Autoblog

Did you hear the one about the train trips GM VP Larry Burns took with chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner? Here's how it went:

Larry Burns and Rick Wagoner were riding a train through France, and after sharing half a magnum of excellent champagne with a Frenchman on the trip, they were horrified when the man tossed the half-full bottle out of the window of the train. "Wee haf so much excellent champagne in France that we can throw some out ze window," he said.

Larry and Rick repeat the adventure, only this time in Japan, where they're on a train drinking the most fabulous sake in the world, only to have their acquaintence throw the remaining half bottle of sake out of the train window because there's excellent sake aplenty in Japan.

On a final trip, Wagoner and Burns were discussing how great American engineers are... "So Rick stood up and threw me out the window."

Ba dump bump. Get it? Get it?

[Source: Larry Burns' speech at the Greenbrier conference via the Detroit News]

The US Army took delivery of the first Chevy Equinox fuel-cell vehicle yesterday during a Washington, D.C. ceremony that marked the kickoff of GM's new Project Driveway initiative. Maj. Gen. Roger A. Nadeau (above), commander of the US Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command, was on hand to accept the keys from GM's Larry Burns and Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

The fuel-cell Equinox will be used for general transportation duties on bases in Virginia and California, and will afford the military additional real-world experience regarding FCV operation, maintenance and logistics. The Army and GM have a history of woking together with FCVs, the most recent example being the Silverado Fuel Cell Truck y into service last year.

In a somewhat humorous aside, the joint press release issued by GM, the Army, and Senator Levin's office notes that the Equinox will be used for "non-tactical" purposes. Hello? It's an Equinox alternative-fuel vehicle. Saying that it's not intended for tactical use is akin to taking out an ad in the newspaper to tell readers the sky is blue.

It's also apparent that not all the Project Driveway FCVs have the new-look face seen on the press photos released last week by GM. The Army's machine (right) has the enlarged grille opening and added intakes in the front bumper, but it's obviously a variation on the old Equinox front end. Looks like a facelift may be on the horizon.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: GM]