Ford 427 Fe Adj. Rockers on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Range Rover Evoque

As Sam Livingstone opines in his review of the latest Porsche 911, we are in a period of car design consolidation, with the new 911 the ultimate expression of a slightly suffocating trend. Yet every so often, a vehicle appears that breaks these rules and – through a combination of factors that can be difficult to quantify – captures the imagination, becoming a symbol of the times and an overnight market success. Such vehicles tend to emerge once a decade or so, yet the late 90s and early noughties were extraordinary for giving birth to three – the Ford Ka of '96, Audi TT of '98 and Mini of '01.

Who's Where?: Maximilian Missoni becomes vice president exterior design at Volvo

Maximilian Missoni has been promoted to the position of vice president of exterior design at Volvo Cars. He replaces Fedde Talsma, who has elected to leave the company. Talsma's decision brings to an end a career at Volvo that began in 1982, with the past nine years spent as the firm's exterior design director.  Although Volvo states that Talsma has retired after serving 31-years at the Swedish firm, his LinkedIn profile states that he is now an independent automotive design adviser in his native Netherlands.

Can Horn get US Volkswagen sales back on track?

Volkswagen AG's German executives readily admit they are a bit baffled by America, where, despite decades of exertion, Volkswagen's namesake VW brand still doesn't rank as a marquee marque. So why would the automaker choose a German native and Wolfsburg veteran, Michael Horn, as the new CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, to succeed Jonathan Browning, 54, who is leaving at the end of the year? To VW insiders and U.S.