Why Ferraris Are Getting Ugly

(NEWSER) - Detroit needs to heed Henry Ford's advice and take failure as "the opportunity to begin again more intelligently," Sebastian Thrum and Anthony Levandowski write in the New York Times. Here are four technologies that can help the Big Three automakers turn things around:

• Car-to-car communication: Wireless technology will allow vehicles and traffic signals to communicate with each other, reducing accidents by up to 30%.

Steve McQueen's cachet will be tested when Christie's auctions off his Ferrari

(NEWSER) - Growling exhaust and a thumping V-12 engine doesn't usually garner $2 million at luxury auctions, but then this speedster was once owned by a movie star “synonymous with cars, horsepower, racing.” It's Steve McQueen who used to cruise in this ’63 Ferrari, a classic so polished that even the door trim screws are handpicked to perfection. But is McQueen’s name still strong enough to make this baby sell like a Bullitt? More»

It's too expensive, says marketing chief

(NEWSER) - Maybe Facebook shouldn't feel too bad that GM is dropping its paid ads from the site: The automaker isn't buying any Super Bowl spots next year, either, reports the Wall Street Journal . GM, usually a heavy presence in the big game, says the price of the ads—currently $3.8 million for 30 seconds—just isn't worth it. The move is part of a larger overhaul of its marketing strategy, but the company says it's not cutting back on its overall advertising budget, which hit $4.5 billion last year. More»

Super Bowl ad guidelines leaked to TMZ

(NEWSER) - Acura apologized this week over a casting document for its Super Bowl commercial that requested a black actor who is "not too dark." The casting sheet had specified: "Nice Looking, friendly. Not too dark." reports TMZ . An actor angry at being passed over for the commercial, which starred Jerry Seinfeld, leaked the document to the website. More»

Prius owners stay a little bit truer

(NEWSER) - America's love affair with hybrids has turned out to be more of a fling for many owners: A new study finds that when they go to trade in, about 65% of hybrid owners pass on getting another hybrid. The numbers, based on 2011 data, do fluctuate based on the model: Prius owners were slightly more likely to stick with a gas-electric ride, with 41% selecting another hybrid; for Honda hybrid owners, that number sunk to less than 20%, reports MSNBC . More»