Driven: Citroen DS4

Recomissioning the DS name looked like a risk to many outside Citroen’s headquarters, including us. And the new sub-brand’s opening salvo – the DS3 – didn’t exactly calm the worries of those of us who hold the original in high esteem. Where was the ingenuity?

GM expands advanced-vehicle-technology center in California

General Motors unveiled a new technical center dedicated to the development, maintenance and testing of alternative-energy vehicles last week in Torrance, Calif. The company has had local digs for years but recently leased the building next to its existing Advanced Technology Center for an alternative-energy research facility. It now employs a dozen scientists, technicians and engineers to advance the electrification of GM vehicles.

Hiriko folding car: The solution to urban car sharing? [w/video]

The Hiriko Driving Mobility Group has moved into the manufacturing trial of its two-seater electric microcar, which it hopes will offer a new car-sharing program that will transform the way we travel around our cities. The ‘first-mile' problem – moving between the commuter's home and mass transit hubs – and the ‘last-mile' problem – from mass transit to the workplace – has increased dramatically over the past few decades as more of us live in urban environments. 10 years ago researchers at the Michigan Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) decided to explore alternatives to shuttle buses and other ideas that failed to tackle the problem.