AutoMK.com

We've all heard the sound of our nice alloy wheels being ground into the curb during a botched parallel-parking attempt. It's the sound of fingernails being scraped on chalkboard mixed with a dash of Cher's singing voice – utterly gut wrenching. GM's answer is the Structure wheel being debuted on its Opel/Vauxhall Vectra line. It's a special five-spoked steel wheel that's covered with an inexpensive though extremely alloy-looking plastic cover. Though it's hard to tell from the pictures, reports are that the wheel covers are virtually impossible to distinguish from the real thing. They cost only about $30 each to replace and add a marginal amount of weight to the wheel. Perhaps I'll bite when a spinner version is offered.