If you thought that getting 50 miles per gallon driving a toyota Prius hybrid was good, how about 230 miles per gallon? Or 367 mpg? Well, you are about to see a new breed of automobiles from big and small automakers touting this level of performance. In 2010, look GM's Volt and Nissan's Leaf, but there will also be offerings from unknown startups such as V-Vehicle, a California-based electric car company backed by billionaire T. Boone Pickens. These automobiles range from hybrids- a combination of gas and electric- to all electric vehicles. This level of performance comes at a high price, however. Although consumers will receive an expected $7,500 tax credit for purchasing one of these cars, the Volt's expected $40,000 price tag will still cause sticker shock. Also, the lack of public recharging stations poses a singnificant challenge, especially for all- electric vehicles such as the Leaf, which needs recharging approximately every 100 miles. And some might question the efficiency claims, especially since the Environmental Protection Agency is still finalizing the methodology that factors in electricity used when making miles-per-gallon equivalency claims. 1. What factors in the marketing environment present opportunities or threats to automakers (AACSB: communication; reflevtive thinking) 2. Will it be possible for a startup automaker such as V-Vehicle to compete with big automakers such as Ford, GM, BMW, ect...? What factors in the Marketing environment will enable or inhibit new competitors? (AACSB: communication; reflevtive thinking)