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Tesla touts top sales at Detroit auto show

Tesla credits the "exceptional cold weather performance" of its Model S for 20 percent-higher-than-expected Q4 sales of 6,900 units, bringing total Model S sales worldwide to 25,000 so far. In fact, Tesla says its sedan does so well in the snow that the rear wheels are the only ones that need any torque. "This car performs outstandingly in winter conditions," said Tesla vp of vehicle engineering Chris Porritt in a video released the day of the Detroit Auto Show.

Whos Where: Pierre Castinel is Head of Design at Tata

Indian automaker Tata has been front page news often in recent times, first because of the impressive one-lakh Nano, which changes the automotive industry playing field, and most recently because of its acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford's Premiere Automotive Group for the tidy sum of $2.3 billion - less than half what Ford paid for both companies in 1989.  At the helm of Tata's design efforts is Pierre Castinel, Head of Design. Though only officially announced in March this year, Castinel has been active at Tata since he left Renault in summer 2007, a company he worked at for 20 years. Castinel started as a modeler for Peugeot and worked there for three years.

Ford, Nissan, GM, Chrysler post double-digit April sales gains

UPDATED: Strong demand for large pickups and new models propelled Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler Group to double-digit sales gains in April, signaling the auto industry's recovery remains solid. The seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate for April was tracking at 15.1 million based on results from automakers representing 55 percent of the U.S. market, J.P.