Satty

Then you'd be complaining about the government getting involved.

Theoretically. Toyota may get a plug-in Prius out before GM gets the Volt out.

The 2nd gen gauges aren't as awkward as the 1st gen. It appears the 3rd gen integrates everything into the top of the center of the dash. Odd.

The current Prius feels like a Rolls Royce compared to a Cobalt.

I think you're right.

Yep, California is where Tesla is happening, its likely to be where Tesla infrastructure happens.

I know, but I'm not telling.

I dont know about you guys, but I dont run The Ring on my way to work every morning. Actually, I dont get over 45 most of the time because of traffic and stop lights. The only quick turns I take are into the gas station for my coffee. I'd much rather do that ride in a car with plenty of headroom (the Cobalt sucks for someone my height) and nice leather seats, a quiet ride and a great stereo.

The Prius Touring is a more comfortable, luxurious ride than anything GM sells for under $37K.

I imagine pack replacement stations are a long, long way off. More likely they'll be done at dealerships until the demand picks up.

According to the website, the Model S will hit the street in 2011. Camino is certainly right, this is a company to watch. EV technology hasn't done particularly well in the past, but if Tesla seems to be doing everything right to get it to stick.

I wouldn't consider replacing the battery pack as being a full recharge. There is going to be a Tesla store in Chicago this summer. Maybe we'll go up there and check it out. See if a spin in a Roadster is possible.

I didn't realize that being 16 years of age and able to pass both a written test and a driving test made a person special. Driving a CVT still feels weird, even after doing it daily for over a month.

Its a reality for most of the market.

A 65 foot 3-pointer to end the half, now thats awesome.

4 people in a MINI Cooper sucks. Entry sucks. The drive sucks. Exit sucks. 4 people in a Prius is a breeze. Entry is a breeze. The drive is a breeze. Exit is a breeze. 8 people in a LeSabre Estate is in between. Entry sucks. The drive is a breeze. Exit sucks. Blame having to crawl in through what is essentially a cargo door.

The Prius has a mega-warranty on all the really expensive stuff, so the really deep pockets wont be a factor for a long time. They're here, they're going to be here for a long, long time, get used to it. Quit being so sore that GM missed the boat.

Priuses are very common around here. And I live in a red state. Not only a red state, a very red county, so the idea that they're only driven by liberal hippies or computer geeks is pretty off. There isn't much of a tech industry here, one major university, a couple of other good sized ones, but its not a huge college town. I know doctors and lawyers with Priuses.

Ford is still using a 5-speed manual? Does any other car with a stick still use a 5-speed?

Apparently my cable company wants to me! Thankfully the good folks at DirecTV have warned me, that was close.

The GMT-900 hybrids were great in concept, but not so much in execution. The price is terrible, and they don't get good enough mileage to be worthwhile. To be fair, Toyota couldn't do any better with the Sequoia. The GMT-800 pickup hybrids were a fantastic idea that, wallet-willing, millions of construction workers, plumbers and anyone who travels with power tools would buy in a heartbeat.

Maybe they could go older? If the current HHR is supposed to be based on the '49 Suburban, maybe ver. 2.0 could look a little more like the earlier ones, which I believe had taller, narrower grilles.

Camaro and Volt haven't hit dealerships yet. Thats another massive problem GM has. They come out and say, "See whats coming? Look at its, they're all shiny and new and innovative" then it takes 3-5 years to get it out. The Volt is understandable to a point because the technology (especially the batteries) is relatively new and they need to work the kinks out. But they could have been in the mass-produced hybrid market sooner. Ford got the Escape out in 2004, and they did it by making a system similar to Toyota's. GM couldn't do any better than the half-assed BAS system, and that may cost them down the road.

HHR > Orlando From a design standpoint at least. The problem with making an HHR 2.0 is that updating retro can be very, very tricky. If you want to see how badly a company can fail at it, go look at the refreshed PT Cruiser.

You're counting on the whole being more than the sum of the parts. GM needs something big, and the need it fast. They need a Taurus or a K-car, something that will make people stop and think, "Wow, I need that" en mass. They dont need low volume, low profit niche sedans or a single high priced hybrid. Shock and Awe would work well for GM, but they're trying to make strategic, covert attacks on the market. And its failing.