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Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire

A garage fire last week in suburban Houston has been linked to a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, but the company quickly noted that the battery remained intact and unplugged -- and did not appear to be the cause. But if not the battery, then what? More likely, poor packaging in the engine compartment and exhaust routing generated excess heat.

Aston Martin drops Cygnet city car

Autocar is reporting that the diminutive Aston Martin Cygnet has been dropped from the company’s portfolio. The automaker, now owned by Prodrive and private equity firm Invenstindustrial, will focus on its “core product range,” also known as “good cars.” Autocar posits that the justification for the Cygnet was to continue producing V8 and V12 cars, while keeping its average CO2 emissions down. The Cygnet shared bones with the Toyota iQ city car and used a 97-hp, 1.3-liter engine and got 58.9 mpg using the U.S.

Saab owner and Chinese investors continue talks regarding takeover deal

Talks between Saab's owner Swedish Automobile and two Chinese investors on a takeover deal to rescue the ailing carmaker will continue even though a memorandum of understanding signed by the parties only runs until Tuesday, Saab said. "They (the parties) are still in discussions about the structure of the deal going forward and they are continuing their cooperation as if the memorandum of understanding continues," Gunilla Gustavs, a Saab spokeswoman, told Automotive News Europe. The Chinese companies, Pang Da Automobile Trade Co.