Ted, > Trust me, anyone can do better than the 'experienced' yahoos who ran GM in the past.
I agree, but now that Obama is running Government Motors (even though he says he has "no intention of doing so"), I would expect you to put your money where your mouth is and go buy a brand new GM car. There are tons of them out on the lots, so I'm sure you'll get a great deal on it.
Right now, I am thinking about a Ford Fusion hybrid.......but we'll see.
And it's backed by the infinite wisdom and resources of The One, so you know you can't lose!
Didn't you say you were looking at a Ford, by the way?
Yup. The Ford Fusion hybrid:
2010 Ford Fusion
By Arthur St. Antoine
The so-called "Efficiency Leaves" display on the dash of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is a real charmer, one of those brilliant interactive creations that, like the touchscreen of the Apple iPhone, proves as user-friendly as it is delightful. Drive the Fusion Hybrid frugally, and watch as the display's leaves and vines grow (when the virtual branches become truly lush you're doing especially well). On the other hand, make jackrabbit starts, drive too fast, brake late and hard (producing little regen), and you'll start dropping leaves like a Vermont sugar maple in October. Sounds silly, perhaps, but from behind the wheel it's a remarkably effective motivator. After all, who wants to be the earth-thug who hears from the back seat, "Daddy! You've lost all the leaves!"
"We didn't simply want a display of numbers to indicate fuel efficiency," says Sonya Nematollahi, Ford driver information supervisor on the Fusion Hybrid project. "We wanted to create an emotional connection between the car and its occupants, an instant 'reward' for driving efficiently. At first, we tried an entire forest, but that was too much. Customers liked just a few vines of leaves much better."
Ford developed the Efficiency Leaves, plus the Fusion Hybrid's unique SmartGauge with EcoGuide high-res LCD displays, in concert with human-factors consultancies IDEO and Smart Design. The automaker also conducted extensive research using its Dearborn-based Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX) simulator, which, much like a professional flight sim, combines an actual vehicle cockpit with highly realistic "views" and multi-axis motions. Ford invited potential customers and current hybrid owners inside VIRTTEX to sample and comment upon various dashboard setups -- thereby eliminating designs that might be distracting or confusing. "No other automaker in the world has anything like VIRTTEX," says Nematollahi with obvious pride.
read more.........
motortrend.com |
