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Toyota and Lexus secret hybrid cars revealed

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 03 September 2008 11:50 CAR Online has compiled a secret dossier of all the hybrid petrol-electric cars under development at Toyota and Lexus. Today we can reveal a new wave of eco-friendly plug-in hybrids – with confidential details of the next Prius and all the new models that will build on the success of Toyota and Lexus battery cars. There will be a new family of Prius hybrid models, as previously reported in CAR, as well as a new Lexus RX hybrid, sportier batter-powered cars and a top-secret petrol-electric Lexus hatchback.

ANALYSIS: The incredible shrinking Alfa stand at the Geneva motor show

When he talks, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne conveys high hopes that the Alfa Romeo brand soon will be a huge business success, but actions often speak louder than words. Fiat has massively reduced the size of the 100-year-old sporty brand's stand at the forthcoming Geneva show. In March, Alfa's stand will shrink to 639 square meters from this year's 979 square meters, which was the second-largest display space among Fiat Group's portfolio after the Fiat brand.

Mazda hires VW alum Derek Jenkins to head U.S. design staff

Former Volkswagen designer Derek Jenkins has been hired to be the design chief for Mazda in America. Jenkins, 39, fills a position vacated last summer by Franz von Holzhausen, who left to take the top design post at electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors. Jenkins had been chief of design for the Volkswagen Group in North America, which he joined in 2000.