Lynda Gale, a 61-year-old pharmaceuticals company worker who participated in the poll, said the short-term effects on Metro Detroit's economy of a GM-Chrysler tie-up could be severe, but possibly worth it in the long term. 'If the American auto industry is going to survive, they need to become more cutting edge,' said Gale, a Royal Oak resident. 'They need to go where the Japanese went a while ago. If consolidation ... is what needs to happen to see that through, the collateral damage may be worth it.' The statewide poll of 400 Michigan residents also showed that half of those surveyed think GM can produce the Volt electric car for sale affordably within the next two years. Fifty percent of respondents said they were either 'very certain' or 'somewhat certain' that the Volt would hit showrooms on schedule in late 2010, as the company has promised. Another 33 percent said they were 'somewhat doubtful;' 13 percent were 'very doubtful' about the Volt making it to showrooms on time. Maxine Slack, a 65-year-old retired accountant in Detroit, said she's unsure if the Volt will become a reality within the next two years, but said GM's electric powertrain vehicle is a 'very big step' in the right direction. 'It's obviously going to take a long time for us to get away from oil, but we have to start somewhere,' Slack said. 'But don't lie to us about when it's going to be available.' GM spokesman Robert Peterson wouldn't comment on the public's reaction to merger rumors, but he said recent public questioning of GM's ability to succeed might be influencing people's perceptions about the Volt's viability. 'I suspect the line between the success of the Volt and the success of General Motors is probably blurred by some respondents,' Peterson said. 'The Volt is the top priority program within General Motors. We're testing batteries out on the road and in our labs and we are very encouraged by what we're seeing so far and we remain on target to bring this vehicle to the market in November 2010.' The poll, conducted Sunday through Wednesday by Lansing-based firm EPIC-MRA for The Detroit News and WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. Detroit News Staff Writer Robert Snell contributed to this report.