Category: News

Leo Igwe is a skeptic in Africa who has tirelessly and heroically fought the forces of unreason. He is director of the Centre for Inquiry in Nigeria and executive director of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, and has battled against female genital mutilation, the oppression of women in Africa, witch hunters, and all manners of religious-based (generally Sharia law) woe in that continent.

But he’s in trouble. Igwe accused a man of raping a ten-year-old girl in Nigeria. This man has turned around and accused Igwe and his father of murdering another person — an apparently false charge, since the man was examined and found to have died due to an HIV/AIDS related illness. Igwe was arrested, temporarily imprisoned, and then let out on bail. But the pressure is on, and the Nigerian government is not doing a whole lot to help.

Please note all this is alleged, but is coming from multiple sources. You can find more information on on the Think Humanism forum. Also, Kylie Sturgess has been on this since it started, and has more information on this case with updates and what can be done to help.

It’s not going to stump an expert, but there will probably be a couple questions in Mental Floss’ Cable Connector Quiz that could trip you up. Try it yourself and let us know what you scored.

[Mental Floss via Neatorama]

Sprint (NYSE: S) hosted a surprisingly splashy event tonight at CES complete with comedian Frank Caliendo, food prepared by Chef Mario Batali and guest appearances by Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer and Best Buy’s CEO Brian Dunn. With all of the hoopla, everyone expected a big announcement like a new Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) tablet, or a WiMax phone. The crowd seemed a bit disappointed when Sprint instead unveiled the Overdrive, a Wi-Fi router that connects to the Sprint 3G and 4G network. Still, the device represents the next evolution of WiMax high-speed broadband.

The Overdrive will become available on Jan. 10 and costs $99 with a two-year contract. The monthly contract will run you about $60 for service, and users will be able to connect five Wi-Fi enabled devices at a time. Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse: “2010 is the year of Sprint 4G…If your device has Wi-Fi, Sprint wants you to be free to connect that device anywhere.”

Best Buy’s Dunn said the device will be available in 182 stores and Ballmer was pretty much there to show his enthusiasm for the service, adding that even his son asked for one for Christmas.

Filed under: Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, India, Diesel

The Chicken Tax strikes again? When Indian automaker Mahindra first decided to sell its oft-delayed compact diesel pickups here in the United States, the company said it planned to assemble the trucks from knock-down kits imported from India as a way to avoid paying the 25 percent tariff on imported trucks. Later, that decision was repealed and the first Mahindra trucks that make it across the ocean will in fact be completely assembled in India.

At the time, Mahindra alluded to quality concerns as the reason the change was made, but that apparently doesn’t mean the decision is set in stone. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Mahindra has been in talks with Navistar – makers of heavy-duty trucks and diesel engines – to have the American company assemble its TR series of trucks here in America at Navistar-owned facilities.

Now that Ford is building its own diesel V8 engines for its line of Super Duty pickups, we’d imagine that Navistar will have a bit of latent manufacturing capability, which could equal a win/win scenario for both it and Mahindra. Further, the two companies have been involved in joint ventures in India since 2005. We’ll see how it all plays out soon enough, but in the meantime, the first Indian-built Mahindra pickups are scheduled to arrive within the next few months.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal via PickupTrucks.com]

Report: Mahindra pondering shacking up with Navistar to build pickups in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Palm (NSDQ: PALM) unveiled two new devices today at CES for Verizon Wireless—the Palm Pre Plus and the Palm Pixi Plus. But the more important announcements of the day revolved around new software and developer programs, which badly needed attention if the handset maker was going to stay competitive against Apple’s and Google’s growing app stores.

The press conference had the feeling of an Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) event, where the audience hung on CEO Jon Rubinstein’s every word, and clapped easily for even such incremental announcements as video-capturing on the phone. Still, Palm did have a lot to talk about. In February, it will release a new version of the operating system that will enable video-capturing and editing and full Flash support (one of the first in the mobile industry).

Palm also announced the ability for the phones to play 3D games, and new developer-focused projects, such as opening its developer kit to the public, providing $1 million in cash incentives for the hottest apps; and a PDK that will allow plug-ins for common developer languages, such as C++.

Game Development: Up until now the Palm webOS was not known for hardcore gaming, and was restricted to casual games. Starting today, seven new 3D games were released into the App Catalog, including titles from EA, Gameloft (EPA: GFT), Laminar Research and Glu (NSDQ: GLUU). Release.

