Free Republic

German carmaker Volkswagen is to rebrand itself as "Voltswagen" for the US market to mark its ongoing shift to electric vehicles. The change applies immediately and will be reflected across its cars, branding and website. VW, which has committed to sell one million electric vehicles worldwide by 2025, confirmed the plan after it was leaked to US media on Monday. Some initially thought it was an early April Fool's joke.

GM — that stands for Government Motors now — has announced a car that will make Ford’s doomed Edsel look like a hit. The electric Chevrolet Volt will roll off the assembly lines next year. The price is a staggering $41,000 US — a BMW price for a Chevy. Price isn’t the only clanger here. The car can only travel for about 65 km on an electric charge. After that, it fires up a gas-powered engine like everything else on the road. So much for reduce, reuse, recycle — this is a car with two engines. Hummers only have one....

"Hello, Detroit!" On Friday President Obama was in the Motor City to toot his own horn, to tell the story that without his leadership things would be worse: "Today, for the first time since 2004, all three U.S. automakers are operating at a profit, the first time in six years," he told cheering workers at a Chrysler assembly plant. "Today, U.S. automakers have added 55,000 jobs since last June, the strongest job growth in more than 10 years in the auto industry," Mr. Obama said. "Do you feel sometimes like your administration is not given the credit it deserves?" asked...

After consulting with the Secret Service, President Obama drove a Chevrolet Volt at a plant in Hamtramck, Mich., the pool reports. The pool summarizes: “He stepped excitedly into a Black Chevy Volt, behind the wheel, buckled himself in and haltingly drove perhaps 10 feet at a crawling speed.” “Pretty smooth,” Obama remarked.

The Chevrolet Volt may be wearing out its welcome. General Motors has been hyping the gasoline-electric car ever since the company showed it off to the public 1,300 days ago. The company has let countless reporters into its battery labs and given interviews with its engineers, all in a very credible attempt to show that GM has smart people with good ideas. And it has worked. GM has picked up some technological credibility and fostered goodwill with the environmental crowd. Now that GM is finally, after three and a half years, getting close to selling one, the commentariat is taking...

GENERAL MOTORS introduced America to the Chevrolet Volt at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show as a low-slung concept car that would someday be the future of motorized transportation.