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Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

General Motors cancels plans for Buick compact crossover

General Motors has canceled plans for a compact crossover for Buick, vice chairman Tom Stephens said Wednesday in a posting on the company's blog. The five-passenger crossover was just announced earlier this month at an event in Northern Michigan. But GM reversed plans after negative feedback about the vehicle said that it didn't fit the premium characteristics associated with the brand.

LA Auto Show Design Challenge to tackle future CHP vehicles

When one thinks of Los Angeles, the near future and police vehicles, one particular conveyance comes to mind — the Syd Mead-designed Spinner from Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. Perhaps cognizant that the time of the film's dystopian setting, 2019, is less than seven years away, the L.A auto show Design Challenge group has set a date of 2025. What will California look like 13 years in the future?