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus: The most exciting part of these phone launches on the Verizon Wireless network is an application Palm is calling the “mobile hotspot,” which gives customers the option of creating a personal Wi-Fi cloud surrounding their device. The cloud is capable of sharing internet connectivity with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as notebooks, netbooks, cameras, gaming devices or portable media/MP3 players. No prices were given for the devices or the service. They will be available Jan. 25. Release.

Developer Program: As of today, the Palm webOS developer program is now open to any developer, after previously being in a private beta. The SDK is available at http://developer.palm.com. To encourage developers to jump on board, Palm announced a $1 million developer “Hot Apps” bonus program. Release.

If I were a gamer, I’d probably be a lot more excited by being one of the very first to play the highly anticipated BioShock 2, set for sale next month, and I was most honored to be shown my way around the game by developer Jesse Attard. (Not so honored to be killed in seconds, but, hey.) I’m a tech geek, though, and what really grabbed me was how the high-bandwidth game is being delivered at CES: on Sprint’s just-announced 4G Overdrive and without any latency issues. The tiny drive is serving up the game on eight large screens in a parking lot at CES, courtesy of a partnership between Fox Digital’s IGN and Sprint (NYSE: S).

IGN, which usually creates Launch Pad experiences on IGN.com, has a Launch Pad tent as part of the Sprint compound in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center. This was a bit of a risk for Sprint. CES is notoriously tough on connections; my efforts to upload a simple five-minute video were torpedoed repeatedly. But the WiMax appeared to work flawlessly, delivering the game in all its glory (sorry, no game photos allowed) while streaming music, too. Anyone see otherwise?

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo used his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show to say that the company was positioned to take advantage of “staggering” growth in developing markets. “In China, in India, in Vietnam there are huge opportunities to accelerate development” especially as smartphone features come to standard handsets, he said. While users in Western markets, for instance, are already tied to their e-mail accounts, most of the world is not, something he said Nokia was trying to change with its mobile services. In its first year on the market, the company’s Ovi e-mail service—which is designed for first time e-mail users—has already signed up five million accounts.

Throughout, Kallasvuo framed the company’s efforts as being about “doing good”—saying that the there was an opportunity to “do good business and do good at the same time.” (There was even a groanworthy introduction by Lonely Planet reporter Frances Linzee Gordon who talked about the innumerable benefits of cell phones including that they can “save lives” and “overcome environmental difficulties.” A bit much, perhaps? Her project on the “benefits of mobility” had been sponsored by the company).

It was mostly talk but Nokia did announce one bit of news: The company is setting up a competition to “encourage innovators to create a mobile product or service that raises the standard of living or enhances the lives of those in growth economies.” The winning entrant will get a $1 million prize.

(This guest post originally appeared at the author’s blog)

Speaking of President Obama, Karl Rove writes, “After a year of living in his fiscal fantasy world, Americans realize they have a record deficit-setting, budget-busting spender on their hands.”  Well, given his history with former President Bush, it certainly takes one to know one.

But it is hard to understand how the concept of “budget busting” applies to a government which, as a sovereign issuer of its own currency, can always create dollars to spend.

There is, in other words, no budget to “bust”. A national “budget” is merely an account of national spending priorities, and does not represent an external constraint in the manner of a household budget.

A Deficit Spending Limit Disaster

What do commentators such as Mr. Rove really think would have happened if there had been tight fiscal rules in place preventing any (or only some) discretionary response in net spending? Consider a real world example. In December, Spanish unemployment rose to 19.3% (the highest in more than a decade), capping a year that saw the nation’s jobless rate soar to double the Euro- zone average. According to the Merco Press, the number of people registering for unemployment benefits increased by 54,657, or 1.41 percentage points from November to 3.92 million. From a year earlier, unemployment climbed by 25%; youth unemployment is now 40 per cent. The only good piece of news this year was that the number of jobs destroyed in 2009 was 200,000 less than in 2008. That’s the sort of statistic which, in the US would likely prompt grave warnings about the need to pursue “exit strategies”.

Spain, like the other countries within the European Union (EU), has other problems, because the nation has voluntarily decided to accede the so-called “Stability and Growth Pact” (SGP), which arbitrarily limits national government deficit spending to 3% of GDP, whilst limiting overall public debt as a percentage to GDP of 60% (even though there is no economic theory in evidence to justify these arbitrary figures). Since the inception of European Monetary Union (EMU), the conflict within the EU on how to co-ordinate economic policy on the supranational level has been recurrent. It fully illustrates the core problem at the heart of the EMU and its related Stability and Growth Pact. Politically, the interpretation of the euro zone’s stability pact is largely left in the hands of unelected bureaucrats, operating out of institutions which are devoid of any kind of democratic legitimacy.

