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Chuck Jordan memorial: A car life well-lived

Family and friends gathered at the GM Heritage Center in Warren, Mich., to celebrate the life of the late Chuck Jordan, who retired as General Motors vice president of design in 1992 and died on Dec. 9, 2010. While many of the 200 or so present remembered working with Jordan during his career that began at GM in 1949, the ceremony also made clear that he'd lived a rich and active life in retirement.

EV car maker Aptera shuts down

Automotive startup company Aptera Motors, promoter of the weirdly styled, three-wheeled 2e electric car, shut down on Friday, saying it was out of money. The company said it was unable to raise funds from private investors that would have kept it going until it received a $150 million loan from the Department of Energy's Advance Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. "This is a difficult time for everyone connected with our company because we have never been closer to realizing our vision," CEO Paul Wilbur said in a statement.

New Mercedes-Benz S-class spotted in SoCal

The new Mercedes-Benz S-class must be hustling toward the developmental-cycle finish line, because it's been spotted en masse in places such as Toronto (where it must be undergoing cold-weather testing) and Irvine, Calif. (where it must be gauging the interest of Benz-crazy vox populi). Because as devoid as it is of bodywork-breaking pillboxes, camera-obfuscating swirl paint, and surly engineers, the fact that it's seen here in little more than some sticky paper and a pair of cheap sunglasses on the driver means that the elder statesman of the automotive world is readying its next debut.