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Autoweek in review: What you might have missed

Rally driver Ken Block spent his summer on a three-continent tour of car trickery, and his highlight video can be viewed here. The Chevrolet Volt has been in the spotlight this week because of a NHTSA investigation into battery-pack fires, but the car still topped an owner-satisfaction survey. Tokyo Motor Show press days were this week, and you can check out our complete coverage here.

Hyundai i30

Hyundai has released the first rendering of the next generation i30 set to be officially revealed at the Frankfurt motor show next month. Designed in the Korean automaker's European Design Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, under the direction of Chief Designer Thomas Buerkle, the new C-segment hatchback is an evolution of Hyundai's ‘fluidic sculpture' design language, initiated on the HED-6 ix-onic concept shown at the 2009 Geneva motor show. "When designing the new i30, we used strong, fluid lines to sculpt a car which looks athletic while exuding a sense of constant motion," said Buerkle.

Giugiaro honored in Korean ceremony

Giorgetto Giugiaro has received honors from the South Korean Government for his contribution to the nation's fledgling automotive industry.  In a ceremony in Seoul, Giugiaro received the prestigious 'Order of Merit' from the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak. The relationship between Italdesign Giugiaro and Korea stretches back to the 1970s, a period of significant growth for the Korean nation, stifled only by its lackluster automotive industry.  It fell to the Italian designer to invigorate an industry that survived on reassembling and rebranding foreign domestic models. Giugiaro's solution was the simple Hyundai Pony.