Laurence Fishburne reprises Morpheus role for Kia Super Bowl ad

When we drove the Kia K900 recently, we asked, “Do buyers in the BMW 5-series/Mercedes E-class/Audi A6/Lexus GS class want a prestigious nameplate as much as they want radar adaptive cruise control?” In Kia's new Super Bowl spot starring Laurence Fishburne, Morpheus says yes. The Korean automaker's snatched up the erstwhile voice of Cadillac to reprise his beloved character from the "Matrix" trilogy in the hope of suggesting that reality is mutable, luxury isn't about nameplates, and the K900 will open your eyes to a world of improbable possibilities. Despite the explosions, melting dinner utensils and airborne automobiles of the ad, we actually preferred the making-of video released at the same time as the Super Bowl clip, which you can watch below.

Fisker Automotive lays off some workers as government reworks loan

Work on the Fisker Nina family sedan has temporarily halted at the Fisker Automotive plant in Wilmington, Del., while the carmaker and the federal government hash out details of the company's $529 million Department of Energy loan. The interruption has resulted in the layoff of 26 people at its Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker's Anaheim, Calif., headquarters. Fisker Automotive said some of the engineering-staff reductions in Anaheim were already planned to occur in between development of the Karma and the Nina.

The 2014 KTM 1290 Super Duke R

Turns out the Trapp Family Singers aren't the only Austrian product worth hearing. Kronreif und Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen (KTM), an 80-year-old motorcycle manufacturer based two hours east of Munich is enjoying newfound influence and recently launched its biggest, baddest-sounding machine yet: the 1290 Super Duke R. Light and lithe, the latest Super Duke features a narrow 1301cc DOHC 75-degree V-twin with amazing bandwidth.