In this article we take a look at the Chevrolet Volt and try to work out if it is really worth waiting for. Will it actually give the Prius a run for its money? Is it the way forward?

What is the Volt?

The Chevrolet Volt is GM's answer to the assault of the Toyota Prius. The Prius is the top selling hybrid car in the world. When the Volt project was announced, oil prices were climbing steadily higher, pushing more and more buyers away from the SUVs that GM had been enjoying so much success with in the preceding years.

GM finally woke up to the threat posed by a combination of high oil prices and the apparent surge in popularity of affordable hybrid cars. The company reacted in true American fashion, by setting their engineers a seemingly impossibly difficult task to complete in an impossibly small time frame. The Volt was that task.

GM/Holden is to take advantage of a Federal Government AUS$6 billion car plan, and build a four-cylinder car in Australia starting in 2010. The car is to be based on the Chevrolet Cruze, a global car that GM hopes will help to turn things around.

On paper the Proton Persona CNG is a winner. The specifications look good, and the price is very reasonable. The Persona undercuts rivals on price, while seemingly offering more. But this is all on paper.

This week I got behind the wheel of the Persona CNG, and would like to share my opinions after a short drive. I'm going to focus mainly on the ride quality, comfort, and performance in this article. Where applicable I'll also draw some comparisons to other cars in this segment.

There is an interesting article in this week's Bangkok Post Motoring section that raises the issue of needless oil and tire changes, under the advice of those supplying these products.

Check it out. You could save yourself a few baht.

Recently the "Global Economic Melt Down", "financial crisis", or whatever you want to call it, has been taking its toll on the motor industry. While some automakers are attempting to seek government support to stay alive, all automakers are scrambling to find ways to cut costs and save money.

Unfortunately for fans of motor sport, this means less money is being directed towards motor racing. Honda's decision to withdraw from F1 set the scene. Up until then, much of the focus was on GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Honda's reason was simple: money.

Sales at this years Thai Motor Expo were actually pretty reasonable considering the current political and economic difficulties that Thailand is facing. Approximately 14,000 cars were ordered at the Expo which was attended by around 1.5 million visitors.

There are no surprises at the top of the sales table, with Toyota and Honda leading the pack with 4,193 and 2,552 bookings respectively. Business as usual really! Third place went to Isuzu with 1,760, which might seem like a big gap until you remember that they only sell trucks and truck derived SUVs.

Honda believes that there is strong demand for Thai cars on the export market, despite the recent global slump in sales that has left the US Auto industry looking very fragile.

Honda Automobiles (Thailand) Co. Ltd., has seen export orders drop of 10 percent, due mostly to a decrease in demand from Japan and Australia. But, Honda still thinks that there are plenty of buyers out there for both completely built-up (CBU) cars, as well as for kits for assembly in the world market.

Toyota Motor Thailand is currently lobbying the Thai government, seeking a lifting of import duty for CKD parts to be used in the assembly of hybrid vehicles in Thailand.

This actually comes as little surprise, since Toyota are to start assembly of the Camry Hybrid next year. Toyota are seeking to have the 30-40% duties removed, to allow them to price the Camry Hybrid under THB 2 million.

Proton are continuing their assault on the Thai market with the Persona CNG. The Persona enters a very very tough segment, with existing models have very commanding positions. We can't go far here without comparisons to the almost bulletproof Vios and the equally solid City, and this is what the Persona faces.

So does it stand a chance? Who is going to buy a Malaysian Proton, ahead of locally assembled and safe options like the Toyota and Honda. Read on to find out....

I was researching for a Proton related story when I stumbled upon this video that I would like to share.

The video that follows is one of a guy speeding in a Gen 2 on a Thai highway. He tops out just short of 180 km/h. Why am I putting this video up? Well we all know that a Gen 2 can go at 180 km/h, so it's not about that. And it's not because he crashes at the end either.

The Chinese made Geely (JEE-lee) CK has made its way to Thailand via the Yontrakit group, the Thai import company that has traditionally brought in luxury and premium models. Recently, the company has switched to bargain basement offerings like the Naza Forza, and now the Geely CK.

The Geely CK aims to offer a low-cost alternative to the Toyota Vios and Honda City. Although this might look like a credible option at first glance, the reality is that this car should not be on the road at all, and I believe that Yontrakit are going to regret the decision to bring it to Thailand.

The Nissan Teana is due to be updated for 2009 and we recently posted a brief article about it. Now, the 2009 Nissan Teana has been spotted and photographed in Thailand.

Thai-built pickup trucks continue to take a beating in the Euro NCAP. The Ford Ranger was the latest to be subjected to NCAP safety tests in Europe, and the restuts are not pretty.

General Motors Thailand will temporally suspend operations in Thailand for December and the first three weeks of January due to a slump in demand. GM, the worlds largest automaker recently begged for a government bailout package in the US as it suffers from the effects of the global financial crisis.

The shutdown in Thailand obviously won't improve matters, with some 2,000 employees sitting at home yet still being paid 75% of their salaries.

Official images of the 2010 Mazda3 Hatchback have surfaced, and they have been met with mixed reactions. The front end is much the same as the 4-door Mazda3 Sedan that was shown first. So it looks like Randall from Monsters Inc.