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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.

Jason Castriota to head Saab Design

When Car Design News spoke to Jason Castriota about the new design consultancy he had set up in New York and Turin back in March, the designer told us he was working on a very exciting automotive project that he couldn't talk about at the time. It turns out that automotive project was for Saab, as last week the Swedish automaker announced it had hired Jason Castriota Design to oversee the development of a new generation of Saab products – the first to be completed under the tenure of its new owners, Spyker. Castriota's new appointment marks the shift from Saab's former position – where the brand was an integrated company within GM – to its newfound placement as an independent automaker, with Castriota essentially filling the role previously occupied by Mark Adams, GM Europe's Vice President of Design.

Daimler, Renault are set to share vehicle platforms and engines

Following a year of intensive high-level talks and secretive, behind the scenes strategy meetings, Daimler AG and Renault SA have agreed on plans that will see their car-making divisions--Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Renault and Nissan--share resources on a wide range of products. The move signals more consolidation within the European automotive industry. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche and Renault president Carlos Ghosn have set out three primary areas of cooperation that will see the carmakers share small-car and light-commercial-vehicle platforms, small gasoline and diesel engines, and electric drive systems.