GM to slash global vehicle platforms by more than half, to 14, by 2018

General Motors says it will cut the number of vehicle platforms it uses globally by more than half over the next decade, in a bid to reduce complexity and save on product-development costs. “More of our components will be common, and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures,” GM CEO Dan Akerson told analysts on Tuesday. His remarks came as GM kicked off a series of presentations online, billed as its 2011 Global Business Conference.

New Hyundai i30 3-Door: Price from £13,995

Hyundai has announced that the new i30 3-door – the ‘sportier’ i30, will cost from £13,995 in the UK and come in three trim levels - Classic, Active, Sport and Sport Nav. Cosmetically, the i30 3-door gets differentiated from its 5-door sibling by a new front bumper with bigger spoiler, a new back end…and the loss of a couple of doors. There’s also new fogs, new grill and a sport looking back end with LED lights.

Google continues autonomous car tests [w/video]

Google is leading the charge towards the production of a fully autonomous car, releasing a video earlier this week of the car being tested on a programmed route. Steve Mahan, who is 95 per cent blind, successfully tested the car with Google engineers and a member of the local police close at hand should something go awry. Google kitted out a Toyota Prius with its software, taking the shape of a spinning cylinder on the car's roof, which senses traffic or activity close to the car and automatically adapts to its situation.