Obama's second term: More EVs, safety

President Barack Obama's second term likely will include a return to an agenda of support for electric vehicles and also could clear the way for new rules on tailpipe emissions and auto safety that his appointees have been eager to release. Obama's fellow Democrats retained control of the Senate, while Republicans kept their House majority In his victory speech, Obama said he plans to meet with Republican challenger Mitt Romney in coming weeks to discuss ways to move the country forward. He also saluted Romney's father, George, who once ran American Motors, a company absorbed by Chrysler in 1987 and whose Jeep became a flashpoint during the campaign.

Concept Car of the Week: Autobianchi Runabout (1969)

The 850 was a very popular car for Fiat in the ‘60s, especially in its spider version with its cute design and compact proportions. When the time came to replace it, Fiat went back to Bertone, where chief designer Marcello Gandini was charged with designing its replacement. Not happy to simply recreate the 850, he began with a whole new layout by placing the engine directly in front of the rear axle for a mid-engined layout.

Ford Grand C-Max & C-Max – Frankfurt Catchup

Ford has revealed the new C-Max range in Frankfurt including the Grand C-Max (pictured). Two weeks ago we took the lid off the new Ford C-Max with the first pictures of Ford’s 2010 C-Max, which is the first car from Ford to be built on the next generation Focus platform (C-Segment Platform). With swooping, overgrown-coupe lines Ford has done a good job of injecting a bit of style and it’s Kinetic design language in to the new C-Max.