market. By the end of 2008, GM will have the most hybrid models on the market, with eight.

Another key element of GM’s advanced propulsion plan is a commitment to electrically driven vehicles, including gasoline-electric hybrids and also hydrogen fuel cell and extended-range electric vehicles. In the U.S., consumers, celebrities, government officials, media and others will drive 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles during the next year in Project Driveway, the world’s largest market test of fuel cell vehicles. In addition, 10 GM HydroGen4 fuel cell vehicles will be tested in Berlin next spring as part of the Clean Energy Partnership Program.

The Chevrolet Volt concept, featuring the innovative E-Flex System, addresses global energy solutions with a range of sources that produce electricity to operate the vehicle. Gasoline, diesel and hydrogen fuel cell variants of the Volt already have been introduced this year.

GM’s portfolio of vehicles and displays at Bibendum includes:

* Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX – Uses the world’s smallest four-cylinder common-rail turbo-diesel engine, p roduces 119 grams of CO 2 per kilometer and consumes an average of just 4.5 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers.
* Opel Zafira 1.6 CNG – Operates on compressed natural gas, gasoline or any blend of the two fuels.
* Saab 9.3 BioPower – Operates on E85 ethanol, gasoline or any blend of the two fuels.
* Chevrolet Tahoe 2-Mode Hybrid – Achieves up to a 50-percent improvement in city fuel economy over the non-hybrid model.
* Saturn Aura GreenLine – Uses the affordable GM Hybrid System to improve fuel economy over the conventional model.
* Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell – One hundred of these zero-gasoline, zero-emissions vehicles will be subjected to real-world use by drivers who’ll report their findings to driven by consumers, celebrities and others during the next year in Project Driveway, the world’s largest market test of fuel cell vehicles.
* Chevrolet Volt Fuel Cell (Chassis only) – The first variant of GM’s E-Flex System could nearly eliminate trips to the gas station. It also greatly reduces tailpipe emissions.

At this year’s Challenge Bibendum, GM is participating in the vehicle exhibition and ride-and-drive for attendees, as well as panel discussions that will examine key transportation and energy issues facing the world today.

GM vehicles will also be showcased in a parade through Shanghai’s Pudong district that will cap off Challenge Bibendum events on Nov. 17. Concluding the parade will be a public exhibition of the vehicles at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Source: GM

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