GM and Segway have partnered to make a tiny, electric vehicle, the PUMA, that more closely resembles a scooter than a car. I shared my outsider’s opinion in Part 1 of this article, but there are plenty of other people out their sharing their thoughts.

This morning on the “Today Show,” a developer gave show host Meredith Viera a test drive in the passenger seat. Check out the video at Kicking Tires.

Word from the inside

As Viera rode around in the PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), she had a few insights of her own to share. She commented that she wouldn’t feel safe riding in the PUMA in the streets. She also said they’d need to create an enclosed version in order for people to use it in the winter.

The driver of the PUMA, called “Mike the engineer” in the video, said it was a very early prototype and more safety features would be developed. GM executive Larry Burns said the vehicles will be “fully designed and test-driven” by January. It sounds like it will take more than a payday loan to buy one, though. The vehicles will cost up to a third as much as an average car.

Harsh words from Business Pundit

Though Burns sounded enthusiastic about developing the PUMA, some business analysts don’t think this risky venture is best for a company living on a government lifeline.

Business Pundit called the PUMA hapless and sad.

“Is GM trying to poke fun at the government bailout with this green, but useless vehicle? Or are they just being lazy, funding Segway’s geek experiments, and proving to Obama that they are indeed changing their business model?” Business Pundit asked.

Ouch!

In PUMA’s defense

At least there is one person out there willing to defend the PUMA. Chris Morrisson of BNET Industries writes, “I’d like to take a moment to defend it.”

Morrison says Segway’s technology is solid. He also metnions that the battery-powered vehicle would be immune to future oil price spikes. He has faith in the sensor technology that automatically stops the PUMA from running into obstacles, and he believes it will keep people safe.