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Lexus Fashion Workshop designers make car parts fashionable

Lexus is moving from the road to the runway with a new ad campaign set to appear in Vogue magazine. As part of the Lexus Fashion Workshop, the carmaker challenged four fashion designers to create wearable pieces using materials from a dismantled Lexus CT hybrid. The challenge is "elevating the notion of recycling to an art form," according to Lexus, which says the CT hybrid is 90 percent recyclable.

Acura retools lineup to put the focus on mpg

Honda will overhaul and reposition its Acura lineup over the next 18 months and abandon its long pursuit of top-tier luxury-car status for the brand. After years of trying to propel Acura into the front ranks with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus, Honda says it will settle for offering mid-level premium vehicles that favor fuel economy over performance. With one exception: At the Detroit auto show in January, Honda will bring back the Ferrari-fighting Acura NSX--a new version of the mid-engine supercar that disappeared in 2005 after a 15-year run.

Chrysler to build four versions of Fiat 500 for U.S. market

Chrysler will build and sell four versions of the tiny Fiat 500 in North America starting in 2011: a hatchback, a convertible, a station wagon and a sporty hatchback. A fifth model--a small, four-wheel-drive SUV--also is possible. They will wear the Fiat brand.