So, many a Republican newspaper or television executive watched in silence as his or her company suffered financially, and perceptually, from newsroom bias so as not to breach this sacrosanct wall.

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Looming in the background of this new report, of course, is the fact that the Hyundai and Kia brands raised suspicions about their mileage ratings across the board recently by falsifying the mileage figures for several models to nudge them above the perceptually crucial 40-mpg level.

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But from the very launch of Volt three years ago, GM arguably has done a poor overall job of communicating that identity and has failed to mainstream the vehicle perceptually among American consumers so that Volt would have a shot at joining the mainstream of U.S. auto sales.

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