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Americans plan to keep their cars longer, AutoPacific study finds

In another chilling sign that auto sales are likely to remain stalled, a new study finds that Americans intend to keep their cars longer, indicating a general concern about the industry and the overall economy. The number of new-car buyers planning to keep their rides more than four years has risen to 59 percent, according to a study released Tuesday by California marketing research firm AutoPacific. That's an increase from last year, when about 45 percent of new buyers intended to wait more than four years for their next purchase, and it's up from 2005's tally of 46 percent.

Spoken street names useful in navigation units, magazine says

If you're in the market for a portable navigation unit, features such as spoken street names and reality view/lane assist are worth the money while traffic information, connected services and voice recognition are not as essential, says Consumer Reports magazine. Less expensive navigation models are even offering the service via which the unit will speak the names of streets or highway numbers rather than telling drivers to merge or turn in a specific direction. Reality view/lane assist is a feature commonly packaged as one that displays three-dimensional views of exits, signs and intersections as well as the best lane to be in for upcoming driving maneuvers.

Ram beefs up heavy-duty trucks for more towing

The Chrysler Group is upgrading its heavy-duty Ram pickups for the 2013 model to deliver what it says will be class-leading towing capacity. Diesel-powered versions also adopt selective catalytic reduction exhaust treatment to cut emissions and extend maintenance intervals. The automaker has also created a dedicated commercial vehicle team within the Ram brand to boost its business with fleet and work truck buyers.