Plug-in hybrids are the next wave of hybrid wunderkinds and are poised to greatly change the way we think about fuel economy. The prospect of never using fuel in around-town trips has a great deal of appeal. However, there's been some vocal concern the US power grid is in no state to support the added load these cars will present. With the specter of the "rolling brown-outs" in California and the massive grid failure across the north east in 2004, there's some validity to the concern.

However, a study from the Electric Power Research Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) titled "Environmental Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles" says there's really no need for concern because the volume is far too low. On top of that, power company officials from Detroit-area power supplier Detroit Edision as well as LA's Southern California Edison say the grid can easily handle the additional load. In LA's situation there might be some adjustments made where there will be enclaves of hippies hybrid drivers. Overall, a plug-in hybrid doesn't look much different to the grid than four or five flat screen TV's running at the same time. [Green Car Reports]

This chirp, which is gentler than a blaring car horn, is engaged by pulling on the turn signal. Sort of like how you'd pull up to flash your high beams. It also only annoys the crap out of you after 32 pulls of the chirp-lever. That's a much higher threshold than their first pre-production choice — an audio file of Bob Lutz screaming "pedestrians are a crock of shit!"

Here's video of CNBC's Phil LeBeau* annoying the crap out of us by happily chirping away below:

*Note the "passing on gas" was a Today Show producer's choice as a chyron, not ours.

Chevrolet at the Los Angeles International Auto Show
November 17, 2009

o U.S. premiere of the all-new Cruze, delivering up to 40 mpg highway
o Volt electric vehicle to be available in select markets in 2010
o Camaro, Equinox and other hot-selling Chevrolet vehicles also on display

DETROIT – Chevrolet affirms its commitment to fuel solutions and building refined, eco-friendly vehicles with the debut of the U.S. production version of the Cruze sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show, on Dec. 2. The Cruze, along with the much-anticipated Volt electric vehicle, will give visitors to the L.A. show a close-up view of Chevrolet's expanding lineup of gas-friendly to gas-free products.

"With expected highway fuel economy up to 40 miles per gallon, Cruze will be extremely gas friendly while the Volt electric vehicle can be operated gas-free," said Brent Dewar, vice president, Chevrolet. "Chevrolet's focus is on forward-looking technologies to the benefit of our customers, such as the highly efficient, small-displacement turbocharged engine in the Cruze or the Volt electric vehicle with extended range."

The Cruze has already launched to high acclaim in Europe and Asia and has undergone refinement for America. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2010 but has already logged more than 4 million miles in quality and durability testing worldwide, making it one of the most globally tested Chevrolet products prior to a U.S. launch.

Cruze is designed to achieve class-leading highway fuel economy using a new family of efficient engines that include a 1.4L turbo. It will lead the way for Chevrolet in small-displacement, turbocharged engines that are designed for excellent fuel efficiency and durability – while also being fun to drive.

Defying preconceptions of what a compact car can be, Cruze will offer a more spacious interior and cargo capacity than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, and upscale infotainment amenities such as a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio. Ten standard air bags that provide a safety cocoon for occupants – along with OnStar– also make it one of the safest vehicles in the segment.

The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. It is expected to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the total driving range to more than 300 miles before refueling.

Chevrolet will announce plans for initial retail markets where the Volt will be sold. Chevrolet will also announce the winner of a nationwide consumer competition to name a Volt unique paint color. Consumers determine the winner by voting now for their favorite of three finalist names at www.chevroletvoltage.com, until 8 a.m. Eastern time on Dec. 1.

From Nov. 27-29, the Volt will be on display next to Bloomingdale's at the Westfield Century City mall in West Los Angeles. During regular mall hours, visitors to the Chevrolet Volt display may get two free tickets each to the L.A. Auto Show, while supplies last. The L.A. Auto Show opens to the public Dec. 4.

Production for the Volt is expected to begin in late 2010. Pricing has not been announced.

The Chevrolet show exhibit also will feature the all-new, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sports coupe and Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover SUV. The popularity of these vehicles helped Chevrolet boost sales by 9 percent in October, including a significant 31-percent increase in retail sales.

The Camaro continues to distance itself from its closest competitor as a fuel-efficient interpretation of a 21st century sports car, achieving 29 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with the popular 304-horsepower direct injected V-6. Camaro has been a leader in the regular sports car segment for the last five months.

