General Motors' experiment at matching the wizardry of Japan's car manufacturers took nearly a decade to expand beyond small cars with the midsize L-series. It debuted on March 31, 1999, at the New York Auto Show and went on sale that summer.

Saturn's first crossover, the plastic-bodied Vue, is unveiled to the media on Oct. 5, 2000, in Miami, one day before the vehicle's official introduction to the public at the Miami auto show.

A full-electric sedan based on the old Saab 9-3 platform rolled off the production line at Chinese-backed electric vehicle maker National Electric Vehicle Sweden's plant in the north China port city of Tianjin. The launch will accelerate NEVS' timetable to start production in other Chinese cities, according to the company's parent, China Evergrande Group.