GM’s Akerson Worries About Impact of Euro Crisis

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.

He also lowered his outlook for worldwide sales of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range sedan this year to 35,000-45,000 units from a previous forecast of 60,000 units. GM sold about 7,100 Volts in the U.S. in the first five months of 2012.

Akerson took time for a dig at rival Ford Motor Co. while describing GM's transformation into an organization that makes decisions quickly and then executes them. "When the huddle breaks, you run the play," he says. "If you can't, then you ought to go work for" Ford.