PurdueGuy

So much of the brand and top management at the time had their heads so far up their rear ends that they refused to allow such changes. The only reason Saturn is a shell of what it was supposed to be is because of a few mislead money-sapping projects (selling Saturns in Japan, for example), and GM starving the brand for development. Saturn sold GOBS of cars and built a reputation that created some of the most loyal customers at the time. Then... they couldn't develop new product. Eventually they got lame excuses for product hand-me-downs from GM (L-Series, etc), and it was all downhill from there.

Um, I believe that would be "the engine runs". I haven't ready anything that indicates that you HAVE to plug it in, you just don't get the added benefits of the 40 miles of all-electric driving BEFORE the motor kicks on...

Interesting... they actually seem to have made the wheels directional (side-specific).

I like it.

A nameplate that was used for decades selling a lot of cars has nothing to do with whether it was a good or bad decision...

lol @ people making major judgments on a car under a sheet.

I bet if you showed a person from a decade or more ago pictures of all the cars made now, they'd think 95% of them all look the same. When aerodynamics are dictating the shape so much, the cars are bound to end up looking similar.

Um, didn't they already say it will get a turbo 4? Unless I'm just behind on things...

Wonder what cars had the best sales in a single year? That'd be an interesting top 10 list...

Anyone else find it humorous that for so long, smaller Caddies were flops (Cimmaron, Catera), then the CTS came along, and now the smaller ones are the best styled & best sellers, if not the best all-around? Looking forward to seeing how this Caddy turns out.

fascinating... that's one way to put it. lol Where I live actually has a higher % of mormon residents than SLC apparently. (not as many people move in & out of the area like a major city like SLC)

we may see the market favor rail more & more as fuel costs rise. Subsidies and tax breaks can manipulate the market, but eventually the most efficient methods win out as costs rise. A year ago, it was about the same cost for us to fly or take Amtrak from Salt Lake City to Indiana. Now Amtrak is half the price...

lol that's what I was gonna guess!

Those are extremely minor issues compared to a blunt nosed vehicle shape. They originally set out to make the real thing look just like the concept, and did wind tunnel tests on the concept, and it was terrible. The hood divot is probably good for a tenth of a mpg, not sure about comparing a hatch vs sedan shape, but they certainly didn't want it to look EXACTLY like a Prius.

looks like my vote won't count for anything, as I'm in a "solidly republican" state. I'll vote anyway, but whatever...

...and all 3 parts were probably made in China and Taiwan. lol

Turbines have terrible lag powering up and down, so they're awful for an automotive drivetrain... when the turbine is directly connected to the wheels. When the turbine is only connected to a generator, and the wheels are powered by electric motor(s), however, there is some great potential there. Hopefully as the Volt gets finished up, GM will let some of the engineers go nuts playing with other "range extenders" (electricity generation systems), and we'll really start to see the beauty of the serial hybrid design shine.

Well, the nice thing about the Volt architecture is that they could easily engineer in any other "range extender", such as turbines & other things generally unused in the automotive world. Whether they actually do that or not is another issue, but it would be awesome to see.

nevermind the prius is about 2.5 times bigger than a smart car...

... and a completely different style of car that meets/doesn't meet a completely different set of wants & needs.

3 1 5

plug-in hybrids seem to be mostly using a standard 110 plug. Getting into fast-charging an all-electric vehicle is likely to require a conduit capable of carrying more juice, though, and I'm pretty sure there is no industry standard for that yet.

Well, the first gen Prius looked almost just like an Echo. I'd say the current gen is better than that. Not a fan of this new style, though.

resemblance to lumpy mashed potatoes - the unique styling cue of Toyota vehicles.

Umm... when charge time is measured in hours, that's a pretty unrealistic demand.