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Green car of the year finalists chosen

Green Car Journal named its top-five green cars for 2014 on Thursday, tapping the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Mazda 3 hatchback, Honda Accord and the new Toyota Corolla as its finalists. The winner will be announced at the LA Auto Show. Green Car likes the Audi A6 TDI due to its unexpected performance in a high-efficiency vehicle.

Call for ban on on vehicle-side advertising

ALL ADVERTISING and promotional banners on commercial vehicles should be banned as they are distracting to other drivers and tempt them to use mobile phones while driving. This is the call from Flexed, a car leasing company, which has carried out a survey that shows a quarter (23%) of drivers admit to trying to type a website address into smartphone after seeing an advert on a lorry. A further 10% of drivers admitted they had tried to take a camera phone photo of an advertisement on a commercial vehicle to use later.

Buick Verano

The Buick Verano will become the GM brand's smallest model when launched at the upcoming NAIAS in Detroit. Based on the same Delta II platform as the Chevrolet Cruze and Opel/Vauxhall Astra, it is also visually related to the latter, albeit to a lesser degree than its larger Regal sibling is to the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. The upper-C-segment Verano's DRG features the familiar 'waterfall' grille, finished in black chrome, blue-lensed projector headlamps and requisite portholes atop its hood.