Auto makers have leeway under federal safety rules to experiment with shift-selector designs.

WSJ: Changing Gears: Auto Makers Ditch Familiar Shift Levers

Reports surfaced Thursday that GM's top managers are working on additional restructuring moves in an effort to address the declining U.S. auto market, as well as speeding up the shift in their products from gas-guzzling contraptions to more economically sensible cars.

FORBES: GM's Late Wake-Up Call

One argument carried through many of these articles deserves more scrutiny: the notion that the effective cost of auto transportation will drop so dramatically that there will be a substantial shift away from car ownership to reliance on third-party fleets, available on demand.

FORBES: Part Six of a Seven-Part Series on Driverless Cars