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Natural-gas-powered Honda Civic can stay in California carpool lane

Honda Civic GX drivers in California are smiling this week as they continue to have access to the high-occupancy-vehicle lane, even with just one person in the car. Even though one-occupant hybrid cars have lost access to the carpool lane, natural-gas-powered vehicles get to use it for another four years. Beginning on July 1, yellow-stickered partial hybrids were banned from HOV areas on the highways unless they carried the mandated number of people.

Citroën Cactus concept with Air Bump technology confirmed for Frankfurt debut [w/Video]

Citroën's Cactus concept featuring a mysterious sounding 'Air Bump' technology will be taking center stage at the carmaker's stand at this year's Frankfurt motor show. The carmaker has released just one image of the concept along with a 21-second video (see left) showing a spongy panel labeled ‘Air Bump' being poked. Although this doesn't really tell us much about what this new technology actually does, we suspect the panels featured in the video are inserted into the bumper and can protect it from the smaller-scale collisions that can happen in everyday life.

Citroën Survolt Francoise Nielly art car displayed at C_42, Paris

Citroën's C_42 building on Paris' world famous Champs-Elysées has launched its new exhibition season, with an art car version of its Survolt concept by French artist Francoise Nielly. The use of fluorescent paint in her oil and knife portraits was inspired by a childhood spent in Southern France, where she chased butterflies in the bright Mediterranean sun. Her work has, in turn, inspired Citroën's designers, who cite Nielly's work as the influence behind the vibrant color highlights on the Survolt.