GM denied that the administration is involved in its business.
"The administration's been true to their word from the start and has not interfered in our business," Greg Martin, a GM spokesman, said by telephone yesterday. "As our actions with the Volt have demonstrated, we've always put our customers' safety and peace of mind first, above all else."
Kucinich said he met with Akerson yesterday. He said at the hearing that he hopes the attention to the Volt doesn't derail the promise of electric cars.
"It would be very bad for our economy to do anything that would demolish the potential for electric vehicles," said Kucinich, the top Democrat on the subcommittee.
Akerson, in his testimony, said politics have caused the Volt to become "a political punching bag."
'Surrogate' For Critics
The fire three weeks after the crash test didn't pose an imminent danger to drivers, he said.
"As one of our customers put it: if they couldn't cut him out of the vehicle in two or three weeks, he had bigger problems to worry about," Akerson said.
The Volt has become "a surrogate for some to offer broader commentary" on GM and on Obama's administration, Akerson said.
The hearing follows Obama's annual State of the Union speech last night, which came as candidates prepare for the U.S. presidential election in November.