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Change is in the air at General Motors. With the company's stock price rising to new highs, the US government is divesting itself from the last of its holdings in GM. The auto giant also recently announced a complete restructuring of its European operations, as well as its Chinese operations, and – there was something else – oh yeah, the appointment of the industry's first female chief executive. But for our friends Down Under, the biggest news has just been announced.

Following earlier reports, GM has confirmed that it is shutting down all its Australian manufacturing operations by the end of 2017. The move is expected to cost the Aussies some 2,900 jobs over the next four years as manufacturing comes to an end at Holden plants in Elizabeth and Victoria. GM cites as a principal reason for the move the strength of the Australian dollar, which has risen in value against the US dollar from 50 cents in 2001 to as high as $1.10, making it 65 percent more expensive for an American company to manufacture in Australia than it was a decade ago. The decision follows a similar announcement made by Ford earlier this year.

Although Holden's design studio will remain untouched for the time being, its engineering department is being gutted, leaving the division to focus strictly on sales and parts. Just what that means for the future of the Commodore (Holden's only home-grown product in a portfolio of rebadged Chevys) remains to be seen, as does the fate of the Chevy SS which Holden manufactures for export to the US market. But for now you can view the full announcement below.

With winter kicking off, people across the country are coming to grips with that horrible white substance we call snow. And while we, as motorists, might be sick of the stuff already, some college students in Oregon saw it as an opportunity to have some fun, although as things are wont to do in college, matters got out of hand rather quickly.

A giant snowball fight, orchestrated by members of the University of Oregon's football team, quickly escalated into an assault on passing cars, as students and student-athletes pelted vehicles with snow and stopped traffic on one of the university's side streets. A video of the fight has now gone viral, and shows one of the cars, supposedly driven by a professor, getting covered in snow. When the driver gets out to confront the students, he's then drilled with snowballs and has a bucket dumped on him.

Dean of Students Paul Shang: "The behavior exhibited in the video is unacceptable and will not be tolerated on our campus."

"The police department is investigating. They are trying to identify as many of the students that are involved as possible," said Joe Mosely, a spokesman for the university. Meanwhile, the University of Oregon Athletic Department is swinging into action, suspending the Ducks' starting tight end, Pharaoh Brown, for his part in the fracas. He'll now miss Oregon's game against the University of Texas Longhorns at the Alamo Bowl later this month. Other players that took part are being disciplined, as well.

"The behavior exhibited in the video is unacceptable and will not be tolerated on our campus. We will use this incident as an opportunity to remind our campus community of the positive values and quality of character that we as a university hold dear," said Dean of Students Paul Shang, in a statement picked up by ABC News.

We've got video of the fight down below, and we'd like to know what you think – is the university taking things too far with Brown's suspension? Should charges be filed against the participants? Have your say in Comments.

In the modern industry, there's a clear distinction between Ferrari and its parent company, Fiat. Confusing the two is virtually impossible, although that wasn't always so. In the 1960s, the line between Fiat and Ferrari was still there, but it wasn't nearly so well defined, thanks to the addition of the Dino line.

And while we could essentially write a dissertation on Ferrari, Dino and Fiat, let's just say that it wasn't at all difficult to find a Dino-badged car that could still set your hair on fire. One such car from those halcyon days of Italian automotive production is the 1968 Fiat Dino Spyder, shown in the latest video from Petrolicious.

Now, this isn't the exotic, mid-engined Dino. Rather, this is a sporty, but humble, Fiat-badged convertible, that's a bit lesser known. Still, it's a truly gorgeous car, and this example, owned by Danny Soukup, is a prime specimen of that rare 1960s Italian car. Scroll down for the latest video from Petrolicious.

The Lamborghini Countach was the dream car for many teens and pre-teens in the 1980s, but at least one Japanese man thought there was room for improvement. As the story goes, Ryoji Yamazaki had a dream of a supercar as a 13-year-old, and at the age of 41, he used his design studio, Art & Tech, to create the Sogna in 1991.

