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News watch March 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Thursday 31 March 2011• US President Barack Obama has strated all US government cars and trucks purchased from 2015 must be alternative-fuel vehicles (Automotive News)• Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has denied a report in Japan's Nikkei newspaper that he is leaning towards a formal merger of Nissan and Renault (Reuters)• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says that Chrysler's share IPO may now take place in 2012, depending on financial progress this year (Bloomberg)Wednesday 30 March 2011• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called a report that the EV carmaker is a takeover target 'bad analysis' and remains confident the firm will stay independent (Bloomberg)• The BBC denies that it rigged a December 2008 Top Gear TV test of the Tesla Roadster, in response to being sued by the EV carmaker (BBC News)• First Group, the UK's largest public transport operator, has announced a £160m investment in new buses, ordering 955 new buses from UK manufacturers Wrightbus and Dennis over the next two years (BBC News)• Japanese production woes look set to continue into April. Toyota expects the majority of Toyota and Lexus production on 14 April (Automotive News)• Saab production has re-started again, following a half yesterday afternoon.

Jaguar XK 2010/2011 Upgrades – Ultimate XKR Special Edition

The 2010 Jaguar XKR - with all the options With the Geneva Motor Show just two weeks away, Jaguar has decided to roll out some upgrades to the Jaguar XK range and take the XKR further in to Supercar territory with the addition of two new options – the Speed Pack and the Black Pack. The car Jaguar will be taking to Geneva has both the new option packs fitted and is being billed as the Ultimate Jaguar XKR Special Edition. The info from Jaguar is slightly confusing, as it looks as if US buyers can opt for the fully loaded ‘Jaguar XKR Special Edition’ but UK and European buyers will need to specify both the new Speed and Black packs on a standard XKR to achieve the same end.

Relaxed Elegance: Dana Point Concours d'Elegance is pure fun

Twenty-nine years ago, the event was called the Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance, and that title was on the tickets until 2010, when it was changed to the Dana Point Concours d'Elegance. That's fitting, as it's been held at the upscale St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in tony Dana Point, Calif., for four years.