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One Lap of the Web: Brazilian Volkswagens and unnecessary Volkswagens

-- Ever seen a Volkswagen SP2? It's a Brazil-only model made between 1972 and 1976 because, at the time, the Brazilian market was closed to imports. Just over 10,000 examples were made, and some have made their way to the U.S.

Carlos Ghosn's automaker mantra: Go big or you'll go away

Size matters in auto company survival, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told an audience in Detroit on Tuesday. To cope with the escalating costs and scope of a global industry, successful automakers must complete a trifecta--be able to compete in every technology, every market and every segment, Ghosn said during a luncheon speech at the Detroit Economic Club “No 3 million-unit carmaker can make it,” Ghosn said, explaining why his Renault-Nissan alliance forged an alliance with Germany's Daimler AG. Competency in one or two of the three skills is not enough, and only very large companies can afford all three, he said.

Jaguar C-X16 concept (2011) the first official sketch of Jag's F-type

This is Jaguar’s new sub-XK sports car. As we revealed back in 2009, Jaguar is working on an all-new small sports car, nicknamed the XE, to compete with Porsche’s best – and this is it. This official design sketch teases the concept car (dubbed C-X16, the hybrid supercar concept is C-X75) that will appear at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September.