The Detroit 3 are pushing hard for $50 billion in low interest loans to keep factories running, build new ones and create alternative powertrains. Presidential candidate Barak Obama has already endorsed $50 billion in loans and Republican nominee John McCain has signed on for $25 billion in loans already guaranteed in the 2007 energy bill. If Ralph Nader were elected to office (won't happen), he would be against such a loan. Nader told a group of supporters in the Detroit area that "tax payers should not be played for a sucker," and that decades of bad decisions by automakers means that no such government assistance is deserved.

GM spokesman Greg Martin countered that Nader was basically a non-entity in the big picture, pointing out that the loan would help quickly get more fuel efficient vehicles on the road. U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg from Michigan remarked that Detroit automakers could be paying 15-20% in interest rates without the government loan, which would be pegged at 4-5%. We're not experts on the subject, but we're pretty sure a loan with a 20% interest rate is a bad idea, and it's not the kind of rate you want to pay if you're competing against Toyota.

Though its first official public debut isn't scheduled until early next week, the 2011 Chevy Volt has been introduced to the internet early courtesy of the The Car Connection, which published these apparently official pictures of the revolutionary series hybrid today. In the past few weeks we've seen official teasers shots of the car mixed with spy video taken on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, all of which have only served to increase excitement ahead of the car's official debut next week. These pics give up the goods like no others, however, and show various GM execs and engineers directly responsible for its development posing alongside like proud papas. The list includes, in order, Tony Posawatz, Bob Lutz, Bob Boniface, Frank Weber, and Andrew Farah.

What we see is a vehicle about the size of the current Chevy Cobalt or next-gen Cruze with a very aerodynamic front end and high rear decklid. There are some futuristic design elements too, including the LED fog lights, black expanse beneath the windows and Volt badging attached to the sideview mirrors. Perhaps the most poignant pic of all is Lutz himself doing a double-handed lean on the production Volt, as GM's product czar has been the most visible figure during the car's very public development.

What's another $25 billion between friends? That's the argument General Motors, Chrysler and Ford's Congressional lobbyists will be making in the next few months for a $50 billion loan from the federal government.

Originally, Detroit's Big Three were after $25 billion in loans from the Feds, but after lawmakers authorized a loan in last year's energy bill, the domestics now want Congress to grant loans up to $50 billion over the next three years.

The loans would carry an interest rate of around four to five percent, with $25 billion being available in the first year, another $15 billion in the second year and the final $10 billion in the third.

GM, Ford and Chrysler contend that the low-interest loans would be used to build more fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids and electrics, thus reducing the U.S.'s dependency on foreign oil, not to mention making all three automakers more competitive in a market that no longer favors big trucks and SUVs.

Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas, likens the bailout loan to the recent financial support granted to Bears Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from the Feds, saying, "This is not about benefiting Wall Street. This is benefiting Main Street, the working men and women."

There's a lot of smack talk about Detroit automakers these days, and while some of it is spot on, other myths are no more credible than what's written in the men's john. General Motors is apparently tired of fielding questions surrounding this bathroom fodder and the embattled automaker is busting out its own Sharpie to dispel what it feels are untruths. GM has created a Web 1.0 site called GM Facts and Fiction on which are several statements often said in the media and around the water cooler that its feels are untrue. For example, much talk has come up concerning government bailouts, and GM Facts and Fiction counters that the federal money would not be a bailout but rather low-interest loans earmarked for developing fuel-efficient vehicles. Other topics of purported myth include fuel economy, product desirability and the Chevy Volt. Hit the link below to see GM's latest five fact-and-fiction posts, and let us know if you think the automaker is on the mark or just scribbling lavatory graffiti of its own.

When the land was flowing with milk and honey, GM didn't get medieval on folks who took just a little more than their fair share. Now that GM's diet has been pared back to a few nuts and the occasional berry... well, every nut counts. So when The General performed a random audit and found that employees had allegedly been sharing their employee discounts with ineligible buyers, instead of a big "whatever," GM initiated lawsuits.

Based on the known records, GM is trying to recoup $450,000 plus court costs and attorney's fees from at least nine court cases. In addition to offering the discounts to those who shouldn't have had access to them, GM said the the employees were using the discounts "for their own financial gain."

Some of the employees being sued no longer work for GM. Attorneys for the defendants have suggested that shady dealers simply used the employees' information to give the discounts to other buyers without the employees' knowledge or consent. At this point, no dealers are named in the lawsuits, so it's up to the employees in question to prove their innocence. And for now, when it comes to pennywise, GM isn't playing around...

The ruthless pruning continues, with GM Inside News reporting that the rear-wheel-drive Kappa II platform has gone to heaven before ever touching this mortal coil. Back in 2004, a vehicle line executive said "The Kappa architecture is a great platform for sporty, driver-oriented applications around the globe." Apparently, not one for which GM could make enough different models to actually earn some money.

Reasons for the sequel platform's demise are allegedly that the first hydra-formed Kappa is just too expensive to fabricate; the cars based on it use expensive, hydra-formed parts; assembly requires inordinate amounts of human labor; and GM didn't make its money back fast enough to justify the investment in a new RWD – read: thirstier – platform.