Demand for the Camaro continues to be strong, as Chevrolet now has more than 36,000 sold orders for the car.

The all-new 2010 Equinox is a compact crossover that combines distinctive design, extensive functionality and outstanding efficiency. At 32 mpg highway, the Equinox gets better fuel economy than the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV-4. It even beats the Ford Escape Hybrid while costing $7,000 less.

In just a few short months, Equinox has captured 10 percent of the critical compact crossover segment, its best share since August of 2007 and up 4.6 percent from a year ago. More than half of 2010 Equinox customers traded in a non-GM vehicle (based on internal PIN data). Demand is so strong for the Equinox that the plant where it is built recently added a third shift.

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is one of America's best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from "gas-friendly to gas-free," Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers three hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com. For more information on the Volt, visit http://media.gm.com/volt/.

While a production date has not been set, the Converj will join the Caddy lineup as its second hybrid following the Escalade, though it'll be considerably more serious about fuel mileage than that behemoth. With a 40-mile all-electric range just like the Volt, the Converj will be able to command a higher premium at the dealer, or at least not induce the sticker shock everyone has over the Volt. The entire Volt program now makes a lot more sense to us financially. [Detroit News]

By the way, try saying that headline ten times fast.

Channeling the immense buzzing marketing power of social media, de Nysschen says, "I do not specifically recall using the term "car for idiots" during my informal conversation with the writer."

In the tricky language of PRese "can't recall" translates to "I said it, but man, that was a dumb thing to say!" If de Nysschen had wanted to utterly refute the statement, he would have said, "I didn't say it" or "I was misquoted." Still, now it's been posted up on Facebook for all Audi's schoolmates and former girlfriends to read. Ulrich stands by his original story, which remains unaltered at MSN Autos.

De Nysschen then continues, by writing on his wall, "the feasibility of the Chevrolet Volt as a concept is questionable." Which we admit does sound a lot better than yesterday's outright dismissal of electrics in favor of clean diesel, especially considering Audi is bringing an electric R8 to the Frankfurt Motor Show. As one of Audi's Facebook friends then responded, "cumm onn pplll!!1!"

De Nysschen was speaking to MSN Autos about his frustration things were swinging in the favor of gasoline/electric hybrids over clean diesel technology. He believes consumers have been "hoodwinked" into thinking hybrids are the only answer to eco-friendly cars.

He described the Chevy Volt as "A car for idiots," before adding sarcastically, "They're for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are."

De Nysscen argues that clean diesel could have an immediate impact on national carbon emissions and the overall amount of fuel used, where, in contrast, Hybrids and electrics won't have a demonstrable impact on either for many years to come.

So, Mr. de Nysschen, why can't American consumers buy an A4 with a turbo-diesel and a manual transmission? [via MSN]

Well, the EPA now says that despite the number being derived from a "draft standard" for plug-in hybrids, they haven't driven the car so they can't really back GM's 230 MPG claim. Awkward for everyone, huh? But if you think that's bad, try these on for size and try not to get embarrassed for them.

Shelby Super Cars Ultimate Aero EV Charges In Ten Blistering Minutes!

The Ultimate Aero, announced last year by Shelby Super Cars, will have twin 500 HP electric engines and get to 60 in 2.5 seconds, says a press release from Shelby - that's the world-famous Jerod Shelby, by the way, no relation to Texan chili-maker Carroll Shelby; we're certain Jerod wouldn't want you mixing them up. Anyway, outrageous performance claims are one thing, but the same document claims that, when using a 220V quick-charge kit, the car can top off its lithium-ion batteries in ten minutes. Really? For batteries designed to run twin 500-horse engines? Shelby Super Cars did not elaborate on whether they said "220V quick-charge kit" when they meant "direct hit by lightning bolt."

Tesla Roadster's Incredible Shrinking Range

First it took them longer than expected to get cars to customers, with VP Malcolm Powell once answering a question about expected production dates with the Clintonesque "It depends what you call production." Then the maximum range started falling, from 250 to 240 to about 220. Then, when the car actually got into the hands of people who drove it the way it was advertised, with lots of 4-second 0-60 action and all-torque-from-zero-revs electric boogalooing, it gave about 100 miles and gave up the ghost; AutoWeek got only 93 miles from theirs on one test. Sigh.

