GM CEO to Congress: Volt is safe

Washington — General Motors chairman and CEO Dan Akerson is expected to defend the company's Chevrolet Volt today, telling Congress the vehicle is safe and that politics is to blame for the intense scrutiny.

In his five-page written testimony before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee obtained by The Detroit News, Akerson rejects the idea that GM built the Volt at the request of the Obama administration.

"The Volt is safe. It's a marvelous machine. It represents so much of what is right at GM and, frankly, American ingenuity and manufacturing," Akerson's testimony reads.

Akerson is expected to lament that the extended-range electric vehicle has become a political football. "The Volt seems, perhaps unfairly, to have become a surrogate for some to offer broader commentary on General Motors' business prospects and administration policy," his testimony says. "These outside factors, coupled with advanced technology that is still relatively unfamiliar to a broad consumer base, have likely contributed to a disproportionate level of scrutiny placed on the Volt."

But the committee Republican staff, in a report being released before today's hearing, says the White House has a big stake in the success of the Volt.

"The Obama administration has tied the political reputation of the president closely to the success of GM generally, and to the Chevy Volt specifically. Not only has the administration offered substantial taxpayer funded subsidy to encourage the Volt's production; it has also extended a significant subsidy to encourage consumers to purchase the vehicle; and the president has even offered the vehicle his personal endorsement," the report said. "It remains to be seen whether the Obama administration has provided GM special treatment in responding to the Volt fire."

The committee said GM had disclosed a number of documents, but faulted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not releasing more records. "The American people have a right to know the exact nature of the relationship between GM and the administration, and the implications this relationship has for public safety."

The subcommittee hearing is titled "Volt Vehicle Fire: What Did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It." It is investigating why President Barack Obama's administration didn't immediately disclose a fire that occurred three weeks after a government crash test in June.

The Volt has been pilloried by conservative news outlets as a "Government Motors" car made at Obama's request.

Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, said the hearing is "blind fury" and aimed at ending government efforts to boost alternative energy. "Republicans thought they could pile on with the Volt, and turns out they are piling on mistakenly," Levin said.

Under GM CEO Rick Wagoner, GM announced the idea of an extended-range electric car at the LA Auto Show in November 2006 and unveiled the Volt concept car in Detroit two months later, well before Obama was elected.

"GM's decision was not based on any clairvoyant power to correctly predict the 2008 presidential election, but was a result of post-Hurricane Katrina $4 a gallon gas and a market trend that showed consumers were placing a higher priority on fuel economy," Akerson's written testimony says. "We were looking for some bold statement to say to consumers that we, too, could deliver the engineering goods to help wean the country off imported oil — and more importantly, reclaim our position as a technology leader."

Akerson's testimony represents the first by a U.S. auto CEO since then-chief Fritz Henderson testified before Congress in June 2009 on GM's dealer closings.

Last week, NHTSA closed its investigation into the Volt, saying it was satisfied with the voluntary fixes for the Volt that GM announced. Those fixes included adding a steel structure to protect the Volt battery pack.

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland is also testifying; he has denied the White House pressured his agency to hide the initial Volt fire from public scrutiny.

dshepardson@detnews.com

(202) 662-8735