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For new CAFE rules, automakers place high-stakes tech bets

Game-changing 2015 fuel economy rules are forcing vehicle development teams to make high-stakes bets on expensive technologies--bets that will separate the winners from the also-rans. Not only do federal rules target a 2015 fleet average of 35.5 mpg, up from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks; they force automakers to bet on different technology packages for each vehicle segment. Companies that do best at mixing technologies while keeping down costs will have an advantage when buyers wince at higher stickers.

Mystery Porsche prototype destroyed in fire near Stuttgart

According to the Porsche-lovers at flatsixes.com, an unknown Porsche prototype caught fire after being taken home by an employee earlier this week. It reportedly took 19 firefighters to extinguish the blaze, which occurred in a home garage in Ludwigsburg, Germany (a city located near Porsche's home in Stuttgart). Fortunately, the employee and his wife suffered only minor injuries, but we assume the prototype is a complete loss.

Sarah McLachlan teases upcoming Audi Super Bowl ad

For all the overt hyper-earnestness Sarah McLachlan ladled upon us during her 1990s heyday, we might not’ve noticed that the Canadian singer-songwriter has a sense of humor. A cameo a couple of years back in the excellent Aimee Mann-as-housekeeper episode of Portlandia suggested McLachlan’s lighter side and now this weirdly-captivating teaser for Audi's 2014 Super Bowl ad sees the Lilith Fair founder futzing around with her own image, imploring that the Doberhuahua is a misunderstood animal that deserves our attention. We assume that the morphologically-perverse Doberman/Chihuahua cross is supposed to suggest that the new A3 is both small and vicious.