Ford Gives Neiman Marcus Shoppers First Crack At The New T-Bird

The reimagined Thunderbird was first made available as a special edition in the 1999 Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog, and all 200 sold within two hours. Deliveries, the catalog said, would start in June. They didn't, and Ford claimed it couldn't find the cars; they'd left Michigan, reps said, but after that the trail of a whole bunch of cars went cold. In October of 2001, Ford announced that all 200 had finally been delivered. Incredibly, not one of the extremely patient customers cancelled their order.

Chrysler Claims Damaged, Dealer-Driven Cars Were "Newly Tested"

"We always thought testing was part of the manufacturing process," Lee Iacocca said, in 1987, and that's undoubtedly true. But by "testing" he was referring to the practice of disconnecting a car's odometer at the dealer and allowing employees to drive the cars home,as long as they reported on the cars' quality later. There's no record of how many of the reports consisted of "This K-car is just the greatest, boss!" Worse, some of the cars were damaged in "testing" and then sold as new. Chrysler claimed that everybody in the industry did it, apologized profusely, and offered new cars to those who bought the damaged "zero-mile testers"- all of this during the "If you can find a better car, buy it" era. Chrysler then discontinued the practice — which at that point had been going on for 40 years.

Saturn Is A New Kind Of Car Company!

Okay, for a while, it was. The plastic body-panel concept wasn't a bad idea. Doughnuts at the dealerships were neat, although the "new Saturn family member" ceremony thing in the old TV ads was kind of creepy. But when they threw a Saturn reunion party, more than 40,000 people showed up. But costs increased, foreign automakers brought their own costs down by building plants here, and long story short, GM lost its nerve for the whole innovation thing. In the end, it was only a different kind of car company if you consider Opel "different."

Jaguar's XJ220

If you were one of the Rolling Stones, Eltons John or Sultans of Brunei who put a deposit down on the $580,000 XJ220, you wanted an all-wheel drive V12 supercar that would go 220 miles per hour. What you took delivery of, if you didn't give up and buy a Ferrari F40 instead, was a rear-wheel drive V6 that eventually went 217, when they ran straight pipes. Jaguar said that the twin-turbo six gave better performance, but that was pretty much all they offered in their defense; the car sat around high-priced dealerships for years, embarrassing everyone. And it looked like a giant lady-shaver.

GM Claims 230 Miles Per Gallon, Whatever That Means

Sorry, we just can't let this go. Within hours, everyone was asking exactly what 230 MPG from a plug-in hybrid like the Volt really was. You have to think that GM was really regretting the decision to call the whole marketing campaign "What Is 230?" And to be fair, they might have some sort of rationale, such as using advanced Monte Carlo method deterministic algorithms to model vehicular performance. Now, don't get us wrong; we have high hopes for the Volt and we want it to be good. But making claims that are hard-or maybe not even possible-to really verify is no good, especially when there's plenty of reasons to believe that buying for milage is kind of outrageous anyway.

The volt will come standard with a portable 120-volt charger that'll work with standard home outlets. Just plug it into the wall, connect it to the car and come back six to eight hours later for a complete charge.

For impatient owners, GM is also talking about offering an optional 240-volt home charge unit that'll need to be hardwired into your garage, car port or whatever you high falutin suburbanites keep your cars in these days. Expect the price of the unit and the installation to be wrapped into one bundle that'll be appealing priced and available straight from dealers. A coil cord will extend from that wall unit to the car and can complete a full charge in just three to four hours. It's expected that the vast majority of owners will use this setup and carry their 120-volt portable chargers for on-the-go or emergency recharges.

The reason the 240-volt charger isn't portable is due to national electric codes which require the device to be hard wired and the nature of the 240-volt plug (think of the big three pronger that hooks your dryer up to the wall), which isn't designed to withstand repeated plug-ins/unplugs. Speaking as someone who has electrocuted himself with 240-volt electricity several times, hardwiring is probably for the best.

Both types of charger will connect to the car with a universal J1772 plug that's capable of withstanding the full weight of the car should your wife run it over, can shut the car off if she tries to drive away with it plugged in and "talks" to the batteries to regulate the flow of juice should the level of amperage being drawn threaten to trip circuit breakers or similar.

