Coors Light Hat on 2040-parts.com

Porsche uses phone-formatted bar codes to connect with customers

Porsche is harnessing the power of smartphones, using Microsoft Tag bar codes to provide dealership customers with unique information about the cars they're looking at. Buyers can scan the square stickers with a properly equipped phone, and the application will take them to dedicated microsites where they can see stats, videos and pictures of the car, along with audio clips of a flat-six engine revving up. Through the microsite, buyers can provide contact info for a follow-up call from Porsche salespeople.

CAR's review of 2009: the cars that die

It’s been out with the old for a host of models in 2009, some provoking misty-eyed fond farewells, some told not to let the factory door hit them on the bumper on the way out. We pick the saddest and happiest goodbyes of the year. A sculpted drop-top with rear-wheel drive and a frantically schizophrenic VTEC engine.  What’s not to like?

Autoweek Best of the Best/Truck - Chevrolet Silverado

When we first saw the new Chevy Silverado, we thought, “Hmmm, styling's conservative, interior quality looks a bit better … these things better drive well or Chevy's in a heap of trouble.” No doubt, the new Silverado is an outstanding full-size pickup, so much so we put one on our June 24 cover and said that it was “more refined than ever.”And that's really the story here. In our Best of the Best testing, we found the Silverado to be as quiet, refined and smooth as one could ask from a full-size pickup. Testers also were impressed with the body control (for a large truck) and outstanding ride.