Route 66 road trip: Toronto to Scottsdale and back

Dreaming of a road trip in 2012? You might take some inspiration from a recent run by Toronto resident and Autoweek contributor Ronan McGrath. Like many snow birds, McGrath migrates to Scottsdale, Ariz., for part of the year.

Ford Shelby GR-1 concept shown at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

 Ford is taking the occasion of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept, calling the new sports car a salute to 'performance art'. The GR-1 is a uniquely emotional American sports car design that makes a bold statement about Ford's performance future. "The Ford Shelby Cobra concept was a small step in our plans for the Ford GT supercar architecture and our relationship with Carroll Shelby," says J Mays, Ford Motor Company group vice president of Global Design.

Crunch watch Feb 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 02 March 2009 18:11 Monday 2 March• The Volkswagen Group announces a 5% rise in sales revenues in the 2008 tax year and a 3% increase in operating profits, up to €6.3 billion. Chairman Martin Winterkorn said the group's multi-brand strategy and low CO2 cars had helped sustain sales, although he admitted that 2009 would see a fall in demand and revenues (Volkswagen) Friday 27 February• Jaguar Land Rover announces a significant order for 13,000 cars from a Chinese business. It's a morale boost for JLR which has been hit by a slump in demand with the global slowdown (BBC News)• Opel this afternoon agreed to a restructuring plan designed to save as many jobs and factories as possible – but it needs a €3.3 billion lifeline from the state.