Watt's Up with Volt?

Q: I’m pretty excited about getting a new car next year because of what I’ve heard about the Chevrolet Volt. Do you know if they’re really going to have them in dealerships next year, as they’ve been saying for the last few months?

A: Chevrolet says it will roll out about 2,000 to 3,000 Volts next year. Everyone’s best guess is that it will probably be well into 2010 before any of this limited number of vehicles will be available to buyers. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the ballyhooed car: it’s an electric car that goes up to 40 miles on a charge, depending on how you drive (jackrabbit drivers won’t go as far.) When it can’t run off its charge any more, Volt will use gasoline, ethanol or biodiesel to create electricity. No word yet on just how much this car will cost.

Q: Are there, as I believe I heard on TV, cars that can be programmed to not exceed 60 miles an hour?With three teenage boys, this would be a very handy thing to know.

A: You’re probably referring to Ford’s MyKey system, which was introduced on the Ford Focus 2010 model. There’s a programmable computer chip in the key that can limit the top speed to 80 mph and will sound a chime if the driver goes faster than a set speed (45, 55 or 65 mph). So, it doesn’t prevent the driver from going any faster than the interim speeds, but it does issue an incessant warning when he or she does. The racket probably won’t particularly put off some kids. So MyKey has an additional feature: You can also program it to limit how loud the audio system will go and to buzz a nonstop alert if the kid doesn’t buckle up. So if you set the sound system at a very low level, your boys wouldn’t be able to drown out the annoying sound with an even-louder annoying sound (to us, if not them) of music. Ford, by the way, intends to expand the feature to other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.

Q: I saw an Infiniti on the road the other day and I’m pretty sure the letters on the back identified it as an EX. So is this a replacement for an FX?

A: Nope. The EX is new. The FX remains part of the lineup. Both are SUVS of the crossover sort. Infiniti, like most carmakers, seems to think that X is the most interesting letter in the alphabet, so it’s attached to just about every model. Infiniti also has the QX, which bears no resemblance to the EX or FX. Consumers who find this confusing can just go take a running leap off a cliff. The EX is 8 inches shorter and 5 inches narrower than the FX. And its base price is about $34,665, vs. the FX, which has a manufacturer’s list base price of $43,015.

Q: We’re buying a hybrid in late December with a small inheritance. Am I right in assuming that there is no tax credit on hybrids anymore?

A: It depends on what hybrid you buy. There is no tax credit for some hybrids but there is a tax credit for some others. The way this whole tax credit thing was set up (beginning with 2005) is this: There were limits on how many of a certain make and model could qualify. The models that were out there early and enjoyed brisk sales have now surpassed that limit, and buyers of them no longer qualify for a tax credit. Models that entered the fray later have not, in many cases, passed those sales limits. The 2009 vehicles eligible for tax credits this year include some Chevrolet, Chrysler, Mazda, Saturn and Dodge models. Credits are about $1,500 to $2,200, so it’s definitely worth the trouble to find out if you’re getting one of them. The 2010s that are eligible include the Chevy Malibu and Nissan Altima plus a handful of SUVS and trucks from several manufacturers. And these tax credits are worth up to $2,350. But this is sort of a moving target. It’s possible that certain models will reach their limits soon, so it’s important, if you’re aiming for this credit, that you double check with the manufacturer. For the more-or-less current rundown on eligible models go to irs.gov and type “qualified hybrid vehicles” into the search box. After you slog through the officialese at the top you’ll find a listing of years; when you click on a specific year it will inform you which vehicles qualify.