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Visionary tech

Ignore the marketers: There's nothing new under the technological sun. Cost and reliability concerns may have hindered the early adoption of these auto-tech breakthroughs, though you'd never know it based on their present-day ubiquity. 1941: Crossovers The combination of a fully enclosed, carlike body and all-wheel-drive underpinnings got its start with the Volkswagen Type 87 Kommandeurwagen.

Porsche reveals 911 GT3 Cup racer for Frankfurt Auto Show

Last week, Porsche unveiled the new 911 GT3 RS for well-heeled drivers who like to test their mettle on the track during the weekend. Now, we get the full-bore race version of the car, the GT3 Cup, to be shown at the Frankfurt auto show next month. The GT3 Cup car is similar to the GT3 RS.

First Sight: Daimler-BYD electric car design renderings leak out

Computer renderings of an electric car, being jointly developed by BYD Co., a Chinese battery and car producer that began making cars only less than a decade ago, and Daimler AG with more than a century of experience - were leaked for the second time this year. The car marks a critical juncture for the young Chinese carmaker based in the south China industrial hub of Shenzhen, just a stone's throw away from Hong Kong. It is also a key initiative in China, now the world's biggest auto market, for Daimler.