A safe driving video contest, an electric entry for a famous hill climb race, and a gift to a competitor's museum were among the items promoted by automakers recently.

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[naviga:li]Toyota is inviting teen drivers to submit a safe driving public service announcement for its sixth annual TeenDrive365 Video Challenge. The contest, open to students in grades 9 through 12, is sponsored by Discovery Education. The winning submission will receive $15,000 and a chance to work with a Discovery crew to reshoot their video professionally for television broadcast; a number of smaller cash prizes are also available, along with a people's choice prize that invites people to attend the taping of a show on the Velocity Network. For more information on the contest, visit TeenDrive365inschool.com.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Volkswagen is developing an electric car to enter in the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which runs 12.42 miles and gains 4,720 feet in elevation before concluding atop the 14,115-foot Colorado mountain. The automaker says this is the first time it has developed an all-electric racing vehicle, and that the prototype's entry into the 2018 race will be the first time Volkswagen has entered the Pikes Peak race since 1987. The automaker says the development of the vehicle and its performance will help with its goal of expanding its electric options, since it plans to offer 23 electric models by 2025.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]General Motors recently announced that it has made a $5 million gift to The Henry Ford, a nonprofit educational organization named for a competing automaker. The museum includes the outdoor history museum Greenfield Village, tours of a Ford assembly plant, and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which contains an extensive collection of historic airplanes, automobiles, locomotives, and other artifacts related to American industry. GM says the donation is part of its efforts to support institutions that educate students and promote workforce development. The Henry Ford says a flexible gallery space will be named for GM in recognition of the gift.[/naviga:li]

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