Tumblr brings sponsored posts to users' feeds.

P&G lines up race for Lafley's successor.

Camel cigarette brand under fire for targeting kids. 

Caterpillar reaches tentative deal with union in Milwaukee.

Conde Nast opens up Vogue cafe in Dubai. 

DC Entertainment unveils new 75th anniversary Superman logo.

Dell proceeds with its buyout effort.

Fiat awaits court's verdict on share price before proceeding with Chrysler merger.

Jaguar speeds to early success with F-Type launch.Continue reading...

Uniqlo kept out of Bangladesh safety pact by owner Fast Retailing.

Renault suffers blow from failure of Better Place EV startup.

ESPN layoffs underscore sports-network battle and soaring rights fees.

Acura eyes emerging markets.

BMW hints at bringing out super-luxury coupe with a Pininfarina touch.

BuzzFeed, CNN and YouTube plan online-video channel.

Club Med buyout sees large role for Chinese investors.Continue reading...

GM CEO Dan Akerson has promised that the next generation of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid will be priced as much as $10,000 lower than the car's current sticker price of about $40,000 as the company learns how to cut manufacturing costs and spread the savings across higher production volumes.

But for electric-vehicle aficionados who don't want to wait that long before a battery-powered car becomes affordable, GM is doing something now: offering the new Chevrolet Spark electric vehicle at a price of just $27,495, making it among the least expensive EVs on the market.

GM is keeping the sticker price at less than $20,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit is applied. It also is offering a $199-a-month, 36-month lease with $999 down, matching the lease deal of rival Fiat, according to Automotive News.Continue reading...

Bausch & Lomb board approves $4.5 billion sale to Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

Nextflix makes waves with Arrested Development reboot as Hulu sees bidders jostle with Yahoo.

Monsanto targeted by worldwide protests over GMOs.

Club Med brand sees takeover bid from China's Fosun and AXA.

Apple grapples with PR fallout from U.S. tax-dodging inquiry as original model nabs $650,000 at auction.

Better Place, Israel's electric car brand, packs it in and files for bankruptcy as Renault ends partnership.

BP-sponsored art exhibit at London's Tate Britain hailed by critics.

Fast and Furious 6 sets Memorial Day weekend box office record.

HTC One plays catch-up with Samsung's Galaxy smartphones.

McDonald's CEO-scolder Hannah Robertson, 9, becomes a media sensation.

SABMiller promotes cassava beer in Africa.

Woolrich parts ways with designer Mark McNairy, goes "on hiatus."

& Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville": "the most lucrative song ever."

ESPN begins hundreds of layoffs.

H&M says that some clothes were produced in collapsed factory in Cambodia.

Target misses earnings expectations and cuts outlook.

Cable networks are rebranding, and pay-TV brands aren't happy about it. 

Dairy Queen to debut new ad campaign that promotes its burgers and fries.

Dodge enjoys star turn for its Challenger at premiere of Fast and Furious 6.

EA lawsuit over players' videogame-likeness issue threatens NCAA policies.

Facebook becoming less popular among teens, Pew study finds. 

Ferrero backs off attack on World Nutella Day.

Fisker Automotive reportedly sees bid by boutique firm led by former GM exec Bob Lutz and Chinese supplier.Continue reading...

Many other auto brands are pinning their hopes for global gains on a continued strengthening of the US market and their position in it. So why not Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand? The chiefs of both brands are expressing their intentions to leapfrog other marques in the next few years in large part by persuading more Americans to buy them.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that he has ordered his team to double Nissan's sales in the US by 2017. If Ghosn also means to double market share, that would give Nissan about a 15 percent chunk of American car sales within three years, compared with its 7.7 percent share and sales of 1.1 million units last year, up in volume by 5 percent over the previous year.

With the European market difficult for its sibling Renault brand and other national arenas, including China, proving somewhat iffier, Ghosn has focused on his disappointment with Nissan's recent sales performance in the US and has vowed to correct it. Much of the problem stemmed from difficult and late launches of the redesigned bread-and-butter sedan, the Nissan Altima, and other new models last year.Continue reading...

Above, Guanxi.me, makers of a popular app widely used for hooking up, has generously released a "Don't Hook Up" PSA.

China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's the week's reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week: "Dr. Hangzhou"... avoiding hook-ups... recalls... vacuum cleaners... panda poop... Coca-Cola's illegal GPS... Uniqlo... selling air quality... Philip Morris... KFC... Guanxi.me... McDonald's gives away McMuffins... and moreContinue reading...

Google doubles size of Seattle-area campus as X Lab sparks interest, Android chief steps aside and loss of Google Reader upsets loyal users.

Time Inc. spinoff rattles employees.

Volkswagen warns of a tough year ahead and focuses on China.

Apple exec attacks Google, Android and Samsung on eve of Galaxy S4 introduction.

AMC Theaters seeing stellar results.

Amazon pares price of large-screen Kindle Fire HD.

American Express, Audi and Griffin's "get" social media, execs say.Continue reading...