Ode to the Automobile

There is no denying, however, that cool cars trigger deep-seated emotional responses: a glorified remembrance of youth, the wonders of technology, and, perhaps, some misplaced testosterone. New-technology cars may go fast, handle like a dream and look even sexier than most of their predecessors, but will they inspire pop culture—the car-related music, movies, magazines and toys that baby boomers all know by heart? Twenty-five years from now, will the mere mention of a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight cause grown men to get that dreamy, faraway look of an addicted car buff lost with all of their fond memories?

Each generation needs its icons and its symbols, and, for better or worse, we're a society of vehicles. Shed no tears—carmakers will continue to find ways to make their products an important part of the legend of the open road. I'm just really glad they'll be a whole lot cleaner and more efficient than those shiny, gas-guzzling chariots of my youth.
nnn

As we went to press, we received news that Astropower (APWR), the solar-power technology provider, has been sued by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly making 100 false claims related to how the company allocated indirect costs in Department of Energy contracts. The company's CEO, Allen Barnett, is the subject of this issue's Inside Supply (see pg. 37). Barnett told Reuters news service that the lawsuit was without merit and that it amounted to harassment because the government had already approved the allocation
in writing.