Janis Joplin would never have sung, "Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Daimler," but from now on, that's the official corporate name of the company that makes the Mercedes-Benz. When Daimler-Benz and the Chrysler Corporation were negotiating their merger in May 1998, Daimler offered to drop the Benz hyphenate if Chrysler agreed to take a back seat in the name DaimlerChrysler. Karl Benz' three-wheel gas-powered contraption was the forerunner of the modern automobile. Nine years later, following their corporate divorce, DaimlerChrysler yesterday lopped off the name of its American ex at a shareholders' meeting in Berlin. …

The Pivo 2--a ball-shaped Nissan concept car being shown at the Tokyo auto show later this month--can squeeze into tight spots without backing up because its wheels turn 90 degrees and the cabin part of the car turns full circle. The three-seat ecological commuter car is fully working but too expensive to go on commercial sale yet, according to Nissan officials. In a demonstration today, the concept car rolled up next to a tiny parking space, turned its wheels at an angle, then scooted into the space. The top part of the car--the name is inspired by the word …

A federal jury in Duluth found a Minnesota woman liable for willful copyright infringement yesterday for making nearly 2,000 songs available for sharing on the Kazaa file-sharing service. It awarded the music companies a total of $220,000. Of the more than 26,000 lawsuits that record labels have filed against alleged pirates since 2003, it was the first to actually be tried before a jury. The labels--EMI Group PLC's Capitol Records; Arista Records LLC and its parent Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Vivendi SA's UMG Recordings and UMG's Interscope Records; and Warner Music Group's Warner Bros. Records--now could step …

Target has quietly carved out a profitable niche by designing stylish-but-affordable interiors for image-conscious businesses, including some of America's largest companies and white-shoe law firms. The unit, Target Commercial Interiors, is trying to broaden its reach to medium-size and small companies--as well as sports venues, hotels and other sites in the public eye. TCI, with offices across the street from Target's headquarters in Minneapolis, has more than 100 employees--many of them certified interior designers. They don't shop at Target stores for their decorating supplies, but they do leverage the company's scale and sourcing ability to get good prices and …

Nationwide Insurance has signed a seven-year agreement valued between $70 million and $80 million to become the title sponsor of the Nascar series currently called the Busch Series. It will be known as the Nascar Nationwide Series beginning in 2008. Nationwide has been involved in Nascar for years--primarily through sponsorship deals with venues--but this new agreement raises its stakes significantly. It is one of several insurers heavily involved in a sport known for aggressive maneuvers and mangled wrecks. State Farm, Geico and Allstate all have major commitments to the sport. The series--a minor-league racing circuit that typically features …

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts is going to build its first hotel not associated with a theme park on 21 oceanfront acres on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The 800-unit Ko Olina Resort & Marina--which translates as "place of joy" in Hawaiian--will also offer Disney Vacation Club time-share units. It is scheduled to open in 2011 on the island's west coast. The company is not offering many details about the hotel's features, although one Disney spokeswoman says Imagineers--as it refers to designers--are working with local architects, engineers and cultural advisors to create an "authentic Hawaiian experience." Until …

The traditionally moribund Philadelphia Phillies, the lovable-loser Chicago Cubs and the sometimes-hapless Cleveland Indians are in the playoffs. So are the major-market New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels. And their merchandise is selling so fast that Major League Baseball is having a hard time keeping up. With a regular season that went down to the final weekend--and beyond, in the case of the Colorado Rockies--the confluence of big markets, rabid fan bases and potential storybook endings is pushing memorabilia sales. "Suffice it to say it is at a record pace, for sure," says Howard …

Diageo is marrying its new "Alive Inside" advertising message about the Guinness pour with a plate-shaped device called the "Surger" that produces suds produced on tap for beer poured from bottles and cans. Guinness wholesalers are on the verge of placing the $25 unit into bars that serve the Irish import. After Guinness is poured into a glass, it is placed on the Surger. The bartender pushes a button to activate sound waves, which course through the liquid creating gas bubbles and, ultimately, the familiar cascading effect typical of a Guinness pint poured from draught. Last week, …

Wal-Mart's influence over the retail universe is not only slipping, it finds itself scrambling to keep up with swifter rivals. It remains an enormous force in retailing, of course. And it can still disrupt prices--as it did last year by cutting some generic prescriptions to $4--but success is no longer guaranteed. American shoppers are increasingly looking for qualities that Wal-Mart has trouble providing. Big-name brands that fueled Wal-Mart's climb to the top are forging exclusive distribution deals with other retailers, or working to reduce their reliance on its stores. PepsiCo recently skipped Wal-Mart when launching a new …

A new viral video from Unilever's Dove dubbed "Onslaught" cautions parents to "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does." About 32 hours after it was first posted in the U.K., the video generated more than 100,000 views on YouTube, placing it among the top 16 overall for the day. It also garnered considerable coverage on NBC's "Today Show." "Onslaught" features a close-up of a cute red-haired preteen girl to musical refrains of the song "Here It Comes," followed by a barrage of beauty-industry images and ads featuring booty-shaking lingerie models, cheesy direct-response-style pitches promising cosmetic miracles, …