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Former Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda takes over as Fisker front man

Former Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda is taking over as chief executive of Fisker Automotive from founder Henrik Fisker. Fisker, 48, will pass daily-operations duties to LaSorda, 57. Fisker, a former Aston Martin and BMW designer, will focus on growing the company in overseas markets, building brand awareness and design.

Concept Car of the Week: Renault Vel Satis (1998)

The approach to the design of top end models varies greatly depending on the manufacturer's heritage and the cultural differences of each country. It might be a conventional combination of wood and leather for some, power and technology for others, but it is generally packaged into a three-box four-door sedan or two-door fastback. Renault on the other hand had a much more cutting edge vision of what a luxury automobile could be.

Concept Car of the Week: Plymouth XNR (1960)

In the early ‘50s, both GM and Ford offered attractive and exciting sports cars, symbols of a proud post-war America. Ford had the Thunderbird and GM the Corvette, but Chrysler's approach was more pragmatic, producing cars that were practical and robust but also slow. After commissioning a long series of concepts designed by Italian carrozzeria Ghia, Chrysler gave a free hand to its design chief Virgil Exner to inject some life into its lineup.