ALEXANDRIA, VA – The 2009 Buick Lucerne sedan will join General Motors' industry-leading lineup of flex-fuel vehicles that can run on either ordinary gasoline or E-85, or any combination of the two, according to GM Vice President of Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy Beth Lowery. The Lucerne, the first flex-fuel capable Buick passenger car, will be among more than 15 GM models with flex-fuel capability in 2009, up from 11 offerings this year.

"We continue to believe that ethanol used in high blends like E-85 offers the best near-term solution to offset increased oil demand," Lowery said at the Department of Energy's Biomass Conference. "There are more than 7 million vehicles today that can use E-85. The key is to increase the number of stations that offer the fuel."

E-85 ethanol (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), is a cleaner-burning alternative fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 23 percent compared with gasoline.

GM has committed to make half of its U.S. production flex-fuel capable by 2012, provided the infrastructure is in place. GM built more than 1 million flex-fuel capable vehicles worldwide last year. It is committed to helping to speed cellulosic ethanol to market via its partnership with Coskata Inc., which can make ethanol from a range of renewable sources.

For Buick, the flex-fuel-capable Lucerne is a no-cost option for consumers.

The Lucerne is the latest vehicle announced for the 2009 GM FlexFuel lineup. The four-cylinder Chevrolet HHR was revealed at the Chicago Auto Show in February and the Hummer H2 and H2 SUT were announced in March as part of the opening of the first public E-85 pumps owned by a dealership, Classic Chevrolet-Hummer in Grapevine, Texas.