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Future products: Toyota lineup gets an 18-month makeover

Toyota plans to move into new product segments over the next 18 months, as well as redesign several mainstream models. By the spring of 2012, Toyota will launch all-new versions of the Camry, Yaris, Tacoma and RAV4. Also, the new FT-86 sport coupe, developed with Subaru, should arrive on these shores by that time.

One Lap of the Web: a lap of the 'Ring, a lap of the YouTubes and a lap of the eBays

-- The Porsche 918 achieved a spectacular and borderline-unbelievable time just a few days ago, but here are some less heroic cars lapping the 'Ring, like Peugeot 205s, modern BMWs and a few bikes mixed in for good measure. Check out the classic Heckflosse (fintail) Mercedes-Benz at 2:05. -- Filmmaker Casey Neistat filmed, umm, a pretty good commercial for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, but it's the making-of video that's even more fun to watch.

What the Future Holds, Nobody Knows

It's a testament to the talent, charisma and relative celebrity of Ian Callum, Derek Jenkins and Franz von Holzhausen - heads of Jaguar, Mazda and Tesla design, respectively - that they managed to captivate a crowd of industry insiders at the tail end of the Los Angeles Auto Show's second press-preview day. This despite being given a nebulous topic to discuss with a moderator who knew little about the subject. Dan Lyons, a technology columnist at Newsweek, oversaw the panel discussion that was to focus on "Tomorrow's Cars...Practical Transportation or Groundbreaking Design?" He asked only one question on that topic before digressing into a more general discourse on the design strategies of Jaguar, Mazda and Tesla.