Press and other top executives from General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler returned to Washington this week to drum up support for their request for $34 billion in bridge loans. Nardelli and the CEOs of GM and Ford are scheduled to appear before Congressional committees today and Friday to discuss plans they were asked to prepare demonstrating how they expect to become viable companies able to repay the money. While Congress is focusing on the automakers' long-term viability, Press said, the key issue is their long-term competitiveness, 'our ability to go out and kick some global butt.' The U.S. automakers could save money by combining some of their efforts, he said. 'When you get into advanced powertrain, fuel cells, battery technology, some of the hardware components and electronics -- they can be commodities' that could be developed or produced jointly, he said. 'To some extent, the battery's like fuel. Every car uses generic fuel. We could use generic batteries.' Nardelli broached the theme in the first round of congressional hearings last month, raising the possibility of establishing institutions, such as a national science center, where technology would be developed jointly and transferred to the automakers. 'We need some kind of approach that would allow us to pursue these opportunities,' Press said. Earlier this year, GM approached Ford to explore a possible alliance, according to people familiar with the situation. While the Dearborn automaker rejected that, the two companies have been meeting to discuss possible collaborations on powertrain technologies.