Yamazaki unveiled the Sogna at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show as a rebodied Countach with intentions of selling it in limited production, but thankfully – or sadly, depending how you look at it – the $1.6 million (1991 price) coachbuilt supercar never made it into production. The Geneva show car was a rolling chassis, and the only other example that was produced was a fully operational version, shown above, which was unveiled at the 1994 Essen Motor Show. This car from Essen is now listed for sale on James Edition for 2.38 million euros, or around $3.25 million USD.

With its oddball styling and kiwi green paint, the Sogna was likely doomed from the start, but it still boasts the Countach's full powertrain including the 448-horsepower, 5.2-liter V12 and a claimed top speed of 186 miles per hour. Check out more images of the 1994 Sogna at James Edition and Enmann, and we also found a couple videos, which are posted below, of the car's early development.

Did you watch the video we posted yesterday and figure you've finally got a handle on the changes taking place in Formula One for next season? Well hold on, because there's more.

The Formula One Commission and F1 Strategy Group concluded their meetings in Paris yesterday and instituted a series of new regulations. The most controversial among them revolves around the final grand prix of the season, for which the series will now award double points. The idea is to incentivize drivers and teams to continue pushing until the end of the season rather than calculate their position in the year-end standings and call it a season.

The move is not unprecedented among top-tier racing series. The FIA World Endurance Championship, for example, awards double points for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But rather than award extra points for the highest-profile races – say, at the Monaco Grand Prix, for example – F1 has opted to pile them on the last race of the season, which typically takes place in either Brazil or Abu Dhabi.

While the double-points decision will undoubtedly prove the most controversial, it's not the only change that F1 has instituted. For another, the system of assigning race numbers according to how a driver or team finished in the previous year's standings is being eliminated, replaced by numbers which the drivers will choose for the duration of their career. The reigning World Champion, however, will still have the option of racing under number 1, leaving the rest to choose from between 2 and 99.

There will also be a new, as-yet undetermined cost cap to be applied starting in 2015, a group tire test to be held a week from now in Abu Dhabi and a clause in the regulations for a new type of five-second penalty. The new measures will not need to be ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which has mandated its newly re-elected president Jean Todt has the power to approve these changes on his own. Read the full announcement from the FIA below.

This shouldn't come as a shock, but heroin is a very, very bad drug. Doing 15 bags of heroin in one day, therefore, is a catastrophically terrible idea, as one Massachusetts man found out by shooting up and then taking his Volkswagen Golf for a spin.

According to The Berkshire Eagle, 23-year-old Tyler Renton was the subject of several calls to local police after he was seen swerving down the road, crashing into garbage cans and even uprooting a tree when he missed a turn.

When police arrived, Renton couldn't form a sentence, although upon arrival to a hospital, he told medical personnel that it was the "best day of life" and that the only possible way it could get better would be if he were "riding a 12-point unicorn." When advised he should consider a methadone program, Renton said, "I will never do methadone. Meth is for quitters." Right.

Renton was charged with drugged driving as a subsequent offense, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and a marked lanes violation, according to the report.

In 2007, more than 200 teams set out on an ambitious automotive undertaking. The X Prize Foundation announced it would create a $10-million competition open to anyone who could build a safe, mass-producible car that achieved 100 miles per gallon equivalent. AutoblogGreen followed the competition in real time, but the grueling three-year adventure has now been recounted in fascinating detail by author Jason Fagone in Ingenious, a new book on sale this month.

Fagone follows four of the teams in the competition, chronicling the adventures of these innovators, inventors and tinkerers who rose above their relatively limited automotive experience to achieve incredible results. He recently chatted with us about the book, about the legacy of the X Prize and the state of American innovation itself. Check out our review of Ingenious and our conversation with Fagone below.

Have you got access to a 3D printer? Well lucky you, because as we're rapidly learning, the possibilities are virtually endless. And if your tastes lean towards the automotive (as we'd assume they do if you're reading this page), we've got good news.

