OnStar and Verizon reveal camera-laden Buick

OnStar and Verizon are debuting a prototype Buick LaCrosse at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that offers a range of futuristic technologies. The spy-tech features include cameras that monitor activity around the car which can be viewed from a smartphone and a computer, and an impact-detection system that can replay a video clip of fender-benders. There also are enhanced voice commands to access Web sites, including YouTube, Twitter and Wikipedia, and an electronic owner's manual for the car that's streamed onto the dashboard.

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

Nissan teases all-new 2014 Qashqai crossover

Nissan has revealed a teaser image of the next Qashqai, the all-new second-generation version of its ground-breaking crossover, which is due to go on sale in 2014. The real thing is set to be unveiled on Thursday 7 November 2013, and Nissan is promising the new Qashqai will “redefine the crossover sector and set new standard across the board.” On Bing: see pictures of the Nissan Qashqai Find out how much a used Nissan Qashqai costs on Auto Trader This is no small matter for Nissan – in fact, the firm describes the new Qashqai as the most significant car in its modern history, the original version having defined an entirely new sector of the marketplace. If the Qashqai didn’t strictly invent the crossover concept, it certainly made it popular beyond even Nissan’s wildest dreams, offering buyers an SUV-style image with the running costs and driving dynamics of a conventional family hatchback and the practicality of a people carrier.