This Automotive Podcast Goes One Louder -- To 2014

General Motors bought back a sizable chunk of the shares from the U.S. Treasury, continuing its rebound and allowing the auto maker's executives to once again ride on corporate jets.

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Toyota took another step to clear off its unintended acceleration issues by settling a class-action lawsuit for over $1.1 billion. That's pocket change for the Japanese company that is already predicting record sales for 2013. It will be among the many car makers that boost North American production through 2014.

In other auto business news, Suzuki is getting out of the U.S. market with a bang, with sales surging in the final months.

Questionable winter driving advice

Mazda is trying to one-up other brands by tagging its redesigned Mazda6 sedan as a 2014 model, but that is preventing dealers from actually selling the cars before 2013.

Auto-related fatalities rose a bit in 2012, but the numbers aren't really bad.

Men continue to pay more than women for auto insurance, but in Europe its now against the rules to use gender to determine rates.

Finally, here are some of the best new gadgets for cars this year and a prediction that Apple will get into the auto business in 2013.

With Two Billion Vehicles We Need More Automotive Podcasts Like This

The age of the U.S. auto fleet is at its highest level ever, and that makes Ford's marketing chief think that sales will continue to be strong, especially as shoppers see how much better and fuel-efficient new vehicles have become.

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If those sales do keep increasing, the world will end up with more than 2 billion vehicles in 2035, twice as many as today.

Los Angeles is perhaps the center of car culture in the U.S., so the L.A. Auto Show has become a place where car makers show off some very cool designs and significant new models. This year the Koreans and the Japanese dominated, with Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru and Toyota all revealing new models or cool concepts. We review the action, and recap my trip to the Seattle auto show.

A car full of the future.

One of the most significant vehicles in L.A. was the all-electric Chevrolet Spark, which also features integration with Apple's Siri. That makes Mathew wonder why Apple isn't making car infotainment systems yet.

Beyond entertainment, the next thing that auto electronics will do is tell you when you are tense and ask you to chill out. Toyota hopes some of its new technologies will prevent drivers from doing unintended things.

Finally, would you like a gas station at your house? If you have a natural-gas vehicle that may be possible and affordable.

You Can't Sue Us If You Don't Like This Podcast About Cars

GM is hoping that you don't sue them, especially for anything that might be wrong with the cars that it made before it went through bankruptcy.

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Hyundai might get sued for this questionable unintended acceleration (check out the video below), but we agree there is something fishy going on.

Putting premium fuel instead of regular might save you some money in the short term, but the long-term effects on your engine remain unclear.

On a scary note, a fake police officer is terrorizing drivers in Mississippi and another is scaring police officers in Florida.

In Atlanta, efforts to add more lanes have created confusion and led police to arrest a former NFL player.

GM has decided it doesn't like Facebook anymore, at least for advertising -- and Ford is mocking its cross-town rival.

Finally, one man has taken a dead and crushed Ferrari and turned it into a coffin-like coffee table.
It made us wonder what kind of car you'd like to be buried in.