Porsche has just released 3D printing data for the Cayman S so you can three-dimensionally print out your own and customize to your heart's content. Now Porsche hasn't specified just to what scale the data will allow you to print your Cayman, but we have a feeling that'd mostly be limited by the size of the printer at your disposal. Check it out in the video below and follow the link to the Porsche site to download the file.

Despite an aging design and low sales, Honda has remained committed to its Ridgeline pickup truck. Now, in its first official confirmation of a next-gen Ridgeline, Honda has released a teaser sketch (click to enlarge) of the new truck and promised a debut within two years, as previously reported.

The sketch shows the direction that Honda is planning for its new truck, which appears to ditch the single-piece body in favor of a more conventional pickup truck design. Even with the new design, it's not clear if Honda will move away from the Ridgeline's car-based platform shared with the Odyssey, Pilot and Accord. Sales of the Ridgeline dipped to below 10,000 units in 2011 but have increased steadily over the last two years (including 29 percent so far in 2013) with slightly more than 16,000 units on the year.

As for the current Ridgeline, Honda will wind down production at the Lincoln, AL assembly plant sometime during the middle of next year. The press release for the announcement is posted below.

The 2014 North American International Auto Show is right around the corner, which means it's high time we find out which cars and trucks have become finalists for the prestigious North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards.

The finalists – three in cars and three in three trucks/utilities – are dominated by American brands, with two-thirds of the finalists hailing from either General Motors or Chrysler (don't worry Ford, there's always next year), while models from Mazda and Acura can also be found in each contest. Here now is the list of finalists for the big prizes:

2014 North American Car of the Year:

• Cadillac CTS
• Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
• Mazda3

2014 North American Truck/Utility of the Year:

• Acura MDX
• Chevrolet Silverado
• Jeep Cherokee

Interestingly, the North American Car of the Year grouping is identical to the three finalists chosen by Motor Trend for its Car of the Year – a contest won by the Cadillac CTS. The Corvette Stingray, meanwhile, is the most performance-minded entry we've seen on the list for some time, and the diminutive Mazda3 is there as the affordable, stylish and economical entry.

For the truck/utility award, we're somewhat surprised to see the Acura MDX make the list, while the Chevrolet Silverado is the sole 'traditional' truck to make it to the finals. Despite its controversial looks, Jeep's Cherokee is more than a dark horse in our eyes, and advanced features like a nine-speed auto and a range of four-wheel drive systems could make it a compelling choice.

There are some enthusiast-leaning omissions in each category (you can view the entire list of finalists in the press release), including the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Jaguar F-Type on the Car of the Year side. In the trucks/utility category, both the new Land Rover Range Rover Sport and the BMW X5 are great steers, too. All of the aforementioned were voted onto the NACTOY short list for the awards, but failed to make it into the final three slots.

As always, we want to know which of these vehicles will win their respective competitions. Put yourself in the shoes of the 48 journalists that are able to cast a vote, and have your say in the polls below. Once your vote has been cast, dive into Comments and let us know which models you'd pick if you were on the jury.

She's known as the person who restored order at GM.

As General Motors fought to find its footing following bankruptcy, Mary Barra was tasked with managing the guts of its revival. Now she's known as the person who restored order at GM. In less than three years in her role as global product development chief, Barra moved at a dizzying pace and helped to return both confidence and profit to the once-beleaguered automaker. On Tuesday, she was rewarded for her efforts. Barra, 51, was named CEO of General Motors. She is the first woman to lead a US car company.

"Mary went into an organization that, frankly, four years ago was in chaos," said outgoing CEO Dan Akerson, who announced his retirement at the same time. "She was central to the whole evolution." Against the improbable backdrop of GM's federal bailout, Barra spearheaded the revitalization of the company's lineup of cars, implemented widespread supply-chain changes and oversaw the creation of engine and vehicle strategies that, by decade's end, will result in 90 percent of the company's cars being produced on five or fewer platforms.

