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Chicago Auto Show interactive web tour launches

Interactive media company 360° Revo and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) has launched a web-based, interactive tour of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Automobile enthusiasts worldwide who could not make it to the show – the press days of which ran from 8-9 February – will be able to tour the exhibitions and even go inside specific vehicles featured at this year's show. This is the first time the CATA, producer of the Chicago Auto Show, and 360° Revo has worked together and with the media company's technology comes the ability for online users to navigate and explore the auto show floor and visit individual exhibits.

Jay Leno wins car award from Concorso Italiano

He started as an understudy and has become an icon, and with his last taping of the Tonight Show hours away, Jay Leno has secured another car honor. The Concorso Italiano, which plays host to a prestigious car event before the Pebble Beach concours, announced that Leno is being honored with its La Bella Macchina hall of fame award for contributions to the car world.

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.