The weakening economy has General Motors hard, and the top US automaker has been forced to cut jobs, close factories, and cut costs on Research and Development. But it’s not all bad news for GM... they have started plans to start making more fuel efficient, smaller cars. After cutting down on production of large and lumbering, carbon spewing trucks and SUVs, GM said they plan on building more European style cars with much more efficient engines. Their highly anticipated upcoming hybrid, the Chevy Volt, doesn't come out until 2010, but will be able to run fully on electric mode for up to 40 miles before switching back to gas mode. And concept cars like the compact Chevy Beat and Chevy Cruze, which were originally intended for production overseas, will see the light of day on American roads soon. GM is acknowledging that, as gas prices have soared, tastes have shifted away from SUVs and Trucks and more and more Americans are looking for smaller, more fuel efficient cars like the kind that are common in Europe and Asia. America's biggest car maker will have a lot of catching up to do in order to get in the hybrid and small car market that foreign automakers have been working in for years, but the Detroit institution will have to do so in order to survive in this changing market. And after hearing their plans, it sounds like GM will do just fine shifting from huge cars to smaller ones.