George H.W. Bush buys a Chevy Volt as conservatives rethink car’s image

Gas prices hitting $4 a gallon hasn't sent car shoppers flocking toward the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid; there's still a few thousand available at dealers despite a temporary plant shutdown. Yet there's several signs that the controversial plug-in hybrid days as a political football may finally be ending, such as anecdotal word of a sales surge, favorable coverage from Fox News and a purchase by former President George H.W. Bush.

Chevrolet marketing chief Chris Perry told Ward's Automotive earlier this week that sales of the Chevy Volt had picked up in March -- which also happens to be the first month that Chevy offered a zero-percent loan deal for up to five years on the Volt. While a few Volts are advertised with prices including several thousand dollars in government incentives, most of those are tax credits or rebates, which means buyers have to absorb the monthly payment from the full $41,000 sticker, something General Motors has been loathe to discount.