bobo

Mary Nichols was appointed by the Governator and reappointed by Jerry Brown. Back in 1990, CARB enacted a 10% zero emission requirement that was to take effect by 2003. This led to intense research by the automakers that resulted in vehicles such as the EV1. CARB eventually caved in to industry pressure and dropped the ZEV requirement and instead allowed hybrids and other technology for low emission vehicles. The technology has clearly progressed, under government prodding, and these mandates no longer seem unachievable. In California, the majority of electricity, 57%, is generated from natural gas. The rest is from 15% nuclear, 12% hydro, 2% coal, and 14% renewable.

what

toddler

back

weak

ride

The yellow decal program, which was limited to 85,000 hybrids achieving 45 mpg, expired July 1, 2011. Only the Insight, Prius, and Civic Hybrid met the requirements. The white decal program lasts until 2015, and it is for super clean vehicles, including pure electrics, hydrogen fuel cell, and natural gas powered vehicles. The green decal program is new and limited to 40,000 vehicles. It is for Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle, and it includes plug-in hybrids and the Volt. Article from the LA Times on the Volt getting the carpool access: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-chevrolet-volt-20120119,0,6323739.story Fresno is full-size pickup country, yet the Prius is a popular vehicle. The price difference is substantial between the Prius and Volt. Prius goes for about $24k for a lower level version. Volt goes for $32k after state and federal rebates, which is still a great deal. With the typical commutes in Fresno, a Volt would never need to run on gas. For that matter, a Leaf would work for most people. The GM employee discount does not cover two vehicles: the Camaro ZL1 and the Volt. Odd that they would exempt the Volt if demand does not outstrip supply.

animal

There are no carpool lanes in the Fresno-Clovis area, but I would expect sales of the Volt to pick up in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas when the Volt becomes eligible for the solo occupant carpool decals soon.

mary

crooner

dick

wax

Turbodiesels or a V8 for GM?

Happy birthday Croc!

Doppelganger

stein

Happy birthday!

beans

Seems overly ambitious. The new RDX and ILX already look dated.

velocity

Underwhelming.

penny

Overall, it's a solid effort, but the exterior is too soft as many have indicated. I think they should have gone edgier with the small Cadillacs and softer with the larger Cadillacs. Interior is nice but not distinctive. I don't care for the black plastic around the fog lights. The top of the rear deck has similar detailing to the last Camry. I'd definitely consider this car if I were in the market for a small sports sedan.

How is the room inside? Is the back seat habitable?