Both General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) have hinted recently at more hybrid vehicles entering the global auto pipeline from both manufacturers. This is no surprise; customers are dealing with high gas prices every day now (with little to no relief in sight) and auto manufacturers are responding with hybrid auto technology to fill the customer need for better MPG (miles per gallon). Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) has been at the forefront of marketing so far (with its Prius hybrid, for example) and GM and Ford are pushing hybrid technology as well, what about other manufacturers?

Nissan Motor Co. (NASDAQ: NSANY) CEO Carlos Ghosn, who has been given credit for completely revitalizing and saving Nissan from complete failure back in 2001 or so, indicated yesterday that the company he leads is working hard to develop the next generation of smaller, lighter auto batteries. This move will make Nissan (hopefully) more competitive in the technology field that is sure to be used more and more in the future for not only auto batteries, but 100% electric-powered vehicles as well.

Nissan's specific move here is to have the smaller, more efficient and lighter lithium-ion battery technology currently used in cell phones and laptop computers used in passenger cars and trucks. In terms of Nissan vehicles that use hybrid technology, the current lineup includes the 2008 Nissan Altima. That car -- one of the most popular in all of Nissan's product portfolio -- has a hybrid option that uses older Nickel Metal Hydride technology that Nissan licenses from competitor Toyota. If Ghosn does not only get the newest generation of automotive batteries to market faster than the competition -- and possibly make Nissan vehicles with that technology on board -- Ford and GM may become customers as both domestic automakers strive to get a more solid footing in the hybrid vehicle market.

On Friday, Nissan Motor's (NASDAQ:NSANY) Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Ghosn, announced he would give up his oversight of the company's operations in North America to focus more on Renault and Nissan. The Japanese car maker is in a tough stretch of late, and warned that it would a lower profit for the year. The company's shares have been trading in a narrow range for years, and the company is looking for a way to reinvigorate its brand. Enter the losing keys promotion.

To promote its new push button ignition system for the 2007 Nissan Altima sedan, the company will be scattering about 60,000 sets of keys in bars, theaters, sports arenas, and parks in several key markets (sorry, couldn't help it). The key tags will have promotional tags like, "If found, please do not return because the Altima has Intelligent Key with push-button ignition, and I no longer need these." If you find a key and log on to the company's website, you can receive a $15 gas card or magazine subscription.

With a total cost for the campaign of less than $100 thousand, I think this is a brilliant marketing campaign. As Spike TV found out rather unfortunately, scattering stuff all over the place is a great way to generate publicity. The fact the key promotion directly ties into the Nissan's push-button ignition system will generate free buzz for this feature. I'm betting that this ad campaign will generate a lot more value, dollar for dollar, than buying air-time for yet another car commercial.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:XMSR) got a nice run-up in its stock yesterday. The company's shares moved from $14 to almost $14.80 and traded above $14.90 for part of the day. The move added over $150 million to XM's market cap, which now stands just shy of $4 billion.

The uptick in the stock seemed to be based on an announcement that XM has launched its new GPS in some Nissan and Infiniti cars. The navigation system is nice, but the fact that it will be offered in Nissan Altima's is hardly big news.

Satellite radio investors have developed the kind of desperate behavior that is usually exhibited by people who have been without water in the desert for several days.

XM's stock is still down from a 52-week high of $32 and even improved earnings have barely moved the stock.

The market appears to believe that satellite radio is last year's next big thing and Wall St. has moved on to things like the iPod and Xbox.

The question now is whether the two satellite radio companies can do anything to get the interest of investors back. Shy of a sharp acceleration in subscriber growth rates, probably not.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.