Mazda Az Wagon 2010 Radiator [1320400] on 2040-parts.com

VIDEO: Classic-car driver training encourages teens to pilot vintage iron

Thirty lucky kids learned to drive classic cars at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Mich., on Friday in celebration of Collector Car Appreciation Day. Hagerty Insurance partnered with local classic-car owners for the inaugural event, which aimed to foster an interest in vintage cars among young drivers and to introduce them to manual transmissions. Hagerty said today's teens rarely have access to manuals, since about 90 percent of new cars have automatic transmissions.

GM's top battery executive for the Volt to join California startup

General Motors's top executive in charge of developing batteries for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is leaving to take a position with an unnamed startup battery company in California. Denise Gray, 46, global director of rechargeable energy storage systems, will step down March 5 after more than three years in the post. This was “an opportunity that I could just not resist,” Gray said in a phone interview.

Tesla Model S burns in Seattle

A Tesla Model S crashed and burned on Tuesday morning in Seattle. The electric-vehicle manufacturer told Bloomberg that the Model S “collided with a large metallic object in the middle of the road, causing significant damage to the vehicle.” More specifically, the object struck the Tesla's battery. The report worried investors, and Tesla stock fell 6.2 percent on Wednesday.