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One Lap of the Web: A wiseguy in a Cadillac

-- Not many car reviews feature a shot-for-shot remake of "Goodfellas." (We're still banking on Ford's re-introduction of the Crown Victoria for a shot-for-shot remake of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage.") Matt Farah of the Smoking Tire did for its review of the Cadillac CTS V-Sport, which took four days to shoot and six to edit, and probably three more to steal the dolly cam from Scorsese's basement. -- You might not remember the Saturn Pioneer, but back in 1979, "the new marque Saturn was developed to play on the increased attention to astronomy NASA's deep space probes were generating," writes automotive historian/inveterate liar Jason Torchinsky. One of GM's many H-Body cars, the Pioneer -- named after the probe, not the Probe -- carried an innovative version of GM's venerable "Iron Duke": it had both a carburetor and throttle-body fuel injection, which undoubtedly added needless complexity that could have better served the real Rocket Division, Oldsmobile.

General Motors names Mary Barra to head global product development

General Motors named Mary Barra head of global product development on Thursday, succeeding Tom Stephens, who was named global chief technology officer of the automaker on Wednesday. An engineer, Barra, 49, is the first woman to hold the top product development job at GM. Since 2009 she has served as vice president of global human resources for GM--a key post as the automaker restructured and emerged from bankruptcy protection.

Pickup trucks battle over mpg

Coming this fall: The pickup wars resume, with a twist. Expect boastful claims of horsepower, torque, towing capacity and durability. But this year the Ford and Ram brands also plan to duke it out over fuel economy.