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General Motors names Ewanick global chief marketing officer

General Motors, looking to accelerate its push into major markets worldwide, tapped U.S. marketing chief Joel Ewanick to become global chief marketing officer--a new post. "As we continue our rapid growth in major global markets, it is important that we take a more customer-focused view of our overall marketing strategy," GM CEO Dan Akerson said in a statement today.

Ruf XL: A longer Porsche Panamera for the Chinese market

The Chinese love their rear-seat legroom. The workhorse of Shanghai taxi fleets is an extended-wheelbase Volkswagen called the Santana; think 1980s Quantum with longer rear doors. Audi's Chinese division designed and builds a long-wheelbase version of the last-generation A6.

VW will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid

Volkswagen will begin production of its XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. "We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013," VW chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where VW unveiled an XL1 prototype. (a href="http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130221/GENEVA/130229972">Read the latest update here announcing the XL1 hybrid's Geneva Auto Show debut).