QUICK TAKES - Jan. 7, 2009

Rocker and activist Neil Young is entering the 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV he has converted from a gas guzzler to electric power into the Automotive X Prize that’s offering $10 million for developing a vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon or better, according to his blog post on Arianna Huffington’s website.

The Lincoln, one of the biggest, heaviest production cars of all time, has been renamed “Linc Volt” and is the subject of a feature documentary called “Repowering the American Dream” that Young is working on for his Shakey Pictures.

“With the government’s recent financial assistance to GM and Chrysler, the Big Three now have until the end of March to make the case that shows how they will survive. Survival is not enough, though,” Young wrote. “If the Big Three cannot agree to make only cars that are fuel efficient enough to get at least 50 mpg by 2011, 75 mpg by 2013 and 100 mpg by 2015, then they should go into bankruptcy and fend for themselves like all the other businesses that are having trouble. The truth is this can be done and innovators know the way to do it.”