More fundamental are the institutional flaws. The relation of member countries to the European Monetary Union (EMU) is more similar to the relation of the treasuries of member states of the United States to the Fed than it is of the US Treasury to the Fed. In the US, states have no power to create currency; neither do the countries within the EU. By the same token, purchasers of US state bonds do worry about the creditworthiness of states, and the ability of American states to run deficits depends at least in part on the perception of creditworthiness. While it is certainly true that an individual state can always fall back on US government help when required (although the recent experience of California makes that assumption less secure), it is not so clear that the individual countries in the euro zone are as fortunate.

The euro dilemma that Spain faces, then, is somewhat akin to the problems of a country like Iceland or Latvia. They operate under a system which prevents their government from spending money freely – precisely the sort of thing that the deficit terrorists in the US advocate on a regular basis (particularly those who call for constitutionally mandated balanced budgets, as exists in many state budgets).

Facing a worsening economic situation, the Spanish government has done what any reasonable fiscal authority would do and that is to expand its budget deficit. A significant proportion of the rising deficit is being driven by its automatic stabilizers, which is normal and sensible. But their impact to stabilize incomes is negated to a large degree by the SGP.

Why it’s Folly to Balance Budgets During a Recession

Spain illustrates the futility of seeking to impose balance budgets during a recession. It makes things worse. Budgets inexorably tend to deficit when economic activity slows and tax revenues collapse. If not addressed soon, this structural flaw at the heart of the European Union suggests problems ahead for the long-run viability of the euro, and certainly points to growing intra-European political tensions. (In that regard, it is interesting to note the recent comments by the Mayor of Athens in regard to Greece’s comparably adverse unemployment situation: “Germany owes us €10.5bn from the 2nd World War, they should give us that back and we can equate it all up, automatically our deficit falls to 5%…”).

The debate about public debt limits is arcane in the extreme and harks back to gold standard logic which is no longer applicable. It was always clear – by the nature of the structure of their monetary system (divorce between the fiscal and monetary sovereignty) that the system would not cope in a major economic crisis such as now, where unemployment is skyrocketing. As much as one can complain about the size and direction of the US government spending, the country at least is in a position (should it choose to do so) to exercise fiscal leadership, and the institutional capacity to implement it. But if the US imposes anything like the constraints on government spending demanded by the deficit warriors, we’ll have Spanish style levels of unemployment.

The Spanish government does not have the ability to provide fiscal leadership in their winter of recession because of the voluntary constraints they have imposed on their fiscal capacity courtesy of EMU membership. That is why almost one in five Spaniards is now unemployed, with no prospect of respite. With the degree of fiscal maneuver limited in all EU nations, growth in the euro zone depends on 1) a low enough interest rate to fuel private domestic spending (probably requiring asset bubbles, as in Spain, Irish housing markets), 2) entrepreneurial innovation, and 3) cost cutting, the last of which tends to suppress domestic demand. The net result has been a region has been left largely on a stagnant growth path since unification because it cannot run large enough current account surpluses given Asian cost structures and Asian exchange rate linkage to the US dollar (although it has tried to use relocation of production to Eastern Europe to gain an edge). The euro region basically rides on the back of global growth, which previously depended on the Anglo private sector deficit spending, which was largely sponsored by asset bubbles.

Having shut down their policy options in order to discipline themselves, they are stuck in a hard grind, which now will get even harder as fiscal retrenchment is attempted. Perhaps enough people will conclude after a decade of trying to work within a number of self-imposed policy constraints, it is time to try something else. I wonder how long the euro in its current incarnation can last? Is this really what the US wants? Because that is the ultimate implication of a policy which arbitrarily seeks to constrain government spending in the manner in which the Karl Roves, Robert Rubins and Pete Petersons of this world are currently advocating.

Getting Government Spending Right

So what is the “right” level of government spending? Obviously, we want the government spending to be done efficiently. We don’t want government spending to become inflationary. Keep in mind — the public purpose behind government doing all this is to raise an army, operate a legal system, support a legislature and executive branch of government, promote public infrastructure, promote basic research, etc. So there are quite a number of tasks that even the most conservative voters would have the government perform.

