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Capitol Hill notebook: Obama defends autos, Akerson defends the Chevrolet Volt

Less than 10 hours after President Barack Obama wrapped up his third State of the Union address, manufacturing and automobiles continued to command the spotlight on Wednesday in Washington. The day began with General Motors CEO Dan Akerson defending the Chevrolet Volt before a U.S. House committee hearing, saying he didn't want it to become a "political punching bag," according to testimony provided by the company.

GM EN-V concepts (w/ Gallery)

General Motors, and its Chinese partner SAIC, revealed three two-seat personal mobility concepts in Shanghai today. Called the EN-V – an acronym for Electric Networked-Vehicle – the Xiao (Laugh), Jiao (Pride) and Maio (Magic) models embody different characteristics for future transportation. The Jiao (top image) was designed at GM Europe while the Miao (bottom left) was created at GM's Advanced Design Studio in California, and the Xiao (bottom right) was designed by GM Holden's design team in Australia.

Vauxhall Monza Coupe concept (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Vauxhall Monza coupe concept is a sign of things to come, says Vauxhall, and will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013. Vauxhall coupes are rare beasts: since the Cavalier-based Calibra of the '90s and smaller Corsa-based Tigra, we've only had the imported V8 Monaro and the Astra two-door. The low-slung Monza previews the styling and design language of future products in the Opel/Vauxhall portfolio.