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2014 Volkswagen Beetle priced at $21,115

The 2014 Volkswagen Beetles are scurrying into dealerships as we speak. The base 1.8-liter turbo model will start at $21,115, including an $820 destination charge, while the convertible will start at $25,990. The hardtop comes with manual transmission; the cabrio gets a six-speed auto.

RCA Tata 'Space' project

First year students at the Royal College of Art in London, UK, presented their interpretations of a small Tata that boasted internationally appealing Indian character. Following on from the Indica and Nano small cars, the project aimed to call out existing typologies for the brand and create an innovative and internationally relevant product. The brief also aimed to build on – and assist – Tata's fast-track development to be a leading small car global brand by building on the brand's extensive portfolio beyond the automotive sector.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.