In 1998 or so Toyota launches inside Japan without any fanfare at all. GM's top brass said they made a mistake by killing that car because gas is really cheap. Reminds me of the Newton. A technological marvel but just doesn't fit into the marketplace at the time.
Jonathan Rauch, of the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Monthly, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the evolution of the Chevy Volt, GM's planned electric car. Due to the transparency of GM's effort, Rauch was able to spend a great deal of time on site at GM writing a piece for the Atlantic Monthly on GM's plans and hopes. Rauch discusses the huge risks, GM's past failures, and GM's hopes that the Volt might change the company's culture. The conversation closes with a discussion of competitors and the implications for energy policy.