The Volt is a sporty looking car, with the aesthetics surpassing many of the other competitor cars in the electric and hybrid market.  The price is still higher than conventional cars, putting it out of the budget-restricted folk in the majority of the middle class, sitting at an estimated $40,000.  But unlike previous hybrid and electric announcements, there is one detail that stands out with this one the most.  With that detail, GM can use the Volt as a much needed jolt to its public image.

The Volt gets 230 mpg.

While that number sounds high, there are many things to take into consideration.  How can you claim a hybrid or electric vehicle gets 200mpg or even 10mpg?  The engine or whatever other propulsion unit in the car is using electricity from a battery, and in some cases won’t tap into the gasoline at all if the trips are a certain length and the car is drawing its power only from the battery units.  

Hybrids like the Prius that have been established cars for years also don’t get the same mileage as the companies claim, and that’s largely due to the varying methods and styles of driving: from those with lead feet to highway drivers, to those only using the vehicle to navigate through the city.  Many factors play into total mpg, and the numbers can be misleading.

But one thing is true, the Volt has drawn a lot of attention and has put GM in a much needed positive spotlight.

A few months ago, Formula One stated that next season and following seasons, there will be a spending cap for all teams; 100 million euros for next season and 45 million euros for each following season.  

The reason behind this is purely economical.  When the world economy started its down turn, Honda dropped from the Formula One circuit, citing economic problems.

Formula One decided that it had to forcefully lower team spending in order to prevent more sudden withdrawals.

The dilemma arises in Formula One priding itself for having technologically superior cars and being a major global event, behind only the Olympics and World Cup Soccer according to The New York Times.  By doing this, it’s angered the bigger names that pride themselves on being the world super car manufacturers.

The Formula One Teams Association has tried to reconcile and negotiate, but it finds itself at a crossroad, and forming its own racing circuit away from the authoritarian governing of the International Automobile Federation.

Formula One is now at a crossroad.  Will it open for negotiating something reasonable, or do Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Renault, Brawn, Red Bull and Toro Rosso walk out to compete as they wish?

Bottom line: F-1 may become F-None.

The car is 95 percent biodegradable and conforms to most of the international Formula 3 racing regulations. A BMW turbodiesel engine can propel the veggie-vehicle up to 150 miles per hour and can burn any type of biodiesel fuel. It’s a car sure to make any green-cause supporting race car enthusiast proud.

Unfortunately, the car won’t be seen on a racetrack anytime soon. Current Formula 3 regulations prohibit the use of biodiesel fuel in competition, though the fuel has become more popular in recent years with a turbodiesel powered Audi winning the last three runnings of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Are you eating enough of your veggies?

According to MetaFilter, by 2012 only 6% of new cars will be equipped with manual transmission and probably nobody will care. Companies are creating automatic cars with just as much power as manuals to cater to a busy, multitasking society.

For the die-hard manual transmission fans, rest assured that there will probably always be at least some stick shifts out there. For the rest of us, rest assured that within the next 10 years we probably won’t feel as ridiculous for not knowing how to drive a stick.