Ferrari emphatically rejects any potential for an all-electric supercar in its future.  The company's chief, Amedeo Felisa, says sound is such an important part of any Ferrari that a silent battery car will not be acceptable to customers who buy into its high-priced V8 and V12-powered road rockets.

"We cannot do one," Felisa says, speaking in Sydney this week at the opening of a new landmark dealership and the local preview of the 458 Italia. "The sound is so important.  "It's part of the development of our cars. The sound of the Ferrari … is part of the image of the brand."

He also questions whether electric cars are truly the answer to the needs of future motoring "If you look at global warming, full electric is not the solution. It is a marketing solution.  "Hybrid, but done in a proper way, is the best solution. But it needs a lot of development to be done."

The current benchmark is the Proton S16, which will be priced from $10,990 in June, but the first Chinese imports are more likely to be priced against the Hyundai Getz in the $13,990 zone.

Baby cars from Great Wall and Chery are expected first from China, followed by Geely, and the man leading the push says he is more worried about value than a rock-bottom price.  "We're not even trying to get to $10,990. Absolutely not. We don't see Proton as a big deal, to be honest," says Neville Crichton, boss of the Great Wall and Chery importer, Ateco.

"We'd like to stay, probably, dollar-for-dollar, where Hyundai is. But with better specced cars."  Crichton plans to have a 1.4-litre Great Wall car in showrooms in July, alongside a RAV4-size SUV, with the first Chery just a month later, and he is pushing value ahead of a rock-bottom price.

It received a "marginal" rating in the latest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety roof crush test program in the United States.  The Colorado - sold in North America as a Chevrolet - also rated "poor" for side impact protection despite having side curtain airbags as standard.  In Australia, the Colorado has neither curtain nor side torso airbags.

The GM pickup was one of five utes that underwent roof strength and side impact testing.  Nissan earned the highest rating of ‘good’ for its popular Navara, while the Ford Ranger was ‘acceptable’ for roof crush protection.  The Navara is the only pickup in the group to earn the highest rating.

The two other utes were the Toyota Tacoma and Dodge Dakota, which are not sold here.  The rating is based on institute research that shows occupants in rollover crashes benefit from stronger roofs.

... and what did the second-hand car buyer find tucked behind his back seat?

For all this and a lot more, listen to the podcast above.

EVERETT, Washington — Boeing’s biggest commercial airplane took off for the first time today, one day short of the 41st anniversary of the maiden flight of the first 747.

The 747-8, airframe No. RC501, taxied onto runway 34L at Paine Field, then sped down the runway and into the air at 12:39 p.m. It quickly vanished in low clouds as Boeing employees cheered. The flight window opened at 10 a.m. but fog delayed the takeoff for more than two hours. Mark Feuerstein, Boeing’s chief pilot of 747 programs, and co-pilot Tom Imrich have a four-hour flight planned before returning to Paine Field before dark.

There’s no replacement for displacement, and although Carroll Shelby didn’t coin the phrase, he sure believes in it. He’s been spreading that gospel since back in the day when he was shoehorning Ford V8s into ACs and Sunbeams and literally making Ford’s Mustang live up to its pony car name.

Ol’ Shel is at it again, and his latest iteration of the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang features an all alloy aluminum V8 that cranks out well in excess of 500 horsepower and promises to make short work of your favorite road.

Shai Agassi boldly predicts one-third of Israel’s cars will run on electricity within five years. It would be an outlandish claim if the entrepreneur hadn’t lined up a sweet plan to jump-start the country’s adoption of EVs.

Mark your calendars — General Motors fires up the Volt assembly line on Nov. 1.

Lyle Dennis over at GM-Volt.com got his hands on the 2011 model year ordering guide the brass sent to dealers, and it says that’s the day GM plans to begin building production models of the Chevrolet Volt. The General always has said the Volt will roll off the line by the end of 2010, but the paperwork Dennis perused offers the first concrete date.

Super Bowl XLIV has come and gone, with the New Orleans Saints pulling out a convincing albeit surprising victory over the Indianapolis Colts (An onside kick to start the third quarter?!?!?!). You're in the minority if that spoiled a surprise, as the Super Bowl is traditionally the most watched televised event of the year. And because of that, commercials that run during the big game are often the most expensive to produce and fun to watch.

Too close for comfort or exactly what the Pentastar needs, that depends on your point of view. But Chrysler and Lancia - the two pseudo-premium brands under the Fiat-Chrysler partnership - are growing closer by the day.