pow

And I don't think US consumers resent US-made goods, but it's rather their specific aversion to Big 3 goods. Companies like Apple are thoroughly American, and they're innovative, fresh, loved...

It's not a bad idea. Becoming a "California company" really changes a lot of the stereotypes and baggage that US automakers have traditionally faced. Everyone's into locally-produced goods nowadays. Why don't they make (or appear to) certain vehicles, from sketch to production, in strategic regions? Each state can take pride in a specific car they make. Much like how Saturn is Tennesse's car and Corvette is Kentucky's car, hype up the Malibu to be "California's car."

Oh yeah. There's Edwards.

Agreed. Hillary has more experience but she's far less personable.

The fact that the bean counters were handcuffed and gagged. I love how it's lacking in the deficiencies you'd traditionally see just a few years ago.

Pontiac G6!

Next LaCrosse?

Sanjaya is the only reason why I watch AI... he makes the show semi-interesting. The rest are all Justin Timberlake clones.

So a direct-injected, Sigma-based, SLA/multilink suspended, hand-stitched, AWD-available, US-labored, six-speed Cadillac CTS costs less than this thing (a non-DI, front-strut suspended, hard-plastic, RWD-only, Chinese-assembled, five-speed)? Those are some pricey seat vibrators. Chinese-made 530i sedans are $72,252, which is a lot more than the $46,500 here in the US. And it's not like BMW is going bankrupt in the US market.

Very cool. Thanks for the pictures. Athens looks wonderful all lit up. We're going to Europe this summer (HS graduation trip), and Greece will be one the countries we're visiting. We'll be island hopping from Athens to Mykonos to Kusadasi to Patmos to Rhodes to Heraklion to Santorini.

Looks great... ritzy and dynamic at the same time.. very close to the "concept."

A GTO beat him at the lights...

First-gen Golf GTI... classy, practical, quick, and cheap, it's the original hot hatch that started it all.

The car with the highest real world mileage (I guess that makes it "decent"?) I could find was a hybrid... '07 Prius - FuelEconomy.gov - Avg User MPG (29 cars) - 44.8 MPG '06 Prius - FuelEconomy.gov - Avg User MPG (88 cars) - 47.0 MPG '05 Prius - FuelEconomy.gov - Avg User MPG (134 cars) - 47.6 MPG '04 Prius - FuelEconomy.gov - Avg User MPG (50 cars) - 47.2 MPG Prius (II) - GreenHybrid.com - Avg User MPG (3,590 cars) - 47.5 MPG '04 Prius - Car and Driver Observed MPG - 42 MPG '06 Prius - Motor Trend Observed MPG - 43.8 MPG '04 Prius - Road & Track, over 49,432 miles - 41.0 MPG '04 Prius - Edmunds, over 40,687 miles - 41.4 MPG Any suggestions? Aside from the Insight, I couldn't find anything better. VW Jetta TDI was close, but average MPG still hovered in the mid-30s.

Agreed. There's are other factors (solar output, ~25%; albedo; oceans; air pollution, etc). It's just that CO2 is the easiest one to control.

Only if you're talking fractions of degrees. Between 1000 and 1900, mean global temperature change never exceeded +/- 0.5C, even including the "little" ice age. Our current exponential path of temperature increase (in such a short amount of time) is far greater than anything pre-industrialization.

I love how we already know "real world mileage" before even testing it.

Agreed.

No one is denying the existence of natural climate cycles. It's just that they occur in 100,000-year frequencies, not 50. A degree Celcius every five years is comparatively huge and unprecedented.

Lucky. It's $3.49/gal *minimum* for premium here.

Honda Insight and Audi TT in 67 years, I'd imagine. On Pebble Beach.

The idea that greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere is also FACT. What we should debate instead is the best means to reduce CO2 emissions before they reach that dreaded 550 ppm mark. Being a petrolhead, obviously I'm against mandating unrealistic automotive fuel economy standards, so Camino's suggestions are intriguing. Ultimately the poor planning and preparedness of our government is to blame for our dilemna; now they're passing the buck for our automakers to solve.

He drives an xB, btw, so sci = Scion?

Alan Mullaly would have bought one if he still worked at Boeing...

Clarkson is to Top Gear as Simon is to American Idol. Only he plays an even larger role. I wouldn't watch Top Gear making their own limos, growing their own fuel, or driving across the US if the presenters were different.