Mazda is teaming with "Spin," "Vibe" and "Stereogum at South" by Southwest this year to provide a complimentary ride service, activities at the outdoor stage and an official SXSW venue. From March 14-17, Mazda will host SXSW attendees at the Mazda Studio at Empire. The space will feature Mazda designers and brand experts to host activities each day.

Elon Musk, an active Twitter user, has been Tesla's mouthpiece to the public, informing them about the electric car maker's upcoming products and plans. On Wednesday, in response to a letter by a fifth-grade student, Tesla's founder and CEO made another announcement on the social media platform - the company will hold a contest for homemade advertisements.

Small Town Brewery is launching new flavors under the Not Your Mom's banner, building on the success of Not Your Father's root beer. The line-up will include apple pie, strawberry rhubarb and iced tea. The company says it is responding to increasing demand for fruit and tea-flavored beers, across craft beer, cider and flavored malt beverages.

Lucy Activewear plans to shutter its retail store operation and merge with a sister brand. Lucy, which is owned by VF Corp., will merge with The North Face, also owned by VF. Lucy was founded online in 1999 and opened its first store in 2002. It was one of the early entrants in what has become known as the athleisure market.

Jaguar Land Rover unveiled the latest addition to its burgeoning line-up of luxury off-roaders, the Range Rover Velar. The Velar - which will make its public debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show this month - is billed as a stylish, high-tech competitor against the best Germany can offer. It expands Land Rover's premium Range Rover sub-brand to four distinct models.

General Motors, driven by strong sales of pickup trucks and SUVs, said Wednesday its February sales rose 4.2%, while Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles each reported year-over-year sales declines. Automakers report they continue to see consumers shift preferences toward trucks and SUVs, which is cutting into the sales of cars.

Uber's CEO says he needs leadership help after a video has emerged of him arguing heatedly with a driver about fares. In the latest embarrassment to beset the ride-hailing company, CEO Travis Kalanick is seen discussing Uber's business model with the driver. After the video went public, Kalanick issued a statement to Uber employees. In it, he says he must "grow up."

Braintree, the mobile payment unit of PayPal, is launching a new national advertising campaign to boost awareness about mobile transactions. While such transactions are forecast to increase 74 percent over the next two years, 42% of Millennials don't use them for fear their mobile devices will be hacked

Amazon is one of the biggest disruptors in automotive retailing these days. The latest: The company is partnering with Hyundai to let potential customers order up test drives right from the e-tailer's website. Available via Amazon Prime Now, the test drive program featured the 2017 Elantra in California for 45- to 60-minute test drives over several weekends.

After teaming up last year to launch North America's first virtual reality roller coasters, regional theme park company Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and Samsung Electronics America announced a renewed collaboration that includes two mixed reality coasters with "complex gameplay, where riders make key decisions during the course of the ride that can affect their scoring at the end."