Aside from the bridge loans supplied to GM by the federal government, GM had applied for $10.3 billion from the Energy Department. Of that amount, $2.6 billion was meant to be devoted to building the Chevy Volt and two derivatives of it, as well as a third hybrid model. May is when the Energy Department will begin approving those loan requests.
But because the company itself hasn’t passed the financial viability test in order to simply survive, the administration has put GM’s $10.3 billion request on hold. The government deadline for GM to prove financial viability is June 1, and since it will probably take all of that time, GM can’t look for any other cash assistance to continue product development until that matter is resolved.
GM says that the government decision won’t stop the Volt from going on sale in November 2010. Outside analysts suspect that GM plans to pay for the Volt with money from other programs.

It’s probably a bit premature to be talking about future models from Fisker, considering the automaker’s plug-in Karma and Karma S have yet to hit the market. According to Russell Datz, head PR man at Fisker Automotive, “One of the future products we have is something that is significantly less than what will be on the market first,” though it may still “be a step above” the Chevy Volt and Tesla Model S.
That’s not a ton of information to go by, unfortunately. The Chevy Volt is expected to come in around $40K or so in late 2010 when it’s finally released (hopefully), and the Tesla Model S will cost at least $10K more than that. For comparison, the Fisker Karma will carry a starting sticker of $87,900. In other words, there’s plenty of room between the base price of a Volt and the base price of a Karma. Where the lower-cost model from Fisker would fall in that range is anybody’s guess.

Like the new LR4 and classic Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport also gets plenty of upgrades for the 2010 model year. Like the regular RR, the Sport gets the same 5.0L direct-inject V8s from Jaguar in either naturally aspirated or supercharged guise plus a new six-speed automatic transmission. The NA puts out 375 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque while the force fed mill creates 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, the latter good for 5.9-second sprints to 60 mph. The Sport’s exterior has also been tweaked with a new two-bar grille centered in the revised front end and new rear tail-lamps nestled above a redesigned rear bumper. The interior has also been redone with higher quality materials and a new steering wheel that includes paddle shifters on the supercharged model. Throw in enough electronic nannies to make even the Queen look like a good driver and you’ve got an eminently more capable sports SUV than the one it replaces.

Mazda has put a price rate on the 2010 Mazda3, and for $15,045, you can roll away in an entry-level sedan equipped with a manual transmission. For those keeping track, that’s an ascentic $355 more than the outgoing model, and it’s a small price to pay for the additional features inside.
The Mazda3 i Touring sedan, equipped with the 2.0-liter four-pot and an automatic gearbox will set you back $18,350, and comes equipped with Dynamic Stability Control, Traction Control and Bluetooth integration. If you option up for the Mazda3 s Sport sedan with the 2.5-liter four and autobox, the price rises to $19,540, with the five-door version coming in at $20,030. Both models receive 17-inch wheels and a dash-mounted 4.1-inch multi-information screen that displays everything from MP3 tracks to trip data and maintenance alerts. The “s” models are also available with the Technology package, which includes keyless entry, push-button start, sat-nav, Sirius radio (with six months of service included) and a perimeter alarm, all of which can be yours for $1,195. A Moonroof/CD changer/BOSE Audio package is available at $1,395 .