Buy a Chevrolet & See the USA?

This is why General Motors may not make it.

It's called the PUMA -- for Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility -- and GM plans, in association with Segway, Inc., to roll this monstrosity out for widespread sale by 2012.

Maybe the Mayans were right after all.

According to the Wall Street Journal,

The machine, which GM says it aims to develop by 2012, would run on batteries and use wireless technology to avoid traffic backups and navigate cities.

The struggling auto maker, surviving on a government lifeline, is looking to generate enthusiasm for its increasingly uncertain future ahead of the New York auto show this week.

The Segway never achieved the success that many predicted eight years ago because it was slow, hard to see in traffic (many jurisdictions banned its street use), and expensive, at least in comparison to the carrying capacity of a traditional vehicle.

GM is betting PUMA's more car-like traits -- an enclosed compartment and top speed of 35 miles per hour -- will lead to better results. GM didn't say how much the machines would cost, but research chief Larry Burns said owners would spend one-third to one-fourth of the cost of a traditional vehicle.

PUMA would have a range of about 35 miles. GM said it aims to use so-called vehicle-to-vehicle technology to avoid traffic problems and potentially have it navigate itself through city streets.

I'm not a math genius, but I am a thinker. A range of 35 miles and a top speed of 35 mph means that you could be out of juice in an hour, and you better not have a commute of much more than 15 miles, just to be safe.

And safe you would not be, because this puppy, er PUMA, would not handle much more than a strong puff of wind. (Mountain lions should sue for the damage to their reputations as fierce, muscular beasts of speed).

Next question: How much (taxpayer) money is going into development of this?

Related questions: Is this a government idea? Is this why GM's longtime chief car designer quit recently?