Free Republic

General Motors Co (GM.N) said Thursday it will build the Chevrolet Bolt electric car at an assembly plant near Detroit, where it will invest $200 million for the project. The compact Bolt, shown as a concept vehicle at the Detroit auto show last month, is designed to have a range of 200 miles, and will cost about $30,000 apiece after tax breaks. GM's announcement confirms a report last week by Reuters that the Bolt would be produced at the under-used Orion assembly plant in Michigan. The only electric car currently available with a 200-mile range is the Tesla Model S,...

He looked beseechingly to his top aides, including press secretary Robert Gibbs, all of whom shook their heads. Obama appealed to the chief of his Secret Service detail, who threw up his hands in resignation. The smiling president got in, buckled his seat belt and proceeded to drive — drum roll, please — 10 feet, and probably not above 2 mph, as news cameras clicked away. .... Obama, who almost never gets to drive, pronounced the ride "pretty smooth."

Everyone seems to be paying attention to what the CEOs of America's automakers are driving this morning. General Motors noticed this, and sensed an opportunity. GM CEO Rick Wagoner will reportedly arrive at Congressional hearings today in a 2010 Chevy Volt. Or rather, in the closest thing he could find. Autoblog explains, "As it seems every press outlet will be covering the roadtrip adventures of the three Detroit leaders as they travel via wheeled transportation to the capitol to beg for billions (remember, no corporate jets this time), Wagoner has wisely dumped the ho-hum hybrid Chevrolet Malibu in favor of...