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Nissan offers interactive shopping for smartphone users on sales lots

Nissan is putting Quick Response codes on its vehicle price stickers so shoppers can use smartphones to read up on cars as they peruse dealership lots. With the "On Vehicle Graphics" system, QR codes are available to provide extra decision-making information that is easily accessible via popular mobile devices. The codes are available to act as a "silent salesperson," starting with vehicles for the 2012 model year.

One Lap of the Web: Gilbern GT1800, Porsche 911 Targa and Corvette flybys

A picture of what might be the next Porsche 911 Targa leaked onto the Web Friday from Automoto.fr. The photos show a retro look on the removable-top cruiser, which sports a bigger B-pillar than the hardtop. Speculation is that the car could debut as early as next year's Geneva motor show.

Car Designers Blackmailed

A London court has found former design student Guy Lloyd-Parker guilty of blackmailing US car designers. The London College of Fashion graduate had claimed that 95 car design sketches were stolen from him by two college lecturers in 1994, eventually resurfacing as final designs in the form of the Audi TT, BMW Z3, Mazda RX-8 and the Volvo XC90. Lloyd-Parker, having failed to successfully sue the college, began sending menacing letters to California-based Volvo Design Director Geza Loczi, former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and ex-Mazda designer Tsutomu Matano demanding £90,000.