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Amazon Prime now delivering right to your Audi

Amazon has come up with many ways to deliver packages to its premium Prime customers, ranging from very large boxes to drones. Now, the company is looking at delivering directly to your car. Being introduced on a very limited trial basis in Germany, Amazon is offering Audi-owning Prime customers the option to have packages delivered to their vehicle. That's a boon if you're waiting on a pricey parcel, but can't stay at home to sign for it. The first phase of the program will begin next month in the Munich area. The pilot program requires customers to give an approximate location of their vehicle during the delivery period. DHL delivery drivers – the only shipping service partnering with Amazon for Audi deliveries – will be granted one-time access to trunks, with an access code tied into the delivery. "We are working to offer Prime members a delivery location that is always available and convenient: the trunk of their car," Michael Pasch, director of Amazon Prime for the European Union, said in a Google Translated statement. "This innovation makes shopping at Amazon even easier and more flexible. It gives customers another way to receive their orders." Related Video:

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Audi billboard tracks pedestrians like prison escapees

Audi's adaptive Matrix LED headlights can actively dim and direct light around the road to make driving safer at night. Unfortunately, the tech runs afoul of Department of Transportation rules, so it isn't currently available in the United States. For an idea of what you're missing, a marketing stunt for the new A4 in Belgium is illuminating the night and making pedestrians in the intersection more visible, and safer. The only problem is, it also makes them look like fugitives making an escape. From a giant billboard near the Brussels Central Station, the LEDs from a massive Audi A4 can light up whole intersection. Whenever a pedestrian or cyclist enters the area at night, they are tracked the whole way in a radiant pillar of blue luminescence. Based on this clip, the lights look bright enough to temporarily blind some passersby. Despite the unintended consequences, the stunt is still a very visible demonstration of Audi's headlight technology. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.