Ultimately, the ‘right amount of government spending’ is an economic and political decision that has nothing to do with government finances. The real ‘costs’ of running the government are the real goods and services it consumes; the real cost of the government using all these real goods and services is that those resources would other wise be available for the private sector. So when the government takes those real resources for its own purposes, fewer real resources are left for private sector activity. What matters is that taxes are set to balance the economy and make sure it’s not too hot or not too cold. And government spending is set at the ‘right amount’ to provide the requisite services and full employment. Getting caught up in the mythology of “financing” considerations or arbitrary self-imposed constraints with no bearing in any economic theory at all is the wrong path. That way lies Spain. Is this the future we want for the US?

Roosevelt Institute Braintruster Marshall Auerback is a market analyst and commentator.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Robert Rubin Is Back: Noooooo!!!
• New Year, Same Old Deficit Hawk Rubbish
• Obama’s Newfound Populism: All Hat No Cattle

Angelina Jolie will be having a little less face time on magazines and billboards — the stunning actress has been dropped as the face of the St. John fashion house, Women’s Wear Daily said on Friday.

“[Jolie] overshadowed the brand,” according St. John’s chief executive officer Glenn McMahon, who says Angie’s celebrity status was too much for the label. “We wanted to make a clean break from actresses and steer away from blondes and cleanse the palette.”

“We needed to show a modern point of view of St. John,” McMahon added. “We have evolved.”

Redhead Karen Elson has replaced Jolie as St. John’s Spring/Summer 2010 spokesmodel.

We were digging through the user guide for the Nexus One and came across something that we hadn’t seen reported elsewhere.  You know that nifty little feature that comes with Android 2.1 where you can speak instead of typing?  Pretty cool, right?  Did you know that in order to use it, you need a data connection available?  Neither did we. Now to be fair, this probably doesn’t affect too many people as 3G and EDGE networks practically blanket the country.  There are however going to be holes and instances where this feature won’t work.  Google does bill the feature as “experimental” so we can’t really complain.  We’re surprised it doesn’t say “beta” anywhere near the  feature.  All kidding aside, maybe a little more upfronted-ness would have been nice.

You might ask yourself what is the benefit of having it work this way?  Well, since it’s being given back to the cloud, the algorithms and special formulas being used can get constant updates without pushing out incremental releases of Android.  It’s probably tied to the same system that that helps transcribe your voice mails in Google Voice and help you with GOOG-411 calls.  Kinda smart if you ask us.

Anyone else have a chance to look through the guide?  Find anything else cool?  Hit us up in the comments.

Do you hate plugging things into the wall? How about typing your name into some fields? Hoo boy, have I got a deal for you! Target is willing to do these arduous tasks for you for a mere $99.

Yes, ninety nine fucking dollars. To hook up an Xbox or a PS3 that cost you a bit more than twice that. It’s though a third party called Zip Installation, who somehow stays in business despite offering such idiotic and overpriced services. Seriously, who is paying for these things? And do they realize that they’re being ripped off once the tech is in their house and they watch them spend 5 minutes doing the most basic of tasks before asking for a check? [Kotaku]

Philips line of notebook accessories include notebook sleeves, a Notebook Cushion Speaker, several models of USB speakers, a Bluetooth- enabled mouse that can be used without a surface, a webcam with cable management and direct YouTube upload. The notebook sleeve consists of  a soft cushion for your lap with a stable hard top that allows you to use the sleeve as a tray. The extra Heat Protect layer prevents overheating by allowing good air flow and also stops your lap from getting too hot. A storage pocket and hidden handle makes it easy carry the sleeve and your accessories. For protection it is lined with a suede-like material and has a rounded, rubberized zip to help protect your notebook’s surface. Available in April 2010 for between $40-$50. Here is the rest of the line.

The Notebook Cushion Speaker has a flat top and built-in speakers for optimal sound quality.  The soft cushion not only makes things more comfortable for long usage, but also helps prevent over-heating of your lap. We all know what that feels like towards the end of watching a 2 hour movie or a long day of work on the laptop. Available in April 2010 for $80.

