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VW Beetle Dune at the Detroit auto show

Of all the production-leaning concept vehicles at the Detroit auto show, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune's the sort of flight of fancy nobody was looking for. Nissan's Sport Sedan heralds the look of the next Maxima, which will likely trickle down in some way to future Altimas, Sentras and Versas. It looks as if Nissan will put one of its techno-retro RWD IDx concepts into production.

Trail of clues leading to Chevrolet SS nameplate

Connecting the dots that lead to Chevrolet's as-yet-unnamed new model seems to lead back to one storied name: SS. The latest clue that a rear-wheel-drive performance sedan named simply SS could soon join nameplates such as Malibu and Suburban in Chevy's lineup came from an unlikely source: GM itself. A page on the OnStar Web site had listed the GM models that are compatible with a mobile app that gives owners remote vehicle access through their smartphones.

Multi-touch UI reduces touchscreen interaction to simple swipes [w/video]

Touchscreens have become widespread standard features in many cars over the last few years, consolidating the modern car's many functions into one interface. But despite their advantages there's the big downside of driver distraction, something user interface designer Matthaeus Krenn believes he has solved with his UI. Unlike most other touchscreens, Krenn's interface isn't organized into menus and small, hard-to-hit buttons, but instead makes use of multi-touch gestures, reducing the accuracy and attention needed to operate key functions.