Concept Car of the Week: Volkswagen Microbus (2001)

The turn of the millennium seemed to induce a feeling of nostalgia among car manufacturers and with it a plethora of heritage/retro designs, including the new Mini, new Ford Mustang and Nissan Z. Following the runaway success of its New Beetle, which probably started the trend, VW asked itself whether it could enjoy the same success with a modern interpretation of the legendary T1 Microbus. Designed at the surf-central design studio in Simi Valley, California, the Microbus Concept took ample inspiration from its distant ancestor, but was modernized in every way.

Ram brand created, Gilles to lead Dodge cars and Fong leaves in Chrysler shakeup

Chrysler Group has created a new brand called Ram for its trucks and named its top designer, Ralph Gilles, as CEO of Dodge cars. The new structure overhauls a setup announced in June as the automaker emerged from bankruptcy in an alliance with Fiat S.p.A. Michael Accavitti, who had led the Dodge brand, has "resigned to pursue other interests," the company said in a statement.

Toyota halts sales of eight models as plants wait for new pedals

Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of eight models as its assembly plants wait for redesigned replacements for faulty accelerator pedal mechanisms. The sales halt will be followed by a production shutdown next week at five North American plants, Toyota said late Tuesday.