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VW Beetle to get bigger seat

TThe successor to the New Beetle will arrive in 2012 with more space in the back seat and better packaging, said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Speaking at a press event in Germany, he also said the next generation of the Beetle will be "more of a halo car" for the Volkswagen brand. And Jacoby said he expects the next Beetle to achieve higher sales.

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

BMW DesignworksUSA heads to China

In light of its growth within China, BMW plans to open a DesignworksUSA studio in the country. Building on its studio portfolio of Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore, the Shanghai studio will be added to the repertoire in the second half of 2011. The DesignworksUSA project acts as a 'think-tank' for all of BMW's brands, as well as creating design for clients from diverse industries.