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Cuba removes new car purchase restrictions

Granma, the Communist Party’s newspaper of record in Cuba, said Wednesday that the Council of Ministers approved regulations that “eliminate existing mechanisms of approval for the purchase of motor vehicles from the state.” That means the sale of new and used cars will be allowed to the public. Up until now, Cubans could buy and sell vehicles to each other, but they had to request permission from the government to purchase a new vehicle -- the main reason for the island's unique automotive landscape. The new laws will be enacted gradually, according to Granma, with a set minimum price.

Daimler, Ford & Nissan Hydrogen Alliance

Daimler (Mercedes), Ford and Nissan-Renault have formed an alliance to co-develop hydrogen fuel cell technology for a range of new cars. Yesterday, we reported that Mercedes has postponed the launch of their hydrogen fuel cell B Class until 2017 and is in talks with Nissan and Ford to co-develop hydrogen fuel cell technology. Those talks have now turned in to an alliance between three of the world’s biggest car makers.

Audi at CES 2011

Audi will position itself as the leader in in-car electronics, is working on augmented reality head up and 3D cockpits displays, and has already integrated NVIDIA's very latest Tegra 2 super processor to power the HMI of the next A3. Those were just a few of the highlights from a keynote speech given by Rupert Stadler, Chairman of Audi, on the opening morning of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Stadler drove onto the stage in the E-tron Spyder concept last seen at the Paris auto show — here painted a fetching shade of deep red — together with CES founder and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, Gary Shapiro.