Toyota recalls Highlander and Lexus hybrids, IS and GS sedans

Toyota announced two recalls on Wednesday that include 369,000 vehicles worldwide, 235,000 of which are in the United States. The hybrids have a problem with a transistor, while the 3.5-liter V6 is having problems with its variable valve timing control device. The first recall includes Highlander Hybrid models from 2006-2010 and the Lexus RX 400h from 2006-2008.

2013 Volkswagen Beetle diesel starts at $24,065

The diesel-powered 2013 Volkswagen Beetle will carry a sticker price of $24,065 including $770 in destination charges when it arrives in dealerships in August. It will be the first diesel Bug to hit the United States since 2006. The 2.0-liter turbocharged oil burner will join the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine and the 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine in the lineup.

One Lap of the Web: Let's visit Amelia Island in a short bus camper

-- Ken Kesey and friends spent most of the countercultural 1960s driving across the country in a 1939 International Harvester school bus painted in psychedelic colors. Portland, Maine architect Will Winkelman might do less drugs (we don't know), but the 1959 Chevrolet Viking short bus he designed might fit Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, especially if you stacked them head-to-toe. For his client, Winkelman designed a Moroccan theme of colorful patterns and textures across the curtains and twin beds, beaded light fixtures and wood paneling everywhere, approaching the project as one might approach boat-building or a particularly run-down Detroit "fixer-upper." The result has plumbing, power, an olive-drab paint scheme that blends into the New England woods, and the overall sense of a guest bedroom that you can escape in whenever you tire of your host's company.