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Skoda Citigo five-door (2012) first official pictures

Skoda will show this slightly more practical Citigo five-door at the 2012 Geneva motor show. Mirroring the VW Up five-door, the Czechs buck the tradition of offering a single body derivative in the bargain basement city car sector. It's only in recent years that more manufacturers began to offer a choice of three or five doors in the smallest car segment.

BMW confirms 5-series hybrid for March arrival in the United States

When it comes to hybrids, BMW doesn't take the understated route, cranking up the power and loading eco technologies into some of its most decadent models. The 7-series, the X6--they will never be mistaken for a Toyota Prius. But now comes the mean and green version of the 5-series, called the ActiveHybrid 5, and the Bavarian luxury maker confirmed late Thursday that the car will arrive in U.S.

The other side of the curtain: A look back at Lada, Volga and more

While Americans in the 1960s and '70s were enjoying the heyday of muscle-car madness, our friends over in the Soviet Union were treated to an entirely different kind of automobile. Fiat-based Ladas and Russian-born Volgas were the cars of the day, and our friends at Retronaut have gathered some press materials and advertisements for the compact sedans. Lada was named after a famous Czech manufacturer of sewing machines in the 1960s.