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Mark Vaughn: We’ll always have Vegas

There were a few bare spots on the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show this year, spots that in previous years had been jammed sardine-like with myriad Taiwanese makers of Hello Kitty knockoff cell phone cozies and electronic barking dogs, but the show this year was nonetheless pretty well attended. Besides, for those working their way upstream through the aisles like so many digitally trained trout, the empty spots left by exhibitors that pulled out were like refreshing mountain meadows or little piazzas in crowded Italian cities. Show management stocked the open spots with cushy couches, too, on which many a jet-lagged showgoer snoozed.

2012 Ducati Monster 1100EVO revealed

For a naked bike, it’s loaded. Ducati has unveiled the latest addition to its top-selling Monster range, the 1100EVO, and this street fighter is packed with a list of technical and safety innovations. The 2012 Monster 1100EVO is the first Ducati to hit 100 hp from an air-cooled engine.

Skoda Yeti facelift for 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Skoda will debut a facelifted Yeti compact SUV at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. This doesn’t exactly sound like major news, but it does represent potentially dangerous ground for the Czech brand: the Yeti is one the best-loved cars on sale in the UK –　so the task of refreshing it can’t have been an easy one. Nonetheless, Skoda has not only chosen to give the Yeti a makeover, it will also offer the car in two distinct variants for the first time – one aimed at urban drivers and the other at more adventurous types.