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GM's Ed Whitacre meets the press in Web chat

General Motors' new front man, Ed Whitacre, remains a bit of an elusive figure in the car world. But at the very least, the former telecom honcho who's now the leader of the nation's largest automaker does like cars. “Oh yes,” he answered in response to that question during a Web chat on Tuesday, one of his first interactions with the media so far in his tenure at the helm of GM.

Kia Niro concept (2013) first official pictures

Kia’s radical new concept car is the Niro crossover, complete with butterfly doors, two-tone tyres and a Blake 7 cockpit in the best show car tradition. Look past the design flourishes, though, and you’ll see this is a statement of intent for Kia’s next niche car: a supermini-sized crossover to fight the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, and Vauxhall Mokka. Kia Niro: what’s in a name?

Lexus gets new focus

Battered by recalls and public inquisitions, Toyota is hoping to restore its once-pristine image with new hybrid products and a renewed focus on Lexus. Lexus increasingly will be positioned as a “global premium brand,” the company said on Wednesday, and see improved styling, more hybrids and better service. The brand's sales have fallen 9 percent this year, to 26,674 in the United States.