GM hopes to offer hardwired 240-volt quick chargers in the parking garages of major companies and retails outlets and at other popular commuting destinations at some unspecified date in the future.

GM has gone so far as to consider and then rule out the use of automatic plug winders, finding that they're prone to breakage and the tightly wound extension cords can generate dangerous levels of heat. Instead, a variety of cord lengths will likely be offered to suit individual needs.

How safe is all this? According to Volt vehicle line director Tony Posawatz the recharging system is idiot proof. He even went so far as to say, "You could dunk this in a bucket of water and you'd be ok." [via Edmunds]

This story's still developing, but if our sources are correct, it would blow the Toyota Prius out of the water. Heck, it'd blow every other vehicle currently on the market out of the water with the exception of the Tesla roadster — and that's no four-door mid-size sedan. So for GM this represents a huge marketing coup — the ability to claim the most fuel efficient vehicle in the world and a big blow to detractors who claim the big, sweaty 'merican manufacturer can't build quality products.

We'll have more out of GM's Warren Technical Center as the General holds their big product showcase event throughout the day.

The Chevy Cruze-based development mules will slowly be replaced by these close-to-production Volt bodied prototypes, marking a huge leap forward in the step to electrified propulsion. GM's says that it will build up to 80 Volt prototypes for testing out on public road over by October which will help engineers sort out all the little issues with the vehicle before it goes on sale to the public.

Andrew Farah, GM's Chevy Volt Vehicle Chief Engineer wrote in a Volt blog post;

We're producing a few Volts per week now, but we'll quickly ramp up to 10 per week and will have approximately 80 pre-production vehicles built by October. By exceeding our own pre-production deadlines it allows us additional time to refine the vehicle. We've already discovered a few small tweaks we need to make, but nothing out of the ordinary for this stage of development.

With pre-production Volts now running around Metro Detroit, who's up for a game of Volt-spotting?

For starters, Letterman gave a mea culpa and introduction to Lutz, calling him one of the "true greats in automotive design, marketing, sales and management...he's the man responsible for the Viper...a wonderful car. He's here with the Chevy Volt...and with any luck I'll get one of these babies for free."

Next, after the break, Letterman talked a little about the EV1 and how it's not from the planet Saturn. Then he wondered if building electric cars would have kept some dealers open. If it had, then damn, that's just one more reason to keep the internal combustion engine in our minds.

Then, after a Stephen Colbert interview, Dave made a bad pun about an electric car from Saturn running rings around...yeah...it was a bad joke. But, then "Maximum" Bob Lutz came out — looking quite dapper in his standard "old man business casual" threads.

Lutz started by walking Letterman through his C.V., then moved on to talking about marine aviation and owning two jets — probably not the best way to be seen as a company making cars for average A.I.G.-hatin' Americans.

Now we get into the meat n' potatoes of the interview. Letterman starts by asking whether there's light at the end of the tunnel for the American automakers. Lutz responds by saying that yes, they'll be restructuring and come out the end of the tunnel "leaner and lighter."

Letterman doesn't powder-puff it per se, but he's not exactly hard-hitting. First asking what people losing auto jobs should be expecting, allowing Lutz to throw down with "jobs returning in time." Still, he's able to pivot into asking Lutz about whether this was Detroit mis-management that got us here. Lutz responds by claiming there's more at play and lots of blame to go around — gas prices being a big part of it, but also that U.S. automakers built some bad cars from the 60s, 70s and into the 80s. He finishes his answer by saying the best way to combat that perception is by building better automobiles. We couldn't agree more.

Lutz addresses the issue of CAFE first by talking about building the type of vehicles Americans want to buy and how that's a shifting target thanks to fuel prices and American desire for buying the biggest vehicle they can for the cheapest price. Next, he responds with a hell of a good analogy that we've clipped and have over on the left. Something about how fat people won't get skinny just because you mandate clothing makers only making skinny clothes. Cue the commercial break.

And we're back with Letterman asking whether the EV1 would have kept the company in business. Lutz responds by saying "Sadly, no." He details the cost per vehicle was probably well over $100,000 per vehicle — and that it was a money-losing proposition.

