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Mercedes GLA goes subterranean

FOR SUV owners looking to test their cars’ off-road credentials, the obvious place to put them to the test probably isn’t nearly 200 metres underground. But that’s exactly where the new Mercedes GLA found itself as it descended into Winsford Rock Salt Mine, 620 feet beneath the Cheshire countryside. The working mine, which supplies much of the UK’s gritting salt for wintry roads, played host to four standard (apart from extra driving lights) GLA models, which were lowered down into the mine nose first before being let loose in the 130-mile network of tunnels.

Saab targets German luxury foes with a new 9-5

The redesigned 2010 Saab 9-5 Aero sedan is big, filled with technology, and designed and engineered to compete with the Audi A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-class sedans. “The new Saab demonstrates that we are alive and kicking,” said Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars NV, the Dutch sports-car maker that purchased Saab from General Motors Co. in February.

Civic hybrid tests Honda's new strategy

Despite being the first to sell an electric-gasoline car in the United States and making hybrid technology a centerpiece of its fuel economy push, Honda Motor Co. has yet to have a hybrid hit. But the redesigned Civic Hybrid, launched April 20, is the first test of whether Honda's new strategy of tapping lithium ion batteries and, later, two-motor systems can break the streak.