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US automotive analysts counting down to General Motors' 100th birthday next month say there's one thing certain about the next 100 years: the company's very existence could depend on the Chevrolet Volt, its new electric car. GM trotted out a prototype Volt in Detroit the other day, describing it as "more than 95 per cent" representative of what the company hopes to start selling in 2010. It says the Volt is an "extended-range electric vehicle" that uses a small petrol- or ethanol-powered engine to back up its lithium-ion batteries.
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New Zealand businessman Russell Burling and his West Australian partner Vince Barbagallo have handed over the Australian distribution rights for SsangYong vehicles to Malaysian-based multinational Sime Darby. Burling will continue to sell the South Korean nameplate in New Zealand through his Rapson Holdings operation but will restructure to prepare for a new line-up, including the C200, a Toyota RAV4-sized all-wheel-drive model expected to be unveiled at next month's Paris motor show. Sime Darby is the Peugeot distributor in New Zealand.
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This question appeared on the internet: Do you think there should be a speed limit on the German autobahn, if it reduced carbon emissions and helped slow global warming? Here's one reply: "Yes, immediately after flatulence, especially from politicians, becomes illegal." Here's another: "Thirty thousands years ago the state of Ohio where I live was under 300ft of ice. Thank goodness for global warming, or half the United States would still be under ice." And another: "If I recall correctly, the German word for speed limit is Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung. How you fit that on a sign is beyond me."
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Porsches are the bee's knees with Europeans too, says a survey by New York's Luxury Institute. The finding comes after America's top earners chose the German vehicle as the most prestigious automotive brand. Researchers questioned more than 1500 consumers in France, Britain, Germany and Italy, each with an annual income of at least $120,000.
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More than 41,000 people died in car accidents on US roads last year, the lowest number of fatalities since 1994 and more than 1000 down on 2006. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says last year's rate of 1.37 deaths for every 1.6 million kilometres driven is also the lowest on record. California had the biggest drop in fatalities, while North Carolina's rose the most. Motorcycle deaths in 2007 were up for the 10th year in a row, to 5154 fatalities.
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Police at a traffic check in Corpus Christi, Texas, became suspicious when the driver of the pick-up truck they were eyeballing said: "It's not my truck." They smelled another rat when he volunteered: "If you find something, it's not mine." When they happened upon a black bag in the back, he wouldn't shut up: "If there's anything in that bag, it's not mine." The 25-year-old was busted for carrying drugs.
Wealthy New Yorker Harry Shasho is suing the city for $300,000, charging that it didn't look after his Bentley at the impound lot. The car was confiscated after Shasho struck and killed a pedestrian. Shasho got off - evidence showed the pedestrian was drunk. The city claims the only damage done to the Bentley was from the collision, but Shasho believes city employees should have treated it better.
alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz
