Writing on the General Motors "fastlane" blog, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz took on critics of the newly unveiled Chevrolet Volt, calling the vehicle, "the first step in the reinvention of the automobile."

In particular, Lutz concentrated on criticism of the design of the Volt, which he called "unwarranted" saying, "The challenge to the designers wasn't to design the most beautiful car imaginable and accept the compromises you have to make to do so. It was, make no compromise to fuel efficiency and electric range, and then do the most beautiful design possible, around those aerodynamic dictates."

Although the Volt shares aerodynamic features with other car exteriors, said Lutz, "beneath the skin, it shares very little with any other car that's ever existed. So I submit that while it's typically design that makes an emotional connection with buyers, in this case, the Volt is going to be bought for emotional reasons, but it will be for the emotion tied to the technology."

Lutz said the Volt "means a lot to General Motors, and to the industry, on a variety of levels." Statistics support the fact that 78 percent of drivers cover less than 40 miles a day, the electrical range of the Volt.

"With the Volt, you go home, you plug it in, and you're done," said Lutz. "And for roughly 80 cents' worth of electricity, you've got a fully-charged battery, ready to take on another forty miles of gas-free and tailpipe-emission-free driving. If that's greenwashing, then come on in -- the water's fine."