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Why this year's UAW-Detroit 3 talks don't matter

Here's what you need to know about the current UAW contract talks with the Detroit 3: They don't really matter. Oh, sure, agreements must be reached and contracts signed. But some commentators would have you believe the Detroit 3's future competitiveness hinges on their ability to stand up to the UAW in this year's negotiations.

GM signs deal to sell Hummer to Chinese company

General Motors Co. has inked a deal to sell its premium off-road brand Hummer to a Chinese industrial company. GM said on Friday that it has a definitive agreement with Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co.

MIT researchers rethink electric-car batteries

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a new battery design for electric vehicles could be a lightweight and inexpensive alternative. The goal for the team's three-year project, launched in September 2010, is to have a functioning prototype ready to be engineered as a replacement for existing electric-car batteries. At this point in the project, the prototype uses a “semi-solid flow” to separate the two functions of a battery--storing energy and discharging it when needed--into separate physical structures.