GM Reiterates One Million Hybrid Target

General Motors Corp. vice chairman Bob Lutz reiterated the automaker’s goal of being able to build as many as one million hybrid-electric vehicles in the future “if the market demands it.”

Lutz, speaking at GM’s technical center in Warren, Michigan, declined to give an actual forecast of where the hybrid vehicle market is headed in the U.S., but he did say GM is raising its estimates.

“We’re obviously focused on fuel economy,” the vice chairman said, adding that “ uncertainty” concerning gas prices has buyers pushing fuel economy higher on the list of important features when shopping for a car.

GM has been selling a so-called mild hybrid pickup truck in recent years which offers certain fuel-saving technology. However, the company has yet to release a full-scale hybrid vehicle that can compete with Toyota’s Prius sedan or Ford’s Escape Hybrid SUV, which are capable of running on electric motors or traditional engines.