Storing classic concept cars is a huge hassle

If you see a dazzling concept car at an auto show this year, consider this: Somebody is going to have to find the space to park it and maintain it in a heritage collection, perhaps until the end of time. Preserving this year's hits as the museum pieces of the future is one of the great backroom issues of the auto industry. If you need to see the first wood-paneled Honda Civic Country station wagon from 1980 for some good reason, Honda has one in storage in Japan.

One Lap of the Web: Remembering the dearly departed

-- With news that Toyota is leaving the great state of California for the greater (by landmass, anyway; your own opinion may vary) state of Texas, it's worth reminding ourselves that Toyota in America started as one lonely building on 6000 Hollywood Blvd., having taken over a former Rambler dealership. (The site is still a successful Toyota dealership.) That first year of sales in 1958 saw 287 Toyopet Crowns and one Land Cruiser sold -- more as curiosities than as practical transportation, we'd wager. -- At any rate, Toyota's move from California to Texas is moving from "one of the most eco-friendly states in the union," according to Ward's Auto, "to the U.S.’s equivalent of China." -- Ten years ago today, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the line at Lansing Car Assembly.

Suzuki S-Cross Crossover Concept at Paris

Suzuki are teasing a new C-Segment Crossover ahead of the Paris Motor Show – the Suzuki S-Cross. We may still all be focussed more on the Olympics than the car world, but the Paris Motor Show is looming next month and the teases and announcement are starting to roll. This morning we had confirmation that the Jaguar F-Type will get its debut at Paris and now we have news of the Suzuki S-Cross Concept, a C-Segment Crossover come SUV which may be a replacement for the Suzuki SX4.