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Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid: Production underway

The world’s first production plug-in diesel hybrid – the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid – has gone in to production ahead of customer deliveries. Volvo are producing just 1,000 2013 V60 plug-ins, but are aiming to up production to between 4-6,000 a year from the 2014 model year and, despite the problems of integrating the V60′s complicated electric stuff in to a production car, the V60 plug-in is rolling down the same production line as the regular V60, V70, S80 and XC90. That complicated stuff includes two different powertrains and a battery pack – enough for up to 32 miles as an EV only – and a total of 300 additional parts compared to a regular ICE V60.

Show Review: Art Center Car Classic 2007

For those of you who haven't yet attended, Art Center's Car Classic is rapidly becoming the talk of the concours circuit. Held during the middle of the summer trimester at the main Hillside campus in Pasadena, it was started just three years ago and is gaining quite a following not only because of its intimate setting in which to admire the cars but also because attendees rub shoulder-to-shoulder with a variety of current and past industry designers and celebrities. To this fellow automotive enthusiast and Art Center alumnus at least, the Car Classic likens itself most to Lord March's Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival in the UK.

Meet the new 2014 BMW 4-series coupe

Thanks to certain European websites, BMW's 3-series coupe replacement is out a few hours early. Here's the 2014 BMW 4-series revealed in production form. The 4 will take on the Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-class coupe and make its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.