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First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

News watch April 2010: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourThursday 29 April 2010• The European Commission has published a document outlining plans to encourage the take-up of electric cars. It includes a strategy for a common charging socket (Financial Times)• BMW has leapfrogged Toyota as the world's most valuable automotive brand, according to the BrandZ Top 100 survey.

Sinkhole Corvettes to be displayed before restoration

It's going to take a while to get the eight historic Chevrolet Corvettes that were consumed by a sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum two weeks ago out of that sinkhole -- just getting a specialized crane through the doors of the museum will take time. Afterward, though, the public will be able to get a look at them in their damaged state before Chevrolet has them restored. The museum has told the Detroit Free Press that the damaged cars will be on display at the National Corvette Museum from April through June of this year, once they're exhumed.