Ron Meritt

General Motors Corp. is trying to prove that hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars could replace gasoline-powered cars and eliminate the U.S. dependence on Mideast oil as well as remove gasoline exhaust pollution from the air. GM is piloting a hydrogen-powered Opel Zafira minivan on a 6,200-mile run that began May 3 in Norway and is scheduled to end this week in Portugal.

Would you like to own the rights to the technology that will free this planet from having to rely on oil -- foreign or domestic? It's for sale! On EBay! The inventor, Ron Meritt, began offering it Monday in an auction that will last until May 20. He has put no reserve, or minimum price, on the sale.

As the new year begins, a review of 2004 proves how wacky the auto industry really is. Consider: * The much-maligned Pontiac Aztek sport-utility vehicle outsells the high-performance Pontiac GTO. So General Motors adds a higher output V-8 to the GTO for 2005 -- and discontinues Aztek after the 2005 model year. * Consumer Reports magazine's annual reliability study finds the Buick Regal is more reliable than the Toyota Camry, the industry's top-selling car in 2003.