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Policy, green cars take center stage at Washington auto show

Public policy and the ultimate impact it has on consumers' cars was the hot topic on Thursday at the Washington auto show, as companies vied to show off and explain their latest fuel-efficient technologies under the watchful eyes of regulators and government officials. Notably, Chevrolet announced plans to roll out an "Ecologic" environmental label on the 2012 Sonic, with other vehicles to follow. Sort of like nutrition labels for food, Chevy's version will explain the environmental impact of cars throughout their life cycles.

Who's Where: Ken Okuyama parts company with Pininfarina

Pininfarina, the Turin, Italy-based automotive styling house, has announced that its design director, Ken Okuyama, has left the company. In a tersely-worded statement Pininfarina said, "The Company's decision comes as a result of the various external activities Ken Okuyama was carrying out beyond his responsibilities within Pininfarina." Ken Okuyama had been Design Director at Pininfarina since July 2005. During this time, Okuyama's most high-profile work was the Maserati Birdcage prototype, created to celebrate 75th anniversary of the Italian styling house.

Hyundai ix35 hydrogen FCEV gets a thumbs up for Fleet buyers

The Hyundai ix35 FCEV on London’s roads Hyundai has been delivering the first ix35 FCEV hydrogen-powered compact SUVs in recent months, and one of the first recipients in the UK was fleet management specialist Arval UK. The reason for Arval getting to play with the ix35 FCEV early doors was to get feedback on the practicality of running a hydrogen-powered car on a company fleet as, with its zero emissions, the ix35 FCEV could find a big market with fleet buyers. What Arval found was that the ix35 FCEV – with 0-62mph in 12.5 seconds and a 369 mile range – was, to all intents and purposes, just like using a conventional ICE powertrain and could be refuelled in just three minutes.