General Motors sees little demand for hybrid cars in Europe, Rita Forst, GM Powertrain Europe’s head of product engineering, said.
The US carmaker will concentrate on offering cars with micro and mild hybrid systems in Europe to increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, Forst said.
Micro and mild hybrids use stop-start technology to help improve fuel economy.
Mild hybrids also can recapture brake energy to help power a car.
Forst said GM will develop full hybrid powertrains in alliance with Daimler and BMW mainly for the US market. Full, or two-mode, hybrid cars can run on electric power alone.
Forst said GM has not ruled out selling hybrid cars in Europe if there is customer demand.
"Hybrids likely will remain niche products because of their higher cost but we are flexible and we will have the ability to offer hybrid cars," Forst told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of the Automobilwoche Congress here.
Forst said there is potential to improve the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines to the same level as diesel engines.
GM’s hybrid strategy in Europe is similar to Ford’s.
Bernhard Mattes, Ford of Germany chairman, told the Congress that Ford will not sell a hybrid car in Europe in the foreseeable future.
Mattes said it would be difficult to convince European buyers that the extra cost of a hybrid car was worth it.
Ford of Europe will concentrate on solutions such as stop-start systems, better aerodynamics and low rolling resist ance tires to help make its cars more fuel efficient.
