GM betting on fuel efficiency despite low oil cost

Consumers might be saving plenty at the pump thanks to the low cost of crude, but General Motors (GM) is not abandoning its commitment to fuel efficiency, GM North America President Mark Reuss said Wednesday.

"Anybody who plans on a long-lead capital intensive business for episodic oil price and gas price fluctuation is at risk," he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "What we like to do is look at real, permanent changes in societal trends around conservation, fuel economy, electrification."

Reuss said the Cadillac CT6, which GM unveiled at the New York International Show on Tuesday, embodies that strategy.

The car is the largest scale application of the company's new approach to using a mix of steel, aluminum and other materials to build vehicles light enough to meet tougher fuel efficiency standards, but big enough for customers who want spacious cars.

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GM engineers are studying variations on the CT6's multimaterial construction for at least four other future vehicles, and other models could be derived from the CT6's "Omega" architecture, Travis Hester, CT6's chief engineer, told Reuters.

Automakers are under pressure in the United States and China to dramatically increase fuel efficiency over the next decade to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But as oil prices tumble, consumers in the world's two richest auto markets are paying premiums for luxury sedans and sport utility vehicles, not small cars.