Car Throttle

Model S envy? Maybe. Don't worry, I'd be jealous too Fisker. Tesla has been capturing all the headlines as of late with the Model S while Fisker, who is farther along on the journey to production, has been avoiding the limelight. Fisker has made it clear, espessially recently, that a lower-cost model was always in the future plan. A higher-end vehicle was needed to help subsidize some of the cost at the beginning. Even given the high cost of earlier entry that usually impairs new technologies, I'm impressed with the price that Fisker is able to offer the Karma. It certainly seems like something that will catch on with enough well-heeled customers. $87,900 for a beautiful, 4-door sedan with a 50-mile electric only range, available very soon? Sounds

It's no secret the two heavyweights in the alternative fuel realm are Chevrolet's Volt and Tesla's Model S. They're both practical vehicles with a (relatively) attainable price, seeking to be the car of the future. I love both of them and think each has merit for different demographics. Big surprise: Elon Musk doesn't. There was some talk last year of a Tesla range-extended electric vehicle but then the company quickly abandoned any thought of the idea and committed itself to all-electric vehicles. I think it was an important help in determining who the company is; they have the goal of being the first independent, full-line volume electric manufacturer. The site GM-Volt.com had a chance to ask Tesla's CEO Elon Musk about the whole situation. Here is their

Seemingly undeterred by the government's rejection of their viability plan, General Motors has requested $2.6 billion more for plug-in hybrids under the Department of Energy's alternative vehicle production loan guarantee program. This new request, which came on Monday, is GM's third. It's separate from bailout funding and related discussions that are ongoing with the U.S Government. The extra request brings GM's funding requests to a whopping $10.3 billion in aid, all under the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. You might remember this is the same fund Tesla has applied to for the Model S production plant and advanced batter lab. I hope this doesn't effect anything with that; it shouldn't. Tesla is the one that really deserves to get it though if the government truly

I guess it's time for some positive products news to follow up on the better-then-expected financial news . Trying to keep some of that momentum going maybe? Or maybe they're trying to use the opportunity to say "Hey, we're nothing like AIG!". It's coming! I mean really really coming. GM has a very big commitment to it too. That's definitely the message coming out of Detroit today. Unlike Ford and Chrysler, GM has the advantage of a high-profile "green" vehicle to tout to Congress and the American public. I know Ford has it's (impressive) hybrids, but perception is everything and the Volt looks like something out of the oridinary.  Anyway, let's get down to the details. The entire program is on track as scheduled, with a large number

Wow! The Opel/Vauxhall Ampera is has been shown (officially anyway) and boy do I like it. Details and new pictures of this revolutionary electric vehicle can be found after the jump.    Look at that! Tell me that doesn't look incredibly more dynamic and futuristic then it's Chevrolet (and U.S) counterpart, the Volt. GM's European brands did a fantastic job with it's adaptation of the Volt for European markets. Like I said in my earlier, the Ampera has an almost conceptual look, as it displays prominently the new Opel styling language previewed by the GTC and Flextreme concepts.  Details inside the headlights have been changed along with the new, swooping intake design. The lighting is an more intense blue, and a new light pipe streaks throughout the lamp. The Volt's amber turn signal marker also disappears

Even with the future of the Opel (and Vauxhall and Saab and....) brand in doubt, new releases keep on coming. One set for the Geneva Show is the Ampera, a car we've seen teased and leaked recently. Now comes another official "teaser" from GM that reveals the entire front of the car. Well, there it is! As you can clearly see, it's based on the Volt but with some changes that I think, make a big difference. The Ampera follows a similar frontal styling pattern that has been displayed on recent Opel concepts like the GTC and Flextreme. It's fitting that the look would be debuted for production on an advanced production car like the Ampera. Others have commented that the Ampera looks better then the Volt, and I'm inclined to

Surely you didn't believe Chevrolet would keep it's extended-range (vaporware?) EV, the Volt, to itself did you?  Yesterday, Opel released this teaser image of the Ampera, which will debut in production form (presumably) at the Geneva Auto Show in March. The Ampera will use the Volt's mechanical underpinnings, which is basically a small gas engine and a lot of batteries that allow the "Voltec"-powered compact to travel up to 40 miles on electric charge alone, and beyond that the gas engine works as a generator.  Sort of like the Fisker Karma, only less pretty. The teaser shot is pretty dark, but shows an attractive, angular front end - but the styling is still clearly derived from the Volt.  More details are forthcoming on March 3, when