Kia sounds off at SEMA show with five loud Souls

James Brown may have passed on, but the Soul puns live. Kia's SEMA show assault this year includes five examples of the 2014 Soul, designed through collaborations with Vans, Popular Mechanics, RIDES (two of them), and NBC's "The Voice." There's a mobile DJ booth. One filled with stuff from Jimi Hendrix and John Legend.

California racetrack serves wine in a can

A NASCAR race may be a prime place for knocking back cold beers, but those looking to class up their racing libations can now reach for a chilled Flasq wine in an aluminum can shaped like a bottle. Sonoma Valley, Calif.'s, Infineon Raceway, the site of one of NASCAR's road-course races, has entered into a partnership with California-based Flasq, which is domestic wine sold in quick-chilling and 100 percent recyclable bottles. Starting with this weekend's Ferrari challenge, Flasq will be available at the track throughout the 2011 racing season.

A look at Mercedes-Benz future products

Are Americans ready to pay hefty prices for small, front-wheel-drive cars with features usually reserved for large German luxury cars? Mercedes-Benz is about to find out. Starting in the fall of next year, Mercedes will bring three, possibly four new compacts based on a new fwd platform to the United States.