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Mazda hires VW alum Derek Jenkins to head U.S. design staff

Former Volkswagen designer Derek Jenkins has been hired to be the design chief for Mazda in America. Jenkins, 39, fills a position vacated last summer by Franz von Holzhausen, who left to take the top design post at electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors. Jenkins had been chief of design for the Volkswagen Group in North America, which he joined in 2000.

Lexus LFA, from design to dealership in six minutes: Video

Seeing the Lexus LFA in person makes it easy to forget that the supercar has been in development for more than 10 years. But you do get a wondrous amount of technology for $375,000, the carbon-fiber body, a retractable rear wing and a compact V10 so fast that analog gauges couldn’t keep up with it. Add to that 553 hp, 354 lb-ft of torque and a 202-mph top speed, and we just had to put the LFA to the test at our favorite local racetrack.

Minicars perform poorly in crash tests, study says

Minicars made by Toyota, Honda and Daimler AG did poorly on frontal crash tests with mid-sized automobiles, prompting an influential safety organization to suggest consumers consider buying larger cars that have comparable fuel economy. The Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Smart ForTwo all collapsed upon impact into the space around the driver dummy, according to the study released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Drivers in all three vehicles faced high risk of head and leg injuries after test collisions at 40 miles an hour, even after airbags inflated, said the non-profit group funded by auto insurers.