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Oh, puh-leeze: Lighten up, people

Rarely do I come to the defense of a competitive member of the fourth estate, but the people at Car and Driver are getting the hooey knocked out of them by everyone from "professional media representatives" to the NASCAR faithful. What was CD's egregious sin? Its editors concocted an April Fool's joke with them good ol' boys Chrysler and General Motors as its punchline.

GMC Granite concept (w/ Video)

The biggest surprise at the 2010 NAIAS was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's 'professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit, the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines. Watch the videos to the left to see the young international design team present the rationale behind the new concept, and read our opinion of the Granite in our 2010 Detroit Auto Show Highlights.

Cadillac ELR

Cadillac has revealed the ELR: a production version of the highly-acclaimed Converj concept revealed at the 2009 NAIAS in Detroit. The new luxury coupe will be equipped with extended-range electric vehicle technology – essentially a T-shaped lithium ion battery powering an electric drive unit mated to a a four-cylinder engine-generator, which propels the car when the battery's energy is low. "There's no mistaking it for anything but a Cadillac, an aggressive, forward-leaning profile and proportion showcases a uniquely shaped, modern vision of a personal luxury 2+2," said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, Global Design. Welburn also stated that the Converj concept sparked the idea of combining the desirability of a grand touring coupe with electrification.