That's right. Approximately half of all 2009 VW Jettas sold are/were diesels, and the 2010 percentage isn't going down. This is the ONLY 4 cylinder diesel for sale in the US today -- if you include the identical engine just starting to sell in the Audi A3 and VW Golf. A meaningful portion of people are perfectly willing to pay an extra $4,000 per car for one that delivers an extra 10 MPG and lasts longer (no sparkplugs, whatever). As an extra benefit, the strong torque fits most US driving conditions very well. European consumers have the choice of 1.4-2.2 liter 4-cylinder diesels in most cars. We should, too.

The review doesn't mention the two biggest weaknesses with this device:
1. No sync with Microsoft Outlook unless you're connected to an Exchange server.
2. MotoBlur is limited to 2,500 contacts and how do you get anything back if you change your mind and want your data back so that you can switch to iPhone, Blackberry, Palm etc.?
No local/wired sync to your PC with the Sidekick debacle fresh in mind... no thanks.

I drive from San Jose to Los Angeles and sometimes Dan Diego almost weekly. I need a car that can sustain at least 500 miles at 75 MPH with safety margin. Today I charge by filling gasoline/diesel, which takes a couple of minutes. I don't think electric cars are suitable for everyone quite yet. Perhaps a few people who will never drive that far, but that's about it right now. NYC taxicabs could be a good example.

Has nothing to do with insurance. That's a silly rouse. The real answer is that gasoline prices in the US are around $3/gallon, or perhaps half that of most European countries. So the tradeoff between a better product and cost is just different. US consumers, given the price, is rationally more interested in more powerful engines than in Europe. This may be changing over time, although such change is gradual and will take years. In a free market, competition will ensure that the consumer gets what he wants! (unless your niche is so small and unprofitable)

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the Tesla is made in the UK today, and that the Fisker is going to be made in Finland once production begins. What's wrong with pointing out these facts? If I were competing with these two companies, I wouldn't want my tax dollars to go to subsidizing them under any circumstance. And even if I'm not competing with them, I don't think this is an approved Federal government Constitutional activity anyway. Government subsidies are wrong, no matter who gets them or whatever the alleged reason may be.

For what it's worth, "Media Matters" is a criminal enterprise disguised as media watchdog. It holds the same value as Pravda and TASS did until 20 years ago, i.e., value residing in the communist scrap heap of history.

Indeed, the hybrid doesn't seem to make sense on a numbers basis. You also have to attach a discount rate to savings that would take place in future years, as with any net present value calculation. If that's the hybrid premium, nobody should buy it -- if they can do basic math, that is.

So let's do the math on this: $150/month is $1,800 per year. If you drive 18,000 miles per year, that's $0.10 per mile in battery cost (lease) alone, NOT counting the actual electricity consumed. A Toyota Prius, costing some $24,000, yields 50 MPG, so for these 18,000 miles that would be 360 gallon of gasoline. At $3/gallon, that's $1,080, or 40% less than the LEAF/Renault/whatever battery lease option. $0.10/mile versus $0.06 per mile. And then you have to ADD the cost of the actual electricity itself. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this LEAF/Renault/whatever car will cost more than twice as much $$ to run as a Toyota Prius, and it won't cost any less to purchase. At $3/gallon gasoline, this all-electric option doesn't make any sense at all. One more thing: If you drive less than 18,000 miles per year, the economics become even more skewed in favor of the Prius.

Can anyone tell me how Sprint can know the difference between a US landline number and a US wireless number? For example, last week I ported my Verizon Wireless 917 number to becoming a Verizon (not Verizon Wireless) landline number. Verizon owns 55% of Verizon Wireless (Vodafone owns the other 45%). Does the Sprint billing system know that this number is no longer a wireless number, but rather a wireline number? How so?

Can anyone tell me how Sprint can know the difference between a US landline number and a US wireless number? For example, last week I ported my Verizon Wireless 917 number to becoming a Verizon (not Verizon Wireless) landline number. Verizon owns 55% of Verizon Wireless (Vodafone owns the other 45%). Does the Sprint billing system know that this number is no longer a wireless number, but rather a wireline number? How so?

I'm trying to decipher the Sprint press release. Are they simply lowering the "simply everything" plan from $100 to $70? If so, why don't they simply say so? Or is this something different? If so, wherein does this discrepancy reside?