Developing Markets

GM is taking a beating in the marketplace and on Wall Street. The auto giant is an easy target, wounded by exploding gas costs and their own short-sightedness.

But analysts and talking heads are talking turnaround, and in the same breath they can't contain their buzz over GM's much anticipated Volt technology.

Slated for late 2010, Volt is designed to travel up to 40 miles on a single battery charge, eliminating the need for gas if the vehicle is driven less than 40 miles/day. The owner could recharge the Volt overnight when electricity rates are lower, saving exponentially by significantly reducing gas costs.

GM is obviously hedging its bets that oil will be in the $150-$200/barrel range moving forward. Will consumers drop and estimated $30-$40K to get Volt'd at oil's current price (in the low $120's)? I don't buy new, but it will be interesting to see. (An '08 Cadillac CTS looks awfully sweet to the 2010-11 me).