Daily Car

As we’re sure you’ve noticed by now, General Motors has been making lots of waves over the past few days with the pricing announcement (finally!) of its 2011 Chevrolet Volt. And, as you’re surely aware, GM’s plug-in hybrid is capable of traveling at least 40 miles per charge without using a single drop of gasoline. But what happens when the time comes to pump some good ol’ crude into the tank? You’ll be using premium.

Yes, you read that right. Premium gasoline only in GM’s mostly gasoline-free automobile. It seems a bit odd that The General would force its customers into using higher-priced gasoline if there wasn’t a good reason for it, but it certainly wouldn’t seem that the engine is highly stressed – 80 horsepower from 1.4 liters isn’t exactly bleeding edge.

There is a possibility, however, that the car’s engineers were able to wrestle a bit more efficiency from its constant-load engine/generator setup by using higher octane fuel. In any case, the automaker has not offered up any specific explanations on why premium is required or, for that matter, what kind of fuel mileage the Volt will attain when the gasoline-powered engine is in operation.
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As expected, the Porsche supervisory board has approved the development of the 918 Spyder concept into a series production model. The 918 debuted as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claimed to provide 78 miles per gallon.

The concept used a 500-horsepower V8 along with a pair of electric motors with 109 hp each and a lithium ion battery that can provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. The powertrain is not expected to be changed much for production and Porsche has not announced when 918 will be available. There has been speculation that the production model could cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), although if it comes to the States, it should be eligible for a federal tax credit. Even with up to $7,500 it still makes the Chevrolet Volt look downright cheap.

Before you start looking in your couch cushions for a down payment, check out the official press release after the jump and our high-res gallery below.

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There has always been a glaringly obvious gap in Mitsubishi’s current Lancer lineup. On the bottom is the… Lancer, a biggish-for-its-class economy car that no one particularly likes – at least that’s what the sales charts would indicate. It’s slow, filled with cheap plastics and dull. It hasn’t even proven to be all that reliable by Japanese small-car standards, but at least it looks good. At the top of the heap and on a wholly different plane sits the Lancer Evolution. It’s the giant-slayer, David, the little car that humbles supercars. It’s also the hottest of the rally-inspired all-wheel-drive turbocharged pocket rockets. The Evo’s only real competition is theSubaru WRX STI and, let’s be honest, the Evo has been the better car for years now (Subaru has just updated its warrior for 2011, so a new comparison is in order). Its handling is more precise, yet at the same time more insane. The Mitsu is rawer, rougher, tougher and most importantly faster, even though it’s down half a liter on the WRX STI in terms of displacement. Don’t read this wrong, the STI is a fine backroad killer. But the EVO is more homicidal.

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At it’s peak in 2002, Toyota was selling over 70,000 Sequoias. Last year, that number dropped to below 20,000 units. So it comes as little surprise that ToMoCo will be nixing its Tundra-based SUV at the end of the current model’s lifecycle.

A source speaking with PickupTrucks.com confirmed that the Sequoia won’t live on, partially due to slow sales, but surely in part to get Toyota’s CAFE ratings in check before the new rules hit in 2015. But all’s not lost for the automaker’s body-on-frame offerings.

A redesigned Tundra is set to arrive in 2014, just in time for Ford, General Motors and Nissan’s newest half-ton pickups. Although sales of the Tundra haven’t lived up to Toyota’s lofty expectations, it’s obvious the automaker feels the need to compete in the segment, and a refreshed model should help sales, despite the market’s less-than-enthusiastic reception of Toyota’s largest pickup.

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General Motors’ recently hired vice-president for sales and marketing Joel Ewanick took the stage at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, CA today and finally revealed that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will have a base price of $41,000 (including a $720 destination charge) before federal and state tax incentives. While GM hasn’t gone as aggressive as most people had hoped on the sticker price, the real deal appears to be the $350 per month for 36 months lease. That matches the monthly payment that Nissan is charging for the Leaf EV.

The effective purchase price of the Volt will be cut to $33,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit (hence the asterisk in the title), but buyers will have to finance the $41,000 and get the credit back on their next tax return. Lease customers will have the credit factored in to their payment. The Volt lease requires a $2,500 down payment (vs $2,000 for the Leaf), but GM is including a clause in the lease contract that allows leasers to buy the car at the end of their term so that the automaker don’t have another standoff with customers like it did with the all-electric EV1.

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