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Future products: Buick sees 6 to 7 models in its lineup for 2011-13

A Buick LaCrosse hybrid sedan probably will join a new small car and new crossover as Buick expands its lineup in the next three model years. The brand, which sells four nameplates now, eventually wants a six- or seven-vehicle lineup, says John Schwegman, Buick-GMC's top marketer. Buick seeks to revive its reputation for performance and stylish luxury to appeal to middle-aged professionals who often buy Asian luxury brands.

Toyota tests chips that improve hybrid efficiency by 10 percent

Toyota announced on Tuesday that it has developed a new semiconductor, claiming it can boost fuel efficiency in hybrid cars by an impressive 10 percent. The semiconductors manage the flow of electricity through the power-control unit that connects the battery to an electric or hybrid car's motor and generator. The newly developed semiconductors are said to consume only a tenth of the energy of today's chips, while allowing the power-control unit to be 80 percent smaller.

One Lap of the Web: Forsberg can't stop, won't stop drifting

-- Jann Mardenborough won the "Nissan GT Academy" back in 2011 and since then has finished on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as participating in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver program with aspirations of Formula One. He explains what it's like to move on from video games -- which he started playing at age 7 -- and transitioning into real sports cars. Mardenborough, it must be said, once drove too fast in British GT to be considered an amateur, but not quick enough to enter the pro class -- and race organizers, who didn't know what else to do, gave him a time penalty so the amateurs could catch up.