General Motors unveiled the 2009 FlexFuel Chevy HHR this week at the Chicago Auto Show, a small SUV that will be the first four-cylinder model in General Motors Corp.’s North American lineup that can run on straight gasoline or blends of up to 85 percent ethanol.

In a speech at the show, GM North America President Troy Clarke stressed the auto maker’s commitment to ethanol.

“We will continue to make more of our lineup FlexFuel-capable because we believe ethanol, and specifically E85, is the best near-term answer to reduce our nation’s dependence on oil as energy demand rises here and around the world,” Clarke said.

“The focus needs to be on making E85 more available by developing cellulosic ethanol sources and dramatically increasing the number of stations that offer E85,” he said.

GM is the auto industry leader in offering FlexFuel models – 11 for 2008 and more than 15 planned for 2009. GM already has 2.5 million ethanol-capable vehicles on the road and hopes to have 20 million in service by 2020.