Volkswagen Beetle (2011) first official pictures

After 11 long years on sale the New Beetle is dead – its successor is this, The Beetle. We'll just call it the new 2011 VW Beetle. 2011 VW Beetle: trading flower-power for outlaw rodder Wider, lower and longer, the 2011 Beetle abandons its predecessors three semi-circle styling for the flat-roof look of 2005’s hot rod-inspired Ragster concept. At the front, the Beetle adopts the corporate horizontal intake styling and a more angular front bumper melded with a less curvaceous evolution of the 1998 New Beetle styling template.

Autoweek archives: Pontiac Firebird Type K wagon

This Autoweek archives piece comes from March 1980, when Bob Irvin and Bob Hall explored the fabled--and failed--Pontiac Trans Am wagon. In the late 1970s, the Pontiac Firebird Type K (Kammback) was explored as a way to inject some life into the aging F-body lineup. After a concept build by Pontiac Motor Division, vice president of design Bill Mitchell had two 1977 models constructed in Italy by famed Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina.

Daimler to build a fifth Mercedes-Benz model at its Alabama plant

Daimler AG said it will invest $350 million to produce a fifth Mercedes-Benz model at its factory in Vance, Ala., starting in 2015. The investment will create an additional 400 jobs at the plant. The company did not provide details about the additional vehicle.