General Motors is going all in with its new Volt, an advanced plug-in hybrid that can operate without using any gas on short trips.

Year: 2010

Cost: $30,000-$40,000 est.

Fuel economy: 50-100 mpg est.

The bet: The Volt will leapfrog Japanese technology.

The risk: The vehicle's price has crept into luxury territory. GM's iffy prospects don't help.

The innovation: A 40-mile electric-only range means some commuters will never burn any gas.

Honda is rebooting the Insight brand name. Honda's smaller 1999 Insight hybrid was quickly overshadowed and far outsold by the Toyota Prius.

Year: 2009

Cost: Less than $20,000

Fuel economy: 40-45 mpg est.

The bet: A roomier, more powerful Insight will have more appeal.

The risk: Without advanced features, the Insight could get lost in the flurry of new green cars. The innovation: Honda drove down manufacturing costs to make this hybrid the least expensive on the market.

The SSC Aero is an American-built mid-engine sports car by Shelby Super Cars. Its higher-performance limited production version, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, is currently the fastest production car in the world, with a fastest recorded speed of 413 km/h (257 mph).This speed was reportedly achieved during tests on September 13, 2007 in West Richland, Washington, United States and verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007.The Aero and the Shelby Super Cars company are the brainchildren of Jerod Shelby, who spent over seven years designing the car. The basic Aero model is no longer produced, while, as of 2008, the Ultimate Aero costs about 620,000 dollars.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Volkswagen Group subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS introduced in 2005. It is currently the fastest accelerating and decelerating production car in the world. It is currently also the most expensive production car available at a price of 1.1 million Euro. It is able to achieve the second highest top speed for a production car, behind the SSC Ultimate Aero TT .Powered by a 736-kilowatt (1,001 PS/987 hp) W16 engine, it is able to achieve an average top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph). The car reached full production in September 2005, and is handcrafted in a factory Volkswagen built near the former Bugatti headquarters in Château St Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France). It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm. Two examples of the Veyron are known to have been wrecked since production began.

The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCX has been engineered to comply with the US regulation and market demands and is an evolutionary design that replaced the Koenigsegg CCR. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X; the X commemorating the 10th anniversary, (being the Roman numeral for ten), of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996.The CCX was first unveiled on February 28, 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show although its existence was announced earlier. A derivative known as the CCXR is available, the difference being that CCXR's engine is tuned to run on biofuel. The different fuel and tune allows the CCXR to produce 25% more power than the CCX.

The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built high-performance automobile developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd. with RML taking full credit designing and developing the S7 and produced solely by Saleen in Irvine, California. It is the first car produced by Saleen not based on an existing design. The S7 debuted on August 19, 2000 at the Monterey Historic Races. From 2000 until 2004, the S7 featured a naturally aspirated V8 engine with 550 horsepower. In 2005, the S7 was replaced by the S7 Twin Turbo, which featured a more powerful twin-turbo system that boosted engine power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW) and the top speed to an estimated 250 mph (402 km/h).

The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world, holding this record from 1994 to 2005, the longest period the record has been held by any street legal or production car in the history of automobiles. It was engineered and produced by McLaren Automotive, a subsidiary of the British McLaren Group that, among others, owns the McLaren Mercedes Formula One team. Today, it is still the fastest naturally aspirated car in the world.The McLaren F1 was at the time the fastest production car ever built, eclipsing the Jaguar XJ220. A standard version of the McLaren achieved a top speed of 371 km/h (231 mph) in 1994, holding this record for more than 10 years until it was finally eclipsed in 2005 by the Koenigsegg CCR.

1. Costa Serena
Debuted May 2007; 112,000 tons, 3,000 passengers double occupancy; sails in Europe. This Italian ship's bells and whistles include Murano glass lamps in cabins, a huge digital movie screen on the pool deck, a Grand Prix driving simulator, and 99 special spa cabins that allow private access to the spa plus lots of perks including free treatments.

2. Norwegian Gem

Debuted Oct. 2007, 93,000 tons, 2,380 passengers in double occupancy, sails in Europe, Bahamas, Florida and the Caribbean. The ship's full-size, four-lane bowling alley is a good
place to test your sea legs, while foodies can sample the fare at 10 dining spots, whose cuisine ranges from Italian to steakhouse, French bistro to Asian restaurant; there's even a
teppanyaki room and a sushi bar. Spend time in one of the three 450-square-foot Garden Villas, complete with private outdoor garden, and you'll forget you're on a ship.

3. Queen Victoria

Debuted Dec. 2007, 90,000 tons, 1,990 passengers, double occupancy, sails in Europe, Asia, South Pacific and Middle East. This ship has class. Or, rather classes-there are separate restaurants, lounges and deck space for the suite guests. Full of British airs and grace, the Queen Victoria sports Cunard's traditional black-and-red livery and inside, a 1,000-square-foot
ballroom with an inlaid wooden dance floor, a museum of Cunard memorabilia, a two-level 6,000-book library and a show lounge with 15 private boxes and lounge area.

4. MSC Poesia

Debuts March 2008, 89,000-tons, 2,550-passengers, sails in Europe.This ship explodes with color and caters to an international crowd. The three-deck theater is dramatic before the curtain ever rises; likewise, the 8,000-square-foot casino is big on glitz. In addition to the spa and gym, active types will enjoy the tennis court, golf simulator and miniature golf course.

5. Independence of the Seas

Debuts April, 2008; 160,000 tons, 3,634 passengers double occupancy; sails in Europe and the Caribbean.This monster holds the title of biggest cruise ship in the world (along with her twin sisters Freedom and Liberty) and so it's no surprise she offers larger-than-life stuff to do. From a top-deck "sprayground" water park to a surfing simulator, full-sized boxing ring, climbing wall and a pair of hot tubs cantilevered 20 feet out over the side of the ship, Independence breathes fresh air into the tired "floating city" cliché.

6. Eurodam

Debuts June 2008, 86,000 tons, 2,044 passengers double occupancy; sails in Europe, Caribbean and New England/Canada.Holland America's newest ship sports the line's signature navy blue hull and handsome profile. Below decks, three specialty restaurants include a Pan-Asian and an Italian venue, for a total of five eating outlets. Couch potatoes will love the ship's Starbucks-style internet-café-cum-library, unless of course you'd rather check out a new recipe in the ship's slick demo kitchen.7. MSC Fantasia

Debuts June 2008; 133,500-tons, 3,959-passengers, sails in Europe.Sticking to Europe and carrying mostly Europeans, this behemoth is MSC Cruises' largest ship to date. Notables range from an interactive 4-D cinema and a 24-hour Tex Mex restaurant, to a sports bar and VIP treatment for the ship's 99 suites, including access to a private observation lounge, bar, hot tub and pool.