LA: exporting green tech to the world? - The GM view

'There is no silver bullet; no 100mpg carburetor, no secret solution that will solve our problems overnight,' says Bob Lutz, head of global product development for General Motors, the parent company of Vauxhall.

'We are working on the challenges from many different angles at the same time, and no one solution will be right for every part of the world.'

GM has just announced that Chevrolet is to be its global green brand, offering a range of low-emissions cars from small city runabouts for Europe and Japan to big 4x4s and pick-up trucks in the US.

The vast Chevy Tahoe hybrid 4x4 was named Green Car of the Year at the LA show.

One model that could work around the world is the clever Vauxhall Astra-sized Chevy Volt concept, one of the six cars paraded before Schwarzenegger.

This runs only on electricity, and can be recharged from the mains overnight or at plug-in stations while at work.

However, it would also have a small engine - either petrol-, diesel- or bioethanol- fuelled - to act as a generator to top up the car's battery pack on the move when necessary.

'We're working furiously to make Volt a reality,' says Lutz.