Chevrolet has been working the Volt PR angle in the press for what seems like an eternity and they have finally come forth with the official unveiling. There is certainly a lot riding on the success of the Volt, but the idea that a single vehicle will save the company is nonsense.

The Volt is designed to run up to 40 miles on electricity before switching to gas, cost $30-$40,000, and not be made available to the public until the vague target date of 2010. I wish them well and if all goes well, I might actually test drive, if not buy, an American car.

Chevy Volt microsite

German automakers are pushing hard to promote clean diesel vehicles in the U.S. and expect to reap substantial rewards over the next several years. Diesels currently account for just 2% of the market but could rise to 10% in just a few short years. According to a representative from J.D. Power, diesel engines get 30% better mileage than their gas counterparts, more than offsetting the higher cost of the fuel.

In the coming months, U.S. consumers will have access to an array of diesel vehicles including the Audi Q7, Mercedes E-Class, BMW X5, and BMW 3 Series. VW fans are now able to buy the Jetta TDI which launched earlier this year.

Story from AdAge

Having launched the original hybrid (the Insight), it’s understandable that Honda is a little salty that Toyota gets all of the accolades for the Prius. However, Honda only offers the uninspired Civic Hybrid and has done little to generate any significant buzz in the market.

Tired of playing second fiddle, Honda has finally taken the wraps off of the new Insight, a dedicated hybrid set to makes its public debut in October. It’s great to see Honda making a second run at the market with a dedicated hybrid but the design is so similar to that of the current generation Prius that I would be willing to bet that most people would be hard pressed to tell them apart. The one feature that will certainly separate the two is the price, as the Honda starts at just $18,500.

Honda Insight website

As one of the first people of the Smart waiting list, I often kick myself for ultimately deciding to not take delivery of my car. I see them everywhere and it would be nice to have something to zip around in to run errands. For those of you who are proud owners, but maybe looking for just a bit more style, you’ll want to check out the Ed Hardy version by Project Tattoo.

The upgraded version takes the Smart from nice little commuter car to something much louder (obnoxious?) with custom paint, black wheels, a six horsepower increase, and long list of other upgrades. Be warned though, these enhancements take your $15,000 Smart from inexpensive commuter box to $40,000 commuter box, albeit with a bit more “style”.

Smart Car Tattoo website

Following the lead of New York and San Francisco, Boston has issued new requirements that will mandate that all taxis operating in the city be hybrids by 2015. In addition, cab operators are being required to install credit card machines, stop talking on mobile phones, and keep their rides nice and clean.

The switch to hybrids is expected to save drivers $1,000 per month on gas and cut emissions by 50%.

Story from the Boston Globe

The rental car companies have been making lots of noise about greening their fleets as of late, but for those customers actually looking to rent one of these cars, the premium doesn’t always make economic sense. This is especially true on shorter trips where the amount of gas used simply isn’t enough to offset the increased rental fee.

The laws of supply and demand are beautiful, but in the commodity business of rental cars, trying to squeeze customers for a couple of extra bucks seems like a strategy that can backfire.

The best bet is still to reserve a similar non-hybrid online and then make the upgrade at the counter. I’ve done this twice (Prius and Altima Hybrid) and it’s worked out both times.

Story from The New York Times

PickupPal, the online matchmaking service for carpoolers that we covered earlier in the year, is getting a bit of heat from a local bus company that is threatened by the fact that non-licensed people are providing rides to strangers. Trentway-Wagar is dragging out a local law that prevents such practices and has been on the books since 2000.

Clearly this law is meant to deter unscrupulous operators, not carpoolers looking to save a few bucks or the environment. Let’s hope common sense prevails up north.

Story from the Toronto Star

As a youngster I was obsessed with dirt bikes but the two stroke engine certainly wasn’t doing the environment any favors. If only I had been born a few decades later, I would now be racing around the track on the much quieter Zero X. Based in my childhood stomping grounds of Santa Cruz, Zero is carving out a nice niche by building dirt bikes that are both quiet and environmentally friendly, at least compared to their conventional counterparts.

So far the company has built 45 bikes and plans to ramp up production to 2,000 units by next year.

Story from Yahoo

Mercedes is jumping into the small SUV market with the GLK and according to an unidentified insider, the new ride may be packing a diesel engine delivering up to 40 MPG. Of course, the diesel version won’t hit the shores of North America until after the v-6 version goes on sale in April 2009.

For those more inclined to choose a sedan, the baby benz (C-class) is also slated to share the 167 horsepower power plant.

Story from Edmunds

The name sounds more like an appetizer at a pizza parlor than a mode of transportation, but Toyota evidently isn’t joking around. Company executives demonstrated the new Segway lookalike in Japan and will begin testing in local malls and resorts.

Unlike the relatively speedy Segway, the Winglet goes just 3.7 MPH and can only muster 3 miles on a charge.

Story from Yahoo