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One Lap of the Web: The Worst Cars in the World Edition

-- The first annual "Wal-Mart Car Show" is actually an Internet gallery featuring wood-bedecked Oldsmobiles, sponged minivans, Avatar tribute Silverados, and Subaru Outbacks with giant logs for bumpers. There's no offical judging, so feel free to draw your own conclusions about the drivers of these questionable vehicles. -- A Mitsubishi has many similarities to a Ferrari.

Big Three Truck Premieres

Once just a local agricultural fair, the State Fair of Texas, Dallas, has now become the launch platform of choice for automobile manufacturers to present new trucks. Texas is an immense market for pickup trucks and this year, the Detroit Three were there, along with Toyota, to present world premieres. And for the auto executives that make the trip down, the Texas Fair is surely the easiest assignment they will get each year: people in Texas like full size trucks and buy them as personal vehicles not because they need their capacity but rather because "it's Texas here, y'know".

Redesigned Mercedes-Benz M-class takes to the road for testing

Mercedes-Benz gave its M-class SUV a mild freshening last year. But a more-thorough makeover is on the way two years from now for the 2012 model. These prototypes--the first we've seen of the new M-class--are wearing a lot of camouflage, but through the nose opening we spy a sharper grille design that looks similar to the GLK.