British

You've undoubtedly heard the term 'design-by-committee' (usually in a negative context), but when's the last time you heard someone say 'design-by-survey?' A British online buying guide called New Car Net (www.newcarnet.co.uk) spent two months searching for the ideal car by asking motorists to choose elements of existing vehicles they liked best. The categories included body shapes, engine power, safety features and accessories.

Finlo Rohrer of BBC News Magazine writes about the movie documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" playing in U.S. theaters. He compares the story told in the film to a similar situation that happened in Europe when Ford of Europe launched the Ford Think (pictured), a simple version of General Motor's EV1. Unfortunately, Ford pulled the plug (pardon the pun) on the vehicle, too, again citing lack of public interest. States Adrian Schmitz, environmental communications manager for Ford