VW wants more vehicles tailored to U.S. buyers

The Volkswagen brand's U.S. product planner wants a more Americanized lineup. His wish list calls for a small, locally built SUV, more diesels and possibly a return of the Phaeton.

Hiromu Naruse: ‘Godfather’ of the LFA ‘Not Famous Enough’

Hiromu Naruse & Lexus LFA Last year we reported the death of Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s chief test driver and a man considered to be the ‘Godfather’ of the Japanese performance car, and particularly the Lexus LFA, a car which consumed the last decade of his life and became the final testament to his enormous skill. At 67, Naruse-san was still as involved as ever, and it was whilst driving a Lexus LFA with the Nurburgring Package he met his end on a public road near the Nurburgring. A track, incidentally, he had driven more than any other Japanese driver.

Denza confirmed as brand name for Daimler BYD joint venture

Denza - the JV brand of BYD and Daimler The joint venture between Mercedes (Daimler) and BYD in China is to market cars under the Denza brand. It seems to have taken a very long time for the partnership between Mercedes Benz’ parent company Daimler and China’s BYD to come up with product or even a name. Well, they’ve managed the name although we’re still not too sure what exactly they’ll be flogging.