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Volvo strikes deal for plug-in hybrid cars

Volvo Plug-in hybrid By Peter Adams Motor Industry 01 June 2009 17:15 Volvo has taken its next step towards green motoring, launching a joint venture with Swedish energy company Vattenfall to introduce plug-in hybrid cars to the market – sporting CO2 emissions as low as 50g/km. The cars, which will role out across Sweden in 2012, will be manufactured by Volvo, with Vattenfall developing the charging systems and supplying the cars with electricity. Vattenfall will be offering customers the chance to sign an agreement for renewable electricity sourced from windpower or hydropower.

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

Paris bans some cars to cut smog

PARIS is taking drastic measures to combat its worst air pollution in years, banning around half of the city's cars and trucks from its streets in an attempt to reduce the toxic smog that has shrouded the French capital for more than a week. Cars with even-numbered licence plates were prohibited from driving in Paris and its suburbs today, following a government decision over the weekend. Around 700 police were patrolling the morning rush-hour, handing out tickets to offenders.