ON THE TABLE

December 1, 2010

GM. How Green is GM's valley? Plenty, apparently. GM announced that it would hire 1,000 engineers and researcher types in Michigan over the next 24 months to help develop more electric cars and hybrids. And GM CEO "Dandy Dan" Akerson had this to say during an orchestrated PR event at GM's Hamtramck assembly facility for the first production Volt after he drove one out on stage: “Volt clearly demonstrates that we are well on our way and it is especially true when it comes to the electrification of the automobile." Uh, you might want to be careful there, Sparky. We wouldn't want to get ahead of ourselves, now, would we? See more below.

"Dandy Dan" Akerson, Part II. Get a microphone in front of this guy and you can't really stop him, you can only hope to contain him. Brimming with excitement over the launch of the production Volt, Akerson told the assembled keyboard-stained wretches in the media as reported by The Wall Street Journal that, "We will see the electrification of cars in every segment and every model in some form over the next 10 years. This is just the beginning. Some day someone may look at this car and say, 'Isn't it quaint?'" Yup, some day, Sparky, some day. And how could that not be our AE Quote of the Week?

(John F. Martin for Chevrolet)
GM CEO Dan Akerson gives the "Double-V for Volt" salute at the party for the first production Volt yesterday in Hamtramck. We're not sure if it is for the Volt come to think about it, maybe he's running for something and he just hasn't told anyone yet?

Chrysler-Fiat. How bullish is Chrysler-Fiat? A bunch. They're hiring 1,000 additional engineers over the next four months to help in the expansion of its small and midsize vehicle platforms, according to the A.P.

Toyota. The still-under-siege Japanese automaker is recalling around 650,000 Prius hybrid models worldwide to fix the hybrid system's cooling pumps. Deemed a preemptive strike to bolster its reputation as a stickler for quality - the recall isn't required - the fix will affect approximately 390,000 vehicles here in the U.S. We couldn't confirm at post time a report that one senior level Toyota executive was overheard yelling to no one in particular while curled up in a fetal position in his office, "Make the bad monster stop, Mommy!" but it does sound about right.

Honda. These are desperate times for Honda. How desperate? Honda is adding a base Insight hybrid model to its lineup that starts at $18,950 including destination charges, according to Automotive News, giving it a $4,610 price advantage edge over the base Toyota Prius in hopes of jump-starting the sluggish - as in barely moving - sales of its hybrid. Our question is, when not too many people are interested in the car to begin with, will this really matter? Bueller? Anyone?

Toyota. The car company formerly known as The Juggernaut is suing Motors Liquidation Co. - the company responsible for the leftover assets of the "old" GM - and wants $73 million in damages due to the closure of their joint factory - Nummi - in California, earlier this year. Toyota wants some cash-ola to cover their costs. Wait a minute, weren't you guys supposed to show them "the way" and weren't you other guys supposed to help with that whole capacity thing, and wasn't this supposed to be... oh, never mind.

WE'RE OPENING THE VAULT!

The AE wearables are back - and only in extremely limited quantities and sizes, we might add - and once they're gone, they're gone! We're starting with our most popular items, the classic AE Sweatshirt and AE Hat. Click on a PayPal button below to order yours now! (If you prefer to pay by check, please send us an email with AE STORE in the subject line, and we'll reserve your item.)

AE Sweatshirt - Crewneck, sturdy 80/20 cotton/poly, in black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. Size XL only. 40 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

AE Hat - Black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. 25 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

Publisher's Note: Check-out John McElroy's daily news show covering everything about the auto biz by clicking on the graphic below. Good stuff guaranteed. - PMD

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