Fox News v. Chevy Volt

If you haven’t followed the politics surrounding GM’s high-mpg plug-in hybrid Volt, the quick summary is that Fox News has slammed the vehicle over the past few years as an icon of all that’s wrong with Barack Obama, the federal government’s auto bailout, unions, liberals, the nanny state, the car’s design (coolant leaks caused fires in federal crash tests), and whatever else the right-tilting media outlet happens to want to rail at.

While President Obama has promised to buy a Volt once he leaves office -- “in five years,” he says -- the GM bailout was begun under President George W. Bush and its development began in 2006, under then-GM vice chairman (and global-warming skeptic) Bob Lutz.

Autoblog Green provides a concise summary of the Fox anti-Volt campaign, noting: “This revolutionary, game-changing, fine-driving, extended-range, electrically-driven car, which can travel 25-40 miles fuel-free after charging, then as far as you want it to as a small, fuel efficient engine generates electricity to keep it going, has been remarkably problem-free so far. It is expensive at $40K-plus, but it can be leased for a very reasonable $349 per month. And it sold a record 2,289 units (vs. 579 Nissan Leafs) in March despite that dishonestly overblown fire scare and despite being unfairly trashed almost daily by Fox News and conservative commentators.”

The automotive press has noted that even Fox has started Volt-positive coverage. And it was recently announced that former President George H.W. Bush purchased one of the “extended range” vehicles for his son Neil.

--Reed McManus / Photo by GM