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Car Design of the Year 2010

Today is the last day to cast your vote for your favorite car designs from 2010. Your votes will decide which design teams will be presented an award by Car Design News at the Geneva motor show in March, with prizes being given to the best vehicle in the concept and production car categories. The polls officially close Friday 11 February, so make your vote count!

Crunch watch Nov 09: the auto industry in crisis

Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Monday 30 November 2009• Saab's future is likely to become clearer tomorrow when the GM board meets in Detroit. It will have to decide whether to seek a new buyer or put Saab into liquidation (Financial Times)• Don't rule out an eastern bid for Saab: Beijing Automotive is still interested in buying the Swedish car maker despite its joint bid with Koenigsegg hitting the rocks, reports Automotive News.

Ford reportedly to shut down Mercury

The Mercury brand, rumored to be on the verge of death several times over the past decade, would be shut down under a plan being prepared for Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Citing two executives who have knowledge of the plan but asked not to be identified, the news service said the plan would be submitted to Ford's board in July. How quickly Mercury would be shut down depends how quickly the automaker can convince Lincoln Mercury dealers to close or merge with a Ford-brand dealership, the report said.