Something strange is happening in the upper echelon of General Motors. Last week I reported on the unveiling of the Chevy Volt, GM’s latest attempt at joining the electric car revolution. Though many critics, looking back to the EV1 debacle, remain skeptical of GM’s intentions, most of the company’s official statements have been predictably upbeat. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said, “The Volt symbolizes GM’s commitment to the future.” Line director Tony Posawatz said it will, “have real great ride and handling.” Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, on the other hand, when asked if the Volt will help you pick up chicks, said, “You’re gonna get a lot of very nice no-makeup environmentalists.”

Lutz appeared on The Colbert Report Wednesday, ostensibly to discuss the Volt, but also to deny that global warming was caused by CO2 emissions, to mock solar cells, and to belittle his potential customers. While some have praised the interview, what I saw was a grumpy old man who’s bitter that people aren’t buying his cars as much as they used to, and he’s resentful that his company must release a vehicle that doesn’t do it the old-fashioned way in order to stay afloat. Never mind that the Volt could very well save GM from those $3.3 billion quarterly losses. The weirdest part was when he was talking about the optional photovoltaic roof (a brilliant innovation), and he kept saying, “If you leave it in the sun.” Like the automobile of the future is a jar of mayonnaise.

Lutz discussed the interview on his blog, explaining that the purpose of the interview was to introduce the Volt to a younger market.

“Those facts are now known to the huge Colbert Nation, which consists primarily of millions of educated, successful young people, including many who are not generally predisposed to consider GM cars… All in all, an experience as useful as it was unconventional!”

Which suggests that Lutz is aware of us, but doesn’t seem to realize that we think he’s a bit of an ass, or that we all remember when he called Global Warming “a total crock of shit” in January. Lutz started his current position at GM in 2002, the year before the complete annihilation of the EV1 line, which the company chose to destroy even though the test lessees offered to buy the vehicles outright rather than see them disappear. Which makes his motives suspect. Is Lutz’s double-talk the beginning of another attempt to discredit the electric car from the inside, or is he just a moron? And how much more of this will his shareholders tolerate?

Well, if GM is up to their old tricks, don’t worry too much. Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up and the makers of the Tesla Roadster (the first modern electric sports car) are working on a family-sized sedan and a compact, both entirely electric. The Tesla sedans are scheduled for release in 2010, about the same time as the Volt.

And back in the mainstream, Toyota is already working on the next generation of their best-selling hybrid Prius, which will use even less gasoline than the current line. So really, all GM has to decide is whether they want to try holding the revolution back for a second time, or if they actually want a piece of the eco-friendly pie.