Akerson called the global product development role, "the most complicated," in the company. If there was anyone suited for such a role, it was Barra. For more than three decades, she has been a jack-of-all-trades at GM, rising through a series of manufacturing, engineering and human resource positions. She started her career at GM as an intern in 1980, and has worked on factory floors, once as manager at the company's Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Detroit, and she also served as executive director of the company's engineering operations.

I don't remember the exact phrasing, but my first encounter with the loading screen of Ghost Games' Need For Speed Rivals told me all I really needed to know about the latest title in the venerable series. The gist of that loading screen tip? "Drifting refills nitrous." A thinking man's racing game this would not be.

And frankly, that's okay. In a world where the video game racing genre is dominated by Forza Motorsports and Gran Turismo, Rivals is a breath of fresh air. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and while this is both to its gain and detriment, it's this characteristic that I was reminded of each time I began to get angry over a gameplay fault. It was also this frustration that ended up ruining what, at first, looked like a solid title.

As the Need For Speed series seems to be constantly evolving with new set pieces and perspectives in each title, it's important to point out what Rivals is - namely, it feels like a spiritual successor to Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit, allowing gamers to take on the role of either a police officer or a street racer. That's really all you need to know, as the few, limited elements of Rivals' story have all the depth and gravitas of Steven Seagal doing Hamlet.

If you're a racer, you just want your freedom, which consists of driving a supercar like a clown. If you're a cop, you want to make the average citizen feel safe, which is done by attempting to wreck other drivers. There's no real extrapolation of these two ideas throughout the title, so it's best just to forget about them completely and focus on the game itself.

Porsche hasn't offered a four-cylinder engine since the 968 went out of production in 1995 – the better part of two decades ago. There'd been talk of a four-pot Boxster or an even smaller model to slot in below it, but while the latest intel indicates that Porsche is moving ahead with its four-cylinder plans, it's a different kind of vehicle that will get it first.

That, of course, would be the new Macan. Just revealed a few weeks ago at the LA Auto Show, the Macan crossover is being launched with a pair of twin-turbocharged V6 engines (a 3.0 with 340 horsepower and a 3.6 with 400 hp) and a six-cylinder turbodiesel with 258 hp. But smaller engines, according to emerging reports from Autocar and Auto Express, are on their way.

Word has it that Porsche is preparing a 2.0-liter turbo four with 280 horsepower and a diesel with the same displacement and cylinder count, engines that will power new entry-level Macan models that will slot in beneath the existing Macan S, Macan S Diesel and Macan Turbo. While the diesel is tipped to be ported over from the Volkswagen parts bin, the four-cylinder gasoline engine is said to be under development by Porsche itself, which could mean it will have a boxer layout.

Whether either of these four-cylinder engines will make the transatlantic voyage Stateside remains to be seen, but we'd be a bit surprised if the gas four doesn't appear. However, given that the Macan S Diesel doesn't appear to be heading our way with any great speed, we wouldn't count on the base Macan Diesel arriving any time soon.

Whether it's lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring or automatic emergency braking, most of the electronic systems we see emerging on new vehicles focus on safety. But there are some there just for enthusiasts. We're talking about systems like automatic throttle blipping for perfect downshifts, or launch control to get that textbook acceleration from a standstill. But the latest system could prove just the opposite of the latter.

Although it has given us most of the details, Ford is still keeping certain elements of its new Mustang secret. But emerging reports may have the skinny on one system which Ford is trying is darnedest to keep under its hat for the time being. That, according to unnamed sources cited by Motor Authority, is burnout control.

The system is reportedly designed to help novices execute the perfect smokey burnout – sort of like launch control, but specifically the opposite. The system could, according to elaborative speculation, lock the front brakes while spooling up the engine to optimal revolutions before dumping (or indicating the driver to do dump) the clutch. A cloud of tire smoke and a long pair of skid marks would then ensue.

Like the aforementioned rev-matching and launch-control systems, you'd probably have to specifically enable it, thereby leaving pros with the ability to execute their own burnouts. Of course this could all prove to be nothing and go up in a cloud of smoke, but one way or another we should find out soon enough.