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    CultureMap Auto Awards

    The Hot Hatch of the Year: Fiat 500 Abarth is a little car that elicits bigsmiles — and a growl

    Kevin McCauley
    Nic Phillips
    Jan 1, 2013 | 1:21 pm
    • 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth - CultureMap 2012 Hot Hatch of the Year
      Photo by Kevin McCauley
    • 2012 Mini Coupe John Cooper Works - Runner-up CultureMap 2012 Hot Hatch of theYear
      Photo by Kevin McCauley

    Editor's Note: In the first annual CultureMap Auto Awards, automotive writers Nic Philllps and Kevin McCauley bestow honors in 10 categories for the top 2012 cars and trucks and explain why they're deserving of a good hard look. First up:

    Hot Hatch of the Year: Fiat 500 Abarth

    As smaller cars increasingly become cool again, a nice side benefit is the louder, quicker performance versions that often make their way into showrooms. There was no hatch hotter in 2012 than the Fiat 500 Abarth.

    It wasn't the quickest or the most refined but it brought style, character and a stinging exhaust growl backing up the Scorpion badge. It was one of the most emotive cars we drove all year, and we remember it fondly as the little car that put the biggest smile on your face.

    This year, the 500 Abarth loses its top — making it all the more desirable.

    The Fiat 500 Abarth starts at just $22,700 and breaks at around $27,000 with all the tricks.

    Hot Hatch Runner-up: MINI Coupe John Cooper Works

    MINI has taken the charm amp and dialed it up to 11 in the JCW Coupe, the most hardcore MINI ever offered.

    It's a superior car in many ways to the 500 Abarth in that it's a serious sports car with a thoroughly sorted suspension and powertrain to match. It has vastly better fit and finishes but is not any faster than the regular MINI despite not having a backseat.

    And with a starting price at around $32,000 (nearly $10,000 dollars more than the Fiat) and surpassing $40,000 with options, the choice was clear.

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    powering houston's future

    Tech giant Apple opens free training facility at Houston campus

    Laura Furr Mericas, InnovationMap
    Aug 18, 2026 | 2:30 pm
    Apple Advanced Manufacturing Center
    Courtesy of Apple
    Apple has opened an Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston.

    Global computer giant Apple Inc. unveiled its Advanced Manufacturing Center in the Houston area last week, marking the completion of the second of three facilities the tech giant plans to launch in the city by the end of this year.

    The 20,000-square-foot training center will welcome small- and medium-sized businesses for free training and educational sessions to "help accelerate smart manufacturing across America," according to a release from Apple. The company opened a similar Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit last year.

    The AMC is part of Apple's 500,000-square-foot site in northwest Harris County. It also features a massive manufacturing site for Apple’s advanced AI servers and Mac mini. The facility was originally slated to open in 2026, but Apple began producing its advanced AI servers ahead of schedule in 2025.

    The company said it plans to begin manufacturing its Mac mini at the site this year. The move will bring production of the compact desktop computer to the U.S. for the first time.

    “In less than nine months, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this Houston facility. We stood up a factory, started production, and shipped the first advanced AI servers off the line. Today, we’re thrilled to open our new Advanced Manufacturing Center, a place where businesses, workers, and students can learn the same innovative processes that we use to make Apple’s most groundbreaking products. And we’re pleased to begin Mac mini production later this year,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “We believe in American workers and American ingenuity, and we are moving at an incredible pace because we want to build more than great products. We want to build the future of American manufacturing.”

    Apple's Houston expansion is part of a $600 billion commitment the company made to the U.S. in 2025.

    The company originally announced plans in February 2025 to open a 250,000-square-foot Houston factory, but doubled the facility's planned size about a year later. Apple has reported that the factory will employ thousands of workers.

    “Houston is grateful to Apple for this significant investment in our city. The Advanced Manufacturing Center will create local jobs and will continue improving the quality of life of Houston residents," Houston Mayor John Whitmire added in the release. "The AMC also recognizes our city as a growing technology hub and solidifies Houston’s leadership in the manufacturing sector of the United States.”

    The opening comes on the heels of New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb Co. officially naming Houston home of its new $2.3 billion, state-of-the-art manufacturing site.

    ----

    This story was originally published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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