The current Kappa's suspension and design geometry aren't shared with any other car;, the platform was created to accept one engine, the Ecotec 4-cylinder; and it served under only four varieties of the same car: the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Daewoo G2X and Opel GT. It was a lot to ask such a limited platform to achieve the volume's GM needed with cars on expensive underpinnings that didn't demand expensive prices. And if the rumors are true, then your Solstice GXP could be worth more than you expected, and sooner than you expected.

When the Chevy Volt goes on sale in late 2010, it may be joined shortly thereafter by other GM-branded series hybrids using the eFlex architecture. But after the General's bread-and-butter bow-tie division, which brands make the most sense to get their own Volt? We've already seen a Cadillac with underlying eFlex technology, and GM's luxury arm could charge higher prices to offset the cost of the expensive powertrain. After Cadillac, Saturn might be a good bet considering we've already seen an eFlex-based Saturn-branded FlexStream concept.

Susan Docherty, GM's North American vice president of Buick, Pontiac and GMC, thinks GM's driving excitement team is a natural fit for a Volt-like hybrid. Her reason is that the Pontiac brand can attract a younger crowd that readily accepts new technology and cutting-edge design. We're not so sure. If Pontiac is supposed to build excitement, how does that jive with a heavy battery pack in a car that's engineered to save fuel rather than go fast? Then again, nothing says instant torque quite like an electric vehicle. Dealers who bought into building combined Buick, Pontiac and GMC stores will want at least one vehicle in their showrooms based on the eFlex architecture, though, and Pontiac makes more sense than Buick or GMC.

As part of the ongoing numbers game between the Detroit 3, their workers and the UAW, General Motors has plans to offer more early retirement packages to some 9,000 of its white collar (non-unionized and salaried, that is) workers. For those who like to keep track of such things, that number represents about a third of the 27,000 white-collar, non-union workers who call the General their employer. If GM gets its wish, around half of those offered packages will accept and have plenty of time to keep those white collars clean and pressed for their next job interview. Employees offered the package will have 45-days to decide whether or not to accept. Although no real details of the care package have been released, rumor has it that GM has sweetened the pot a bit as compared to previous rounds of attrition by increasing the pension payments for younger workers.

Giveth, and taketh away, isn't that always the story? On the taketh away side, GM has recently lost a serious chunk of change. On the giveth side, The General received a $56 milion package of tax credits and grants to keep an SUV factory open in Ohio. It has also just received another package of tax credits from the city of Flint, Michigan to aid its investment in a factory that will build engines for the new Volt and Chevy Cruze. Approved over some constituent disapproval by the Flint City Council, getting GM to build the factory there will keep 300 jobs in the city. GM is now looking to the state of Michigan for more tax incentives.

As of 1996, the United States requires all new vehicles to come equipped with the OBD II on-board vehicle diagnostics system. The system utilizes an array of sensors to provide feedback on engine performance in order to aid mechanics with troubleshooting as well as maintain sufficient emissions levels. The large expense of readers and loggers has kept access to the system out of range for the majority of consumers, that is until more recently. These days electronics, such as small touch screen lcds, have become a reasonable option for data displays. The aftermarket industry has already taken the jump in releasing software that integrates OBDII output to visual digital displays. Nissan even includes a fine example of the technology in the GT-R. Now GM has developed its own performance display intended for use with ECOtec engines, specifically those of the turbocharged variety, and it will be a $295 dealer installed option beginning in 2009.

GM's Reconfigurable Performance Display can illustrate a wide range of data in gauge form, such as boost, battery voltage, air fuel ratio, cam phase angle, timing, barometric pressure and even torque and horsepower (the later two likely calculated based on other parameters). The device even includes a g-sensor, so no need for hacking your Wiimote to do the job. Traction control can also be enabled and disabled through the screen, along with shift lights for individual gears. Check out the gallery below for various screen shots. While it is apparent that the display is marketed towards Chevrolet Cobalt SS and HHR SS owners, we also presume that Saturn Sky Redline and Solstice GXP owners will get the option. Unfortunately, there is no word yet on the performance display being available for the Chevy Camaro.

The HUMMER brand isn't exactly sterling here in the States due to high fuel prices and its standing as the poster vehicle for green groups trying to save the environment from the evils of CO2 emissions. That's probably the biggest reason GM is looking to offload the brand, and while it doesn't seem likely that anyone would want the marque, there are interested parties. According to GM's Middle East Managing Director, Terry Johnsson, one group is a pair of Arab investors. The Middle East has been a player in the automotive landscape over the past few years, as the region is rife with cash and oil and has growing transportation needs. Arab investors were 50% of the Aston Martin sale in 2007, and Abu Dhabi's investment group purchased 5% of Ferrari in 2005.

Many of the early suitors for the HUMMER brand have since decided to bow out. Whether the final buyer is Tata Motors, investors from the Gulf, or some yet unknown party, the General will want to move quickly before the brand's value falls any further.

No matter how you slice it, a proposed $25 billion loan from the Feds is a bailout, and that's exactly what Detroit's Big Three automakers are after, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Lobbyists for General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have met with White House officials, Rep. John Dingell and a smattering of Michigan Democrats to discuss the loan, with plans to unveil the proposal after Labor Day.

The plan includes lending $25 billion to automakers in its first year at an interest rate of 4.5 percent (about one-third of what the companies are currently paying), with the government having the option to defer any payment for up to five years.

Details are scarce, and naturally, GM, Ford and Chrysler reps aren't saying much, but if the automakers and the Feds are serious, expect more information to leak out before the proposal is officially announced.