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YouTube's Super Bowl commercial buzz list dominated by automakers [w/videos]

After Sunday's big game, YouTube will be the place to watch every commercial that you missed when you left your seat for an emergency guac refill or, as we say in Cleveland, took the Browns to the Super Bowl. That makes YouTube the nation's water cooler on Monday, and it's got some preliminary stats to share in the lead up to kickoff.
As you know, Super Bowl advertisers, particularly automakers, like to endlessly tease their big budget commercials in the weeks before the game, many times revealing them outright days in advance. Because of this, YouTube can tell us which commercials have been viewed the most so far, and their top five list is all automakers.
Kaley Cuoco appears to have been a good investment for Toyota, as her ad for the RAV4 has garnered the most YouTube views - six million and counting - among Super Bowl commercials so far. Second place goes to Mercedes-Benz, though not its actual Super Bowl commercial, but rather the teaser for it. You know, the one with Kate Upton and the car washing, which is up to 5.6 million views. Third place is Audi's Prom commercial (3.3M views), fourth goes to Volkswagen's slightly controversial Get In, Get Happy ad (3.3M views), and the fifth and final spot is bookended by the teaser video for Kaley Cuoco's commercial (3.2M views). You can watch all five in order below.

Brabus bringing 900-horsepower Mercedes S65 to Geneva

The S-Class may be the ultimate Mercedes, but what's the ultimate S-Class? Is it the S550? Maybe in some markets, but that's just the starting point in North America. The S600? Getting closer. The Maybach? Sure, if the last word in luxury is what you're after. But if it's performance you crave, then you'll want an AMG version like the S63. But even that's not the flagship. No, in terms of outright power, it all comes down to the S65. It's got a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 churning out 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, for crying out loud. But Brabus thinks it's still not enough. That's why (alongside the 850-hp S63 coupe) it's bringing a version it calls the Rocket 900 to the Geneva Motor Show this week. To turn the S65 AMG into the Rocket 900, Brabus has bored out the cylinders to total 6.3 liters and fitted larger turbochargers, a new exhaust system, intake module and much, much more. The result is an output increased to 887 bhp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. Brabus has upgraded the limited slip differential to handle the extra muscle, helping it rocket to 62 in just 3.7 seconds, on to 124 in 9.1 and up to a top speed of 217 Autobahn-crunching miles per hour. The famed Benz tuner has also fitted a carbon-fiber aero kit to keep it from flying away (however unlikely considering the vehicle's approximately 5,000-lb curb weight), along with 21- or 22-inch wheels, a retuned air suspension that drops the ride height over half an inch closer to the road and – we can only hope since the release makes no such mention – upgraded brakes as well to keep it all in check. Brabus also offers a full range of interior enhancements as well, but don't expect any of this to come cheap. As it is, the S65 starts at $222,000, but a turn-key Brabus Rocket 900 goes for 347,719 euros – or about $390k at today's rates. Related Video: World premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show BRABUS ROCKET 900 The new reference for high performance in the luxury class V12 with 662 kW / 900 hp, 1,500 Nm and a top speed in excess of 350 km/h BRABUS ROCKET 900 – that is the new reference for high performance in the luxury class, which celebrates its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone +49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax +49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, internet www.brabus.com) builds this super car based on the new Mercedes S 65.

Smart Cross Connect app changes how ForTwos get used [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The story's been updated with a response from a Smart representative. There are parking spaces, and then there are Fortwo parking spaces. Smart, which is owned by Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, is looking for a way for its customers to take advantage of the difference. Think of it as a big thing for really small cars. Smart is working on an app for the redesigned Fortwo called Cross Connect that will be available as soon as next month, says Automotive News, citing Smart chief Annette Winkler. The idea is to connect owners of the diminutive two-seat vehicles to, for example, let them tell each other when there's a parking space that's too small for just about any other vehicle but big enough for a Smart. If you think that's a small thing, think again. The Fortwo is 8 feet, 10 inches long. That's almost six feet shorter than a Toyota Prius, which itself isn't exactly a stretch limo. In fact, the length of a Smart Fortwo is just 10 inches longer than the width of a Ford F-150, in case anyone was having misgivings about parking perpendicular in a parallel spot. Parking has become more relevant, and tougher, as more people move to urban centers. For instance, BMW said earlier this month that it would discontinue its DriveNow car-sharing operations in San Francisco because of the challenge of parking vehicles on that city's streets. Other possible amenities with the Cross Connect app including the enabling of personal car sharing as well as information on car washes that offer discounted rates for Smart Fortwo. Yes, there are some out there, apparently, and we salute them. Michael Minielly, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz, confirmed to Autoblog that the Cross Connect features would be available in November. You can read Autoblog's driving impressions of the 2016 Fortwo here. Featured Gallery 2016 Smart ForTwo: Second Drive View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News-sub.req.Image Credit: Drew Phillips Green Mercedes-Benz smart Technology Smartphone fortwo