When, seen from the outside of the car, the bottom of the side windows is nearly as high as the driver's shoulder (even if the seat is cranked up so the driver's head barely clears the headliner)—whatever we want to call it—it's not my preference. Driving a real hot rod that feels like a hot rod is one thing. Driving a Volt, which is not even a performance car, let alone a hot rod, but is perhaps styled like one, seems counter intuitive to me. I like lots of glass around me, the good view, the airy feeling cabin. My GII Prius had that feeling, so does the Fit. As far as heated seats go, I think they're especially welcome in a convertible.
I do not know the situation with "New" GM. But Old GM owned very big stakes in oil, with overlapping boards of directors. When a director sits on the board of two companies, you cannot expect him to leave one hat entirely behind when he puts on the other. GM has the interests of oil in mind for the dual reasons that the company owns a stake in oil and therefore profits when people buy oil, and many of its directors also have loyalty to oil companies. A company is not a distinct entity. It is run by people, who for the most part have their own interest as their priority, and make decisions that benefit the company only if those decisions also benefit them personally. Caveat: I don't know if any of this has changed with the bankruptcy and taxpayer bailout.
Did GM have stakes in 'big-oil' that were outsized in proportion to a typical 'blue-chip' investment portfolio ?
