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Industry pulse: NHTSA administrator David Strickland talks distracted driving

Editor's note: In an exclusive interview with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator David Strickland, Melanie Batenchuk of Be Car Chic asked about distracted driving and the agency's combined efforts with the Department of Transportation to curb this bad behavior. David Strickland has been championing safer, distraction-free driving since the beginning of his tenure at NHTSA in January 2010. Strickland has been working tirelessly toward this goal alongside stakeholders such as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, private-sector executives, automobile manufacturers and safety advocacy groups.

Lada X-Ray

Russian automaker AvtoVaz has unveiled the Lada XRAY concept at the Moscow motor show. It's the first concept to emerge from under the direction of AvtoVaz's new design chief, Steve Mattin. Previously Design Director of Volvo, Mattin has a strong history with the SUV breed – it was under his direction that the XC60 was developed while at Volvo, while in his role prior to that at Mercedes-Benz, he also worked on the ML-Class.

Hummer nears the end of the trail

The curtain is rapidly falling on Hummer, General Motors' ill-fated rough-and-tough brand of trucks and SUVs. The final H3 rolled off the assembly line at 9:07 a.m. Central time on Tuesday at the Hummer factory in Shreveport, La., marking the end of production for the brand, a spokesman said.