Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi appointed president of Lexus

Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi will be the first designer to sit on the company's board of directors when his appointment comes into effect on 1 April. Fukuichi will retain his position as global head of design for the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands and will join the board after the general shareholders' meeting. His influence on Toyota's design direction over the last few years has been noticeable, particularly with Lexus, as the company strives to make its traditionally very conservative products a little more exciting.

Fiat-Chrysler to make Jeeps, Alfas in Italy starting in 2012

Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group will build Alfa Romeo and Jeep models for global distribution as part of a new joint-venture company that will take control over Fiat's Mirafiori plant in Turin, Fiat said Friday. Fiat-Chrysler will invest more than 1 billion euros (more than $1.3 billion) to retool the factory.

Toyota FT-Bh Hybrid Concept: Geneva 2012

Toyota FT-Bh Hybrid Concept The Toyota FT-Bh Hybrid Concept at Geneva is yet another Toyota Hybrid Concept, this time a lightweight City Car. It’s the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, so it’s time for Toyota to roll out yet another Hybrid Concept, this time it’s the turn of the FT-Bh Concept which is a small hybrid – more or less Yaris-sized – that Toyota claims makes use of viable methods and materials in its construction. Do they normally use non-viable materials and methods?