Sometimes laptop speakers just don’t cut it for listening to music.  The portable Notebook SoundBar is and easy to use accessory with a single USB cable that can either be clipped to the top of your notebook screen or free standing.  The cable neatly wraps around the SoundBar for storage and it comes with a carrying pouch, making it easy to slip into your your pocket! The Philips Notebook USB Speakers are compact, with low power consumption, simple USB plug and cable management, and are perfect for boosting your bass. Soundbar available in April 2010 for $49.99 and the Notebook USB Speakers $24.99

Notebook Bluetooth Mouse has 360 TouchControl. A flat surface is not necessary for this mouse, you can navigate comfortably wherever you are.  The touch sensor gives you the freedom to move in all directions, and it comes with an integrated USB cable for battery recharging.

The Philips Notebook Presenter will make professional presentations easy as cake. Wireless, intuitive and featuring gestural control, this presenter is not only a laser point to guide the audience through your charts, but it works like a mouse in the air. Easy to use with well-designed buttons, just switch to mouse mode and you can control all your files on the projector without going back to your notebook. This intuitive control works with MAC and PC, and no software is needed- you just plug in the nano dongle and you’re ready to go. Available in April 2010 for$89.99. For more information on all the products visit Philips.

Two of the FEMA Mitigation Directorate’s maps, entitled “Sugar House Earthquake Mitigation Return-On-Investment” and “ShakeMap-Based HAZUS-MH Loss Estimation Maps,” have been selected for publication in the 2010 ESRI Map Book, Volume 25. This book will be released in July at the 2010 ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, California.

The poster “Sugar House Earthquake Mitigation Return-On-Investment” shows how HAZUS’ Advanced Engineering Building Module (AEBM) was used to perform a Level 3 analysis of the Sugar House parcels and incorporate a building’s structural components and reaction to strong ground motion. This information helps legislators discover how research at the University of Utah can benefit the community and state, and the public understand the magnitude of losses expected in a major earthquake along the Wasatch fault and implement legislation to promote earthquake mitigation.

For the poster “ShakeMap-Based HAZUS-MH Loss Estimation Maps,” HAZUS’ ShakeMaps is used to determine the ground-shaking intensity in an area to facilitate effective emergency response in the event of a catastrophic earthquake. The addition of preliminary loss estimates will allow emergency personnel to respond more appropriately to the areas of immediate need.

Published annually since 1984, the ESRI Map Book series is dedicated to acknowledging the important and innovative accomplishments of Geographic Information System (GIS) users around the world. Each volume of the ESRI Map Book showcases a small portion of the work presented at the Map Gallery exhibition at the annual ESRI International User Conference.

The Map Book will be distributed at ESRI’s Annual International User Conference held July 12-16, 2010 to attendees and before it becomes available for order. This is an excellent means for FEMA to communicate to a diverse population about our mitigation tools.

The 2010 ESRI International User Conference (ESRI UC), the world’s largest event dedicated to geographic information system (GIS) technology. This conference is where GIS users come together to learn, collaborate, and get updated on the latest in geospatial technology. With approximately 300 technical workshops, 600 user presentations, and 100 special interest, regional, and user group meetings, participants have a wealth of opportunities to become more knowledgeable about GIS and strengthen their skills as GIS users. Over 12,500 attendees were at the 2009 ESRI UC.

With the North American International Auto Show starting in Detroit next week, the editors at Cars.com took a look at 10 current or planned new car introductions they believe can help turn the Big Three around in 2010 and beyond.

“Despite the poor shape of the domestic auto industry, we do see some signs of hope from the Big Three,” said Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen.

“A string of model introductions and redesigns could bring them back to solvency and beyond if done well — or mean disaster if they don’t win over consumers.”

Here’s a look, automaker by automaker, at the cars to watch from the Big Three.

Ford Motor Co.

Ford Fiesta: A feisty import from Europe could erase memories of the last U.S. version of the Fiesta. If you’re old enough to remember it, you might recall an econobox with a festive name, but poor reliability.

Ford’s new version claims to get around 40 mpg, and the Euro version that we drove has a great interior to boot. Its price starts just north of $13,000, which sure helps in the current economy; it could build a new generation of Ford fans from teens and 20-somethings.

Ford Taurus: While the Fiesta could make a big splash with its quality and high mileage, in reality, Ford needs a car like this to appeal to Baby Boomers looking to downgrade from expensive luxury makers and still generate profits.

The Fiesta’s dirt cheap price likely means a narrower profit margin. The Taurus, though, has a name with equity and enough extra features that could make it a big moneymaker for Ford.

Despite its sharp looks, the Taurus’ cramped cockpit may put off some family shoppers, although Ford’s ridiculously powerful EcoBoost engine could make dads overlook the tight fit.

