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GM's Ed Welburn walks Jay Leno through the Elmiraj concept's design [w/Video]

General Motors' vice president Global Design Ed Welburn stars in the latest of the 'Jay Leno's Garage' YouTube series, running the talk-show host through some of the new Cadillac Elmiraj concept's design features and what it means for the brand's future. We get a look at all the classic Cadillac design cues such as the vertical headlamps and tail lamps as well as the central hard crease that Welburn says is "important in every Cadillac". Leno and Welburn then move onto the Elmiraj's features, such as the large doors' integrated handles and the slimmer A-pillars before a more in-depth look at one of the concept's most striking features – the grille.

A heavy key chain may deactivate the airbags in your Chevy Cobalt or Pontiac G5

GM is recalling 788,000 Cobalt and Pontiac G5 sedans for a potentially deadly problem with the ignition system. When the vehicles' keys are connected to heavy key chains (or, say, key rings laden with a dozen extra keys), a sufficiently extreme jolt or impact could shift the ignition out of the "run" position and into the "off" position. Cuts electrical power to the vehicles' systems, in turn deactivating the airbags.

PACE's global Portable Assisted Mobility Device project gets underway

The Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) has challenged selected global college teams to design a Portable Assisted Mobility Device (PAMD) that will help solve mobility and sustainability problems within megacities in 2030. Each team of selected global colleges will consist of one Industrial Design Institution and several Engineering and Manufacturing Institutions, with students working alongside their professors and industry mentors to help develop their designs for a small power-assisted vehicle that can be taken on public transport, stowed or carried indoors.  The PAMD concepts are designed to carry one passenger and their personal items such as a briefcase or backpack. The PAMD must address the transportation issues as the population grows within a target market that the teams specify.