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General Motors names Mary Barra to head global product development

General Motors named Mary Barra head of global product development on Thursday, succeeding Tom Stephens, who was named global chief technology officer of the automaker on Wednesday. An engineer, Barra, 49, is the first woman to hold the top product development job at GM. Since 2009 she has served as vice president of global human resources for GM--a key post as the automaker restructured and emerged from bankruptcy protection.

Quirky cars in Geneva

By Mark Walton Motor Shows 11 March 2008 10:30 Geneva is renowned for throwing up weird and wonderful concepts and prototypes from manufacturers you’ve never heard of, and will probably never see again. While the big manufacturers churn out the same old saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs, the quirky side of Geneva shows us what lateral thinking is all about. Some cars are simply brilliant, some are monstrosities, and this is our guide to both.  K.O 7 My favourite car of the whole show.

Volvo XC60 (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2008 12:10 Volvo has finally sanctioned official shots of the XC60 – a junior version of the XC90 SUV that has helped turn around the fortunes of the Swedish company. Yes, it’s another crossover entering an increasingly congested marketplace, but Volvo hopes this one will appeal to buyers wanting the versatility of a 4x4 without the heft. Key points worth noticing are the Swedes’ gently evolving design – this is the first model developed under Steve Mattin’s watch as design director.