Bob Lutz of General Motors shows off the new Chevy Volt on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night. Lutz told Letterman that the Volt can travel 40 miles on a single charge of its batteries, but that its gasoline engine recharges the car’s battery after that, for a range of about 400 miles.

After Letterman quizzed Lutz on the availability of the Volt, early 2011, Letterman announced that he wanted the first one to roll off the line. Lutz retorted that GM had promised that car to seven or eight other people, but that he’d put Letterman on the list.

To this, Letterman said, “When those seven or eight other people put you on their show, then they can go ahead of me on the list.”