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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.

Nissan Juke gets revised 1.5 dCi diesel engine

The best selling Nissan Juke n-tec gets a revised 1.5 diesel engine. The Nissan Juke – the funky little urban SUV – has been around for three years, and its combination of rugged looks that make it look like an armoured insect, high riding stance and decent economy have made it a popular buy as a compact urban warrior. More than 19,000 Jukes have been sold in the UK since it launched in 2010, and around a third of those have been powered by Nissan’s 1.5 litre diesel engine.

New Mercedes A45 AMG has 105 years of 4WD on its side

With the new Mercedes A45 AMG on the horizon – complete with 4WD – Mercedes chart the history of all wheel drive on their vehicles. We tend to think of 4WD road cars as a modern innovation, and certainly very few 4WD road cars hit the road in a mainstream way much before the 1980s (the Jensen FF was hardly mainstream before someone points out that was in the 1960s). But the history of 4WD goes back, certainly in the case of Mercedes, a surprising 105 years when Daimler built the Dernburg-Wagen, a 4WD vehicle that not only got all-wheel drive but all wheel steering too.