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Mercury fading: A look back at some of the brand's milestone cars

Rarely do we at AutoWeek like to see a nameplate get deep-sixed. When one does, we enthusiasts get a little nostalgic. Whether it's remembering the one our grandma had or the piece of junk we bought after high school, no brand lives for more than 70 years without a few high points.

Test your car's audio quality with iTunes playlist

General Motors audio engineer Matt Kirsch, who did the sound work for the Chevrolet Cruze, has developed an iTunes playlist that helps drivers test their cars' audio quality. The “10 Songs for an Audio ‘Test Drive'” playlist includes: “Don't Know Why” by Norah Jones “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez “No One” by Alicia Keys “Hotel California” by the Eagles “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap “He Mele No Lilo” by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu (from Lilo & Stitch) “Bird on a Wire” by Johnny Cash “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” by Radiohead While “Boom Boom Pow” and “Rock That Body” should have accurate and powerful bass beats, “No One” and “Bird on a Wire” should feature clarity in the vocals. Kirsch's playlist is available for download at http://tiny.cc/c2ach.

Kia Niro concept (2013) first official pictures

Kia’s radical new concept car is the Niro crossover, complete with butterfly doors, two-tone tyres and a Blake 7 cockpit in the best show car tradition. Look past the design flourishes, though, and you’ll see this is a statement of intent for Kia’s next niche car: a supermini-sized crossover to fight the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, and Vauxhall Mokka. Kia Niro: what’s in a name?