GM CEO: Bankruptcy Cost Us A Year of Product Development

GM's CEO Dan Akerson says his company is looking to make up some product development time lost during the time General Motors was sliding into, and going through bankruptcy.

"I think it's fair to say we're looking at some acceleration of products," Akerson told reporters, after a speech at the Automotive News World Congress.

GM'S  full size pickups, and bigger cars like the Chevrolet Impala, are behind the industry average in terms of updates.  Akerson, however, wouldn't say which products are being put on a faster track.

"With the bankruptcy we lost roughly a year in terms of development, that's why 12 and 12 are more pivotal for us in the U.S," he said.

Akerson saying GM has a "strong suite of products" in the United States right now, but his concern is for the coming years.

"12 and 13 will be really critical years here in the U.S."

It's no secret that the GM CEO wants his company to increase production of extended range electric Chevrolet Volts.  Akerson also saying he wants an increase in variants on the Volt.

"The Volt in particular, there will be several different variants of that, including a hatchback and an MPV in the next couple of years," he said in a discussion before the Automotive News World Congress.

Akerson declined to elaborate.  The current Volt is considered a hatchback.  The letters MPV stands for multi-purpose-vehicle.  In the case of the Volt, that would likely be a small crossover.

The Volt should make money for General Motors in the next three years, Akerson said.  He said that he would like to have some electrically based product--including hybrids--in each of GM's brands.