GM to slash global vehicle platforms by more than half, to 14, by 2018

General Motors says it will cut the number of vehicle platforms it uses globally by more than half over the next decade, in a bid to reduce complexity and save on product-development costs. “More of our components will be common, and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures,” GM CEO Dan Akerson told analysts on Tuesday. His remarks came as GM kicked off a series of presentations online, billed as its 2011 Global Business Conference.

New Mercedes-Benz gullwing sports coupe spied

Carmakers have their plans for this year's Geneva motor show lined up. But here's something that we expect to see at Geneva in 2010: Mercedes-Benz's new high-performance coupe. Up to now, reports are that this gullwing Mercedes sports car would wear the SLC name.

Designed in Italy, Engineered in China

"The soul of our designing is in Italy," said Silvio Petro Angori, CEO of Italian design house Pininfarina S.p.A. "We will do all styling in Italy – we will not do that in China." But in order to cater to the growing number of contracts from Chinese automakers, Pininfarina will soon begin engineering and product development in China with a center in Shanghai's suburb of Anting. Pininfarina has been working with Chinese automakers since 1996.