Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman, known for his outspoken style, has fired back at online critics who called him to task for saying that global warming is a "total crock of sh-t."

The remark, made to reporters in Texas, does not, according to Lutz, have any bearing on his company's dedication to produce vehicles that are friendly to the environment.

Last week, in a post on the weblog he maintains for GM, Lutz spoke against those of his counterparts in the blogosphere who are "spewing virtual virtriol" in his direction, saying they are "missing the big picture."

In a post entitled, "Talk About a Crock," Lutz wrote, "What they should be doing in earnest is forming opinions, not about me but about GM and what this company is doing that is . . . hugely beneficial to the causes they so enthusiastically claim to support."

Citing the continued development of GM's battery-powered, plug-in the Chevrolet Volt as well as other means of moving beyond the combustion engine, Lutz said, "My thoughts on what has or hasn't been the cause of climate change have nothing to do with the decision I make to advance the cause of General Motors."

Lutz, who has been in the automotive industry for 40 years, came to GM to revamp the company's vehicle line-up. He has been at the center of controversies like this one in the past, for instance the furor generated by a 2006 post to his blog in which he likened forcing automakers to sell small cars to combating obesity by making clothing manufacturers sell smaller, tighter sizes.