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Kia goes (dark) green

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 23 September 2008 11:00 Kia has unveiled a portfolio of new environmental technologies, including a 1.4-litre Ceed with stop-start (due in the UK in 2009), a Ceed hybrid and the latest version of its fuel cell-powered Sportage. The Korean manufacturer is investing heavily in research and development and will increase its spend on R&D from £2.2 billion this year to £2.6 billion by 2010, combined with a 40 percent increase in manpower at its research centres around the globe. The money is being spent on developing downsized, turbocharged engines, efficiency improvements to conventional engines such as friction reduction and the separation of accessories like water pumps from the engine.

Saab turns down takeover offer from Chinese investors

Swedish Automobile, owner of Saab, has turned down a takeover offer from China's Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. and Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. Youngman and Pa Dang signed a nonbinding memorandum in July to take a combined 53.9 percent stake in Swedish Automobile for about $338 million.

Peugeot unveils hybrid Le Mans racer

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 15 September 2008 12:20 Peugeot has unveiled a new hybrid-powered 908 HDi FAP racer at the final round of this season’s Le Mans Series. Shown off at Silverstone this weekend the hybrid 908 features a similar kinetic energy recovery setup to next year’s Formula 1 system. The 908’s ‘HY’ undertook a number of demonstration laps in front of the packed grandstands and showed how Peugeot’s passenger car technology is filtering through to its motorsport activities.