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Mini aims to add 3 models by decade's end

BMW's Mini brand will add three models by the end of the decade, said Kay Segler, Mini's global boss. Segler would not disclose details about the models but said they will likely use an all-new BMW Group front-wheel-drive platform that debuts with the second-generation Mini Cooper hardtop in 2014. The added vehicles will bring the number of Mini models to 10.

First Fiat 500s will have stick shifts

The 2012 Fiat 500 , heading to U.S. dealerships later than first expected, is enduring another hiccup: The first units arriving in dealerships in late February will have manual transmissions, the company said. Moreover, only about 20 percent of the 130 Fiat dealerships will be open when those first cars arrive, said Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in North America, at the Detroit auto show last week.

Algae-derived biodiesel blend hits San Francisco-area gas stations

Environmentally conscious drivers may have a new way of fueling up: a diesel fuel blend that consists of 20 percent algae-derived biofuel and 80 percent regular diesel arrived at four gas stations in the San Francisco Bay area earlier this week. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the fuel retails for $4.25 per gallon—the same cost as conventional diesel in the region. B20 is billed as compatible with any diesel-powered vehicle.