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General Motors to keep green car technology in house

For the first time in its 100-year history, General Motors plans to design, develop and manufacture electric motors for its growing array of gasoline-electric hybrids and electric vehicles. The electric motors used in GM's current lineup of hybrids are made to GM specifications by outside vendors. GM wants to bring the design and manufacturing in-house to save money and to apply its own technology to boost performance, lower weight and reduce power consumption, said Larry Nitz, GM's chief hybrid powertrain engineer.

Bugatti Galibier - it’s the new Royale (2010): the first official photo

By Tim Pollard (two artist's impressions of blue car by R.Varicak/MotorForecast) First Official Pictures 15 July 2009 16:56 These are the first official glimpses of the new Bugatti Royale – the legendary limousine reinvented for the 21st century. Bugatti is readying the new Royale to celebrate the company’s centenary this autumn, where it will be shown to prospective customers on the eve of the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. We’ll be the first to admit that the original teaser photo, scanned from a VIP invite by an eagle-eyed CAR reader, doesn’t reveal too much of the new Bugatti Royale – but today a second image popped up on Pistonheads which we've reproduced here, revealing more of the Rapide.

Kia Soul Shaker returns & Kia Picanto White arrives

Kia is reintroducing the Soul Shaker to its Shaker Originals range and launching a range-topping Kia Picanto White. With metal to shift, economic gloom and snow on the ground, car makers turn to new variations on existing models to get bit more footfall – and sales – at their dealers. So Kia is reintroducing the Soul Shaker to its Originals offerings (along with the Soul Quantum and Soul Inferno) to sit at the top of the Soul range with its Vanilla Shake paint job (or, as a no cost option, Quartz Black), 18″ alloys, Houndstooth upholstery with beige trim and a rear-view mirror that comes with a built-in reversing camera.