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Jeep Wrangler JK production tops one million

Never mind persistent economic uncertainty and unstable fuel costs, Americans love Jeeps. Compared to nearly anything else on the road, they're far too brash and noisy for anyone to want for daily use, and the majority of Wrangler owners never push 'em anywhere near their limit. But none of that seems to stop us from snatching Wranglers up off dealer lots as quickly as the folks at Jeep's Toledo, Ohio, assembly plant can bolt them together.

Porsche nearing 900 orders for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept

When Porsche AG showed the 918 Spyder at the Geneva show in March, we said it was a car to “make anyone a believer in hybrid supercar tech.” Well, maybe not anyone, but Porsche now says it has almost 900 potential buyers for the two-seater hybrid prototype as the German automaker gets closer to approving production. Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said he is confident the company will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 orders, which is how many the company needs to “make a sound business case.” The 918 has 680 hp and, according to Porsche, will get 78 mpg and run from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Porsche said it wants to double its overall vehicle sales to 150,000 in the next five years or so.

Mercedes-Benz Citan

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its new Citan urban delivery van ahead of its public debut at September's IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover and is the first product of Daimler's partnership with Renault/Nissan. The company's latest model, the first to be designed specifically for the urban environment, will complete the Mercedes-Benz family of vans and is available in a choice of three lengths – Compact (3,940mm), Long (4,320mm) and Extra-long (4,710mm) – and three model variants. The basic version is the panel van, available in all three lengths, with another model being the Citan Mixto with five seats, based on the extra-long version and has a foldable rear bench seat and two sliding doors.