In essence, the environmental strategy of General Motors Europe is to reduce CO₂ emissions in the short term and introduce new propulsion technologies in the long term. The goal is to offer customers vehicles that can operate on many different energy sources. "The multi-tiered approach includes accelerating the development of electrically powered vehicles, stepping up efforts to replace fossil fuels and increasing the efficiency of gasoline and diesel engines," explains Carl-Peter Forster, GME President. GM Europe will invest 700 million euros in new engines and transmissions in the next five years alone, with the first models already at the IAA. Carl-Peter Forster continues: "Opel's surprise for this year's IAA also symbolizes the versatility of our extensive environmental initiative. A concept car which combines electric propulsion and a turbo diesel engine in a way that is fundamentally different to previous hybrid propulsion designs."

Highlights of General Motors' environmental strategy include two vehicles that are making their European premieres in Frankfurt: the HydroGen4 fuel cell vehicle and the Volt electric car.

GM HydroGen4: Heading toward long-term goal of "Zero Emissions"

The GM HydroGen4 is the European version of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. In fall 2007, the first of these fuel cell cars – a global fleet of more than 100 vehicles is planned – will be on the roads in the USA. The HydroGen4's fuel cell stack consists of 440 series-connected cells. The entire system produces an electrical output of up to 93 kW. With help from a 73 kW/100 hp synchronous electric motor, acceleration from zero to 100 km/h takes around 12 seconds. The front-wheel drive vehicle's top speed is around 160 km/h.

GM Volt: Purely electrical propulsion in the mid-term

The GM Volt is a good indication of what low-emission mobility could look like in the mid-term. This concept vehicle is based on General Motors' electric vehicle architecture E-Flex and is always electrically powered. A second engine is only on board to produce additional energy and thereby extend the operating range.

The E-Flex strategy is based on combining various propulsion systems in the same vehicle architecture, depending on what energy source is readily available in the driver's area. The concept has already been presented in two further versions: at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2007, it debuted with a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder turbo gasoline engine designed for operation with gasoline or E85, a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. And at the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2007, GM presented the electric concept car with hydrogen fuel cell propulsion.