Boomers will appreciate the huge trunk that can store more golf bags than the car can carry passengers. Could the Taurus be the once and maybe future king of sedans? Ford sure hopes so.

Ford Explorer: Speaking of nameplate equity, the Explorer practically invented and owned the SUV segment during the 1990s.

It’s moving to a unibody platform, which should help it drive more like a car and get more carlike mileage.

Although the SUV category has slumped, a new Explorer could help cement Ford in the family car business, where it has seen modest success with the Flex and the Edge. It’ll go head-to-head with Jeep’s revamped Grand Cherokee.

What’s Missing: Ford hasn’t given the Escape compact SUV a full redesign since it debuted in 2000, and it doesn’t hold up well to new entries like the Hyundai Tucson and Chevy Equinox.

Yet it’s one of the best-selling vehicles in the country. Ford better not drop the ball on this like it did with the Taurus two generations ago.

Chrysler

Jeep Grand Cherokee: Chrysler is wise to kick off its rebirth with a unibody family hauler that has an advanced off-road system to satisfy the broadest swath of consumers.

But given its recent history, the Cherokee’s mileage is likely to lag its competitors despite an estimated 11 percent gain in mileage — and Chrysler desperately needs to solve the reliability problem that has dogged the Grand Cherokee for years. Still, the Cherokee is one of only two new models for Chrysler next year.

It needs to sell well to help get Chrysler to the rest of its recovery plan. However, even well-executed redesigns or new models like the Nissan Murano and Ford Edge have not been huge successes.

Fiat 500: Chrysler today doesn’t have a single model that gets better than 31 mpg; will this small car, already popular in Europe, give the company enough cache to get young buyers into the shop?

Once there, will those shoppers even look at anything else on the showroom floor?

The company plans to start selling the 500 in January 2011 at “salons” in select urban dealerships. While it could become as successful as the Mini Cooper, that level of sales volume won’t be enough to help Chrysler pay off its government debt, much less reach profitability.

Chrysler 300: Whereas the Fiat 500 might not pave the road to cash flow, the 300 may.

This style-centric rear-wheel-drive sedan helped revive Chrysler in the early 2000s, and it’s getting a redesign for the 2011 model year. Like the Taurus for Ford, the 300 could provide plenty of profit margin, along with a huge cabin.

Mileage could be a concern, but with an improved interior expected and lots of space, the 300 could win back fans of flashy looks while the masses focus on value.

What’s Missing: The Fiat 500 may make a splash in the subcompact market, but Chrysler needs a successful compact car that the Dodge Caliber never was. The company also can’t figure out the vital compact SUV market with various entries that are either too small – Jeep Patriot – or too big — Dodge Nitro.

General Motors

Chevy Equinox/Traverse: These are two cars masquerading as one entry on our list, but these models are already in production, have sold well and made the brand a true innovative player in the family car market.

The Traverse is now the top large crossover, beating out Toyota’s Highlander and Honda’s Pilot for a few months now. The Equinox has a top-class cabin and class-leading gas mileage.

Chevy Cruze: Like Ford with the Fiesta, the Cruze is GM’s effort to get a 40-mpg small car on the market. Although the Cruze is more a competitor for Toyota’s Corolla or the Honda Civic, where the Fiesta goes up against the subcompact Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit, among others.

For GM, there’s a PR move behind this car as well. Now owned in part by U.S. taxpayers, GM sees the Cruze as a shot at making its case that they can build a desirable, fuel-efficient car, proving that the federal bailout was worth the money and effort.

The company’s current compact, the Cobalt, has the best fuel mileage in the class and has not been a success.

Chevy Volt: A lot rests on the Volt. Could the electric-gas hybrid be GM’s opening shot in the electric-car wars, or will it be outmoded the moment it arrives?

It’s reasonable to ask why consumers would pay upward of $40,000 for a car that gets great mileage when they can buy another car that gets great mileage for closer to $20,000, say the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight.

Of course, there’s a halo effect that GM will expect from having the Volt in its lineup, and federal tax credits should chop a hefty $7,500 off the Volt’s MSRP. The next question for GM: How long till your plug-ins make it to market?

What’s Missing: There are plans for a new Chevy Aveo subcompact, but the current generation shouldn’t even be in the consideration set of shoppers who can pick up a new Toyota Yaris or Nissan Versa. Chevy needs to get a new Aveo on the market quickly or lose domestic shoppers to Ford’s Fiesta.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car.

With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company ( WPO).