Europe’s Troubles Worry GM CEO

General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson says he worries that a "meltdown" of the euro could affect the economies of the U.S., China and other markets.

Akerson is quick to add that he doubts the euro situation will become so dire. But he tells the Executives' Club of Chicago that "softness" in Europe is complicating GM's effort to turn around its Opel unit, which has lost more than $14 billion over the last 12 years.

Akerson declares that Russia is now key to GM's future success. He notes that the country's car ownership is only about 100 vehicles per 1,000 residents compared with 812 in the U.S. and 628 in Germany.

Akerson also lowered his outlook for worldwide sales of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range sedan (sold as the Opel Ampera in Europe) this year to 35,000-45,000 units from a previous forecast of 60,000 units.