WWU team makes final round for X Prize; Last PT Cruiser rolls off the line

(Progressive Automotive X Prize)

WWU team another step closer to X Prize
The team of students from Western Washington University has made it through to the final rounds of the Automotive X Prize competition. The global competition, aimed at producing a 100-mpg production automobile, started with 110 teams a year ago and is down to 12. WWU -- with its Viking 45 (shown above) -- is the only college team left in the competition. The final rounds of judging start later this month and continue through September. Winning teams will share $10 million in prizes.

--The Associated Press

(Chrysler)

Last PT Cruiser rolls out of the factory
It's the end of the road for a historic and beloved little car as the last Chrysler PT Cruiser rolls off the line today. The PT Cruiser went on sale in 2000, and the compact sedan's quirky styling and useful interior made it a sensation. It sold far beyond Chrysler's expectations and became one of the rare American small cars that's an undisputed hit. The PT had brushes with extinction when Daimler and Cerberus ran Chrysler. It won reprieve after reprieve because people kept buying it. But with sales at just 5,452 this year, the PT Cruiser has finally run its race.

--The Associated Press