It looks like a 2009 Smart ForTwo, it's made in China, it only goes 40 miles on its batteries, and it has a dopey name. So why should you care about the Wheego Whip?

Our colleague Rex Roy has just published his full review of the 2009 Wheego Whip, but we thought a little context would be useful.

Right now it's in a category of cars called "neighborhood electric vehicles," which are limited to low speeds (35 mph or less) and licensed only for certain types of roads.

If there's one thing the past year has taught us, it's that everyone has an opinion about the auto industry. Most are fervently held. Many are unprintable.

If you spend a lot of time reading industry news--we do--you might conclude that President Barack Obama is on a single-handed mission to destroy the US, eviscerate a stunningly successful auto industry, and punish every car buyer by making us all drive golf carts.

We beg to differ. We think Obama could be

No, we won't all be driving golf carts. We won't all have to drive a truncated 2009 Toyota Yaris either. Relax and chill, folks. Let's do a little reality-based projecting on what 2016 might look like.

In 2016, the new mileage and emissions rules announced today by the Obama administration require cars to average 42 mpg and trucks to achieve 26 mpg, for a combined average of 35.5 mpg across all light-duty vehicles.

We already