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Cuba removes new car purchase restrictions

Granma, the Communist Party’s newspaper of record in Cuba, said Wednesday that the Council of Ministers approved regulations that “eliminate existing mechanisms of approval for the purchase of motor vehicles from the state.” That means the sale of new and used cars will be allowed to the public. Up until now, Cubans could buy and sell vehicles to each other, but they had to request permission from the government to purchase a new vehicle -- the main reason for the island's unique automotive landscape. The new laws will be enacted gradually, according to Granma, with a set minimum price.

GM ride-and-drive event puts interns behind the wheel

Interns here at AutoWeek are fortunate enough to be in and out of all sorts of cars, from the little Fiat 500 to the phenomenal Lexus LFA. But rarely do we get our own event like the Intern Ride and Drive hosted by General Motors in downtown Detroit on Friday. The event, set up and run by GM's own interns, involved summer help from local broadcast-media outlets, newspapers and many Detroit-area automotive publications.

Nissan stops taking Leaf reservations, has 20,000 on the books

Nissan has accepted 20,000 reservations for the Leaf electric car and said it has stopped taking orders until next year. Nissan began taking reservations for the Leaf in May. The Leaf, which is about the size of a Nissan Versa, is powered by an 80-kilowatt electric motor that produces 107 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque.