Poll: Should GM give in and call the Volt a hybrid?

Apart from the humorous articles and the plethora of eBay finds we come up with, Carscoop’s bread and butter is automotive news straight from the manufacturer. And as such, we read a lot of press releases. In all the ones I’ve read, General Motors refuses to call the Chevrolet Volt a hybrid. It’s a range extended electric vehicle.

I speculate that it might have something to do with hybrids being uncool (so sayeth GM CEO Dan Akerson) or to avoid comparisons with that other hybrid. You know, the one made by the world’s other biggest car manufacturer.

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Poll: Should Fiat Cut Loose Alfa Romeo and/or Sell it to Volkswagen?

Like Saab and countless other brands before, Alfa Romeo is at a tipping point. The famed Italian automaker, which once stunned the world with its gorgeous styling and motorsport victories, is now losing an estimate €200 million (US$265 million) per annum. It’s hard to believe that the company that brought us cars like the GTA, the Spider and the 158/159 Alfetta could be reduced to such a sad state of affairs.

Sergio Marchionne, the unwavering CEO of Fiat and its subsidiaries, is determined to turn the ailing automaker around. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is sniffing around for more brands and smells a potential winner in the Milanese company.

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My Top 10 Cars of All-Time - U.S.A.

In the past I’ve covered my picks for the best cars of the 1980s and ‘90s. Now it’s time for my Top 10 cars of All-Time, whereby I pit country against country. Our six contenders are the U.S.A., Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy and France. Will you side with American muscle or French flair? Can Japanese perfection trump Italian passion? Or do you choose German engineering over British ingenuity? Whatever you choose, you’re in for one helluva ride. So, let’s count down my Top 10 Cars of All-Time.

Today’s contender is...the U.S.A.

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My Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010

In less than two weeks, 2010 will draw to a close. So what better time to look back at the real stars of this year’s motor shows: the concept cars! Enter into a world where considerations like practicality and profitability fall by the wayside and the world’s designers and engineers show us their true potential. Let’s count down...my Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010!

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Sports Cars Countdown: What are Your Favorite Models from the 1990s?

For me, the 1990s will be memorable for four things: the Gulf War, the death of Princess Di, the Clinton / Lewinsky affair and the Oklahoma City Bombing. There was a lot more to this decade, of course: the highest grossing film of all time (Titanic), two white rappers (Eminem and Vanilla Ice), the collapse of the Soviet Union, the release of Nelson Mandela, Dolly the Sheep, the Columbine Massacre...

But it’s those four that stick in my mind. It was both a great decade and a sombre decade, and also one that produced (possibly) some of the best cars the world had ever seen. I class ‘90s cars as those that were launched between 1990 and 1999, and also a few that were launched in the late ‘80s (’88 or ’89) and gained popularity / infamy in the latter decade.

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What's Your Favorite Sports Car from the 1980s?

Ah, the eighties: the decade that brought us shutter shades, punk rock and the Cadillac Cimarron. Back in the days when greed was good, Frankie said relax and nobody knew where the beef was. It was also a great decade for cars:

The Germans brought us the Porsche 959, the AWD Audi Quattro and the BMW E30 M3. The rest of Europe brought us the insanely awesome Ferrari Testarossa, Lancia Delta Integrale rally champ and the "geography teacher on crack" Saab 900 Turbo.

In the good ol' U.S. of A there was the third generation Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the C4 Corvette and the built-for-NASCAR Buick Grand National. At the same time, the British Isles brought us the wedge shaped Aston Martin Lagonda sports saloon (okay, it was launched in the late 1970s but it was offered throughout the '80s), the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and the Irish-built DeLorean DMC-12.

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