General Motor's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says conventional cars are still what most people in the U.S. want while also criticizing the mainstream media for portraying demand for hybrid vehicles as being higher than the reality.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Lutz spoke about the company and one of its upcoming models the plug-in electric Chevy Volt which is expected to roll out in 2010.

If you look at most of the mainstream media, you get the impression that 95 percent of Americans today want a vehicle like the Chevrolet Volt or a [hybrid such as the] Toyota Prius, says Lutz, according to the Post. And that, by God, the reason General Motors is in trouble, is that we have not offered a vehicle like that. But when you look at the reality, at today's fuel prices, most Americans still want a conventional car.

Still, GM will launch the Volt and for the company. The vehicle, he says, is a symbol needed to demonstrate it is changing its ways to make more efficient cars.

The automaker filed for the largest corporate bankruptcy in the United States on June 1, and has been pressured by the government to move to more fuel efficient models that contribute to Obama's administration push for lower carbon emissions and less need to import oil.

Correction:The headline on an article on June 8, 2009 about GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, his comments on the media and its portrayal of demand for hybrids in the U.S. incorrectly stated that the company's CEO made the comments. The comments in the article were are only attributed to Lutz.

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