Now let's get to the crux of the debate — Musk's Tesla versus the Chevy Volt. Lutz talks about batteries, price and practicality are the reasons for why it's a better fit for the American public. He even gives pricing details saying it'll cost $40,000, minus a $7,300 tax credit. Let's watch that now — plus the Chevy commercial at the break to see why Letterman's throwing softballs in his old age.

Back from the break and Lutz showing off the Volt and stating it meets regulations for all countries of any kind. And then my DVR crapped out on me. Let's rate the performance on a five star scale with five being the best.

Bob Lutz staying on message: ****
He's got to lose one star for the whole "I own two jets" thing in the beginning, but overall, a helluva job for a 77 1/2 years-old white Swiss-born man who works for GM. No "global warming is a crock" quotes for us to have fun with.

Dave Letterman's balls: *
Where did they go? Did he lose them in surgery a while back? Seriously — even if he was woefully ill-informed in his questions, we'd expect him to at least ask them, right?

The Volt project's often dismissed as a marketing stunt, a gimmick, too expensive for the segment, or a toy for wealthy eco-nuts. We withheld our judgment until we had the chance to do a test drive. Now, after driving a Volt-in-a-Chevy-Cruze-shell powertrain mule, we're prepared to declare it — much to the delight of the Volt's PR team, engineering crew and Bob Lutz — utterly unremarkable.

The Volt's unremarkable because it's exactly like driving any other appliance car on the road today, and that's the point. GM is trying very hard to make the Voltec system driving experience as familiar as anything before it and even at this early prototype mule level they've succeeded quite nicely. The Voltec system consists of a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine driving a generator, an electric motor driving the wheels and a lithium ion battery pack in between the two to hold plug-in and regenerated power. This doesn't work like a Prius or an Insight, there's no transmission, the engine doesn't power the wheels; it's an EV that goes 40 miles and then it runs off the generator, and it works.

Our ride in the Volt was up to about 55 MPH on the grounds of GM's Warren Tech Center and the cars are, dare we say it, peppy. There are no whirs or whines or whistles like in a traditional EV, just silence, like the motor has stalled out and you're coasting along on momentum. There's no shifting going on as there are no gears to shift, just direct power, and unless you're paying attention you don't even notice. Stab the go-pedal and it responds happily, it's even got a little get-up and go. According to Lutz the current prototype accelerates from 0-to-60 MPH in around 8 seconds — that's about 2.0 seconds faster than a 2009 Toyota Prius and about 3.5 seconds faster than a Chevy Aveo. Not too shabby for an appliance if you ask us.

There are two drive modes, a normal highway type where you accelerate and coast normally, and a second drive mode which maximizes regenerative braking in city traffic. It feels like you're hitting the brakes but you aren't hitting the brakes. We had hoped the Volt would give us a back-rub and deliver a milkshake, but it's just a car, even bridging on the pedestrian, the bland, the appliance. But this is again, the point, to make this huge paradigm shift and make it seem easy.

The Volt is coming, and from a powertrain perspective, it's pretty darn good. Lutz was adamant on that point saying "Volt is currently on time and we fully believe it will hit the market as expected." The Chief Engineer, Frank Weber, a rather intense German who has been extraordinarily cautious in the past about the program's hurdles, seems to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday he remarked "There are no more large elephants in the room, only hundreds of small ones."

In June, GM will be completing the first full prototype vehicles, nearly 80 in total, which will look and feel and operate like real Volts. They'll have all the correct body panels, interior bits, and system calibrations and we'll be driving those eventually. At that point we'll be much more able to judge the complete vehicle. Until then, we're kind of hopeful the Volt might actually be fun to drive, along with being frugal at the pump.

Bob Lutz, who just dumped all his GM stock, is apparently taking issue with Letterman's mockery of the Chevy Volt's 40-mile EV range. Two weeks ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk used the advanced technology of his home planet to holographically project a 3D image of the Tesla Model S onto the Late Show's stage, tricking Letterman into believing that it was real. The comedian then drew upon his encyclopedic knowledge of the auto industry to rail against automakers for failing to bring an electric vehicle to market and disparaged the usefulness of the Volt's range, failing to mention the hybrid drivetrain.

Lutz, who had to surrender custody of Chevy Volt when he announced he would quit GM, got special permission from its new guardian, Barack Obama, to take it all the way to the Big Apple to appear on television.