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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.

Porsche Panamera Hybrid: Geneva Reveal

The Porsche Panamera Hybrid (click for bigger image) We’ve got to say, the news that the Porsche Panamera Hybrid (strictly speaking, the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid) is going to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of weeks time isn’t exactly a shock. After all, Porsche has made no secret of its plans to stick Hybrid gubbins in the Panamera; CO2 targets, and all that guff. But Porsche seems to think it is a surprise (unless they really have a surprise and are planning on revealing another Porsche hybrid altogether much sooner than we expected) as the press release we got in from Porsche has the enigmatic little tease of a headline – ‘Porsche: Hybrid world premiere’.

Geneva Show 2014: Renegade Is Anything But Rough And Ready

DON’T be put off by the size of Jeep’s latest offering, as its new Renegade might be small but it’s claimed to be just as capable as its larger stablemates. With Jeep now part of the Fiat family, it’s no surprise to learn that the Renegade is based on the Italian firm’s 500L. The diminutive Renegade is, however, expected to remain true to the Jeep brand thanks to off-road versions complete with all-wheel drive, skid plates and raised ride height.