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Nissan Leaf gets battery warranty boost

Nissan Motor Co. plans to bolster the warranty of the battery module in its electric Leaf to reassure consumers of its durability. The company intends to notify current owners and dealers early next year that it will make the warranty retroactive to cover all existing Leafs, offering to repair or replace the car’s lithium-ion battery if it loses more than 30 percent of its ability to hold a charge after five years or 60,000 miles.

A look at future Cadillacs

Cadillac revealed another take on a future large, rear-wheel-drive car during the Pebble Beach weekend—the ultra-cool Elmiraj four-seater coupe. This is Cadillac's second such concept in a couple years, after it showed the Ciel convertible at Pebble in 2011. Yet we hear that the first production car to ride on the so-called Omega platform will be a sedan scheduled to arrive in 2015 as a 2016 model.

Volkswagen plans 4 million cars from one platform

Volkswagen is pushing the global-platform concept to a level unprecedented in the auto industry, introducing a modular platform this summer that eventually will be the basis of microcars, sedans, crossovers and SUVs for its four largest brands. While automakers now share platforms across brands and sometimes even segments, the VW initiative that starts this summer is far more ambitious than anything seen so far. By 2017, some analysts estimate, the MQB platform that debuts with the Audi A3 eventually will be used in 4 million units a year--close to half of VW's annual production.