GM Said to Be Developing ‘Plug-In’ Hybrid Car

General Motors Corp., losing sales to fuel-efficient cars from Toyota Motor Corp., is developing a hybrid-electric vehicle with a battery that recharges at any outlet, said GM officials familiar with the plan.

The so-called plug-in hybrid would travel more than 60 miles on a gallon of gasoline, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the research is secret. GM, which had the first modern electric car in 1996, lags behind Toyota in hybrids, which combine electric motors and gasoline engines.

A 28% rise in U.S. gasoline prices this year helped boost sales of Toyota’s gasoline-electric models 37%, giving the Japanese automaker almost three-fourths of U.S. retail hybrid sales. GM doesn’t make competing vehicles now. Automakers are trying to raise fuel efficiency as U.S. lawmakers consider tougher requirements for cars and trucks.

“There is rising regulatory demand and consumer demand for improved fuel economy and lower emissions,” said John Casesa, an auto analyst at New York-based Casesa Shapiro Group. “There’s a lot of pressure to show you’re responsive.”

The plug-in designs GM is testing may be ready in time for the Detroit auto show in January, the people said. Any commercial production is at least a year away, they said. The people declined to say how much the company was investing.

Demand for Toyota’s hybrids, including the Prius, has helped the company boost U.S. sales 8.8% in the year through May compared with an 8% drop at GM.

GM’s shares fell 30 cents Friday to $26.97, while Toyota’s U.S. shares dropped $1.17 to $99.69.