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Jaguar executive O'Driscoll to retire in March

Mike O'Driscoll, the managing director at Jaguar Cars, has announced his plan to retire at the end of March 2011. O'Driscoll, 54, moved to the United Kingdom to lead the company's brand after Ford announced its plan to sell Jaguar and Land Rover. While there, he managed the introduction of the XF, the XK, and the XJ.

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

GM sells trucks through Costco program

Membership warehouse retailer Costco has launched a deal with General Motors allowing its members to buy certain Chevrolet and GMC trucks through select franchised new-car dealers at a "preferred price"--generally equivalent to the price that the automaker offers its suppliers' employees. Rick Borg, vice president of the Costco Auto Program, on Tuesday said the club expects its members to buy more than 5,000 new Chevrolet and GMC trucks under the program. The program runs through Jan.