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Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.

Volkswagen breaks 40-year-old sales record in 2012

The last time Volkswagen moved this many vehicles in America in one year, Richard Nixon was still a President in good standing, Let It Be was a radio hit and each car wearing the VW badge boasted an air-cooled engine. That's right, with a grand total of 580,286 vehicles sold in the US last year, the VW Group has broken its own four-decades-old sales record by 2,899 vehicles.
Of that 580k total sold, 438k were Volkswagens and 139k were Audi products - increases of 35.1 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively, in year-over-year sales. The ultra-premium members of the VW group also fared well; Bentley delivered 2,315 vehicles for a 23.3-precent increase, and Lamborghini delivered 520 units for a 52.9-percent jump. Bugatti, we're told is "right on track."
Jetta (pictured) sales paced the marque with 170k models sold, and Passat also finished very strong with sales of 117k total. Tiguan also racked up its best year on file, with 31,731 models shifted.

Here are the cars Fast 8 characters will drive in Iceland

The eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise will feature some characteristic wheel-to-wheel adventuring, this time on Icelandic ice. As revealed by the F&F production team, here are some of the vehicles that will be seen in the film. What else could Dominic Toretto drive than a Dodge? The previous film showed a Charger fitted for off-road driving, and this time the classic shape has been formed into an ice racer. The muscle car is still recognizable, but the altered wheelbase and fender flares make this something quite different. And as the bullet holes testify, the matte black machine is definitely going to see some action. Letty drives a Local Motors Rally Fighter, which might be the best fit for the ice scenes. The off-road coupe has been modified with a brush bar and some serious roof-mounted lights. Roman will be seen behind the wheel of an orange Lamborghini Murcielago, easily standing out in the frozen wastes. To top it off, there are some tank-like machines: There's a tracked Ripsaw for Tej Parker and an "Ice Ram" for Hobbs, who is played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Both of these look like mean machines, and on the screen they'll probably prove to be the admission ticket's worth. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fast 8 Ice Cars Image Credit: Fast & Furious Facebook page Celebrities TV/Movies Dodge Lamborghini Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Supercars local motors fast 8 ripsaw