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A first look at the Audi TT RS plus

Audi is taking aim at the new Porsche Boxster and its yet-to-be-revealed sister model, the upcoming second-generation Cayman, with a spectacular 174-mph version of the TT RS, pictured here officially for the first time. Called the TT RS plus, the powered-up coupe and roadster pairing is set to join what is shaping up as a formidable display of new Audi models--including the third-generation A3 and the RS4 Avant--at the Geneva motor show in early March. The centerpiece of the new range-topping TT is a tuned version of Audi's turbocharged 2.5-liter, five-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine as used by the go-fast TT RS, the RS3 Sportback and the limited-production A1 quattro.

A look at Acura future products

Acura is in the middle of a major product changeover, reflecting plans to challenge second-tier luxury rivals Audi, Buick, Infiniti and Volvo rather than Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus. Acura has launched the ILX compact sedan and redesigned the RDX compact crossover. It will redesign the RL flagship this fall and make changes to the MDX crossover and TL mid-sized sedan in 2013.

GM to slash global vehicle platforms by more than half, to 14, by 2018

General Motors says it will cut the number of vehicle platforms it uses globally by more than half over the next decade, in a bid to reduce complexity and save on product-development costs. “More of our components will be common, and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures,” GM CEO Dan Akerson told analysts on Tuesday. His remarks came as GM kicked off a series of presentations online, billed as its 2011 Global Business Conference.