The California DMV has added Apple to its list of manufacturers that hold permits to test autonomous vehicles. Apple's overall strategy is still up in the air. Apple would probably prefer to build its own vehicle with integrated hardware and software, but manufacturing vehicles in volume is incredibly difficult and expensive.

Carter Wilkerson, who is tweeting about Wendy's chicken nuggets, is coming close to beating Ellen DeGeneres' record for the most retweeted tweet of all time. Wendy's says that if Wilkerson does surpass the talk show host's record, it will donate $100K to The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption, which helps find homes for children in foster care.

Walmart, McDonald's and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to a report from The NPD Group's Checkout Tracking. Along with these three companies, other highly recognizable brands in retailing and food service have also become fully woven into American life. The top gainer in the Top 25 was Chick-fil-A.

A 2017 Jeep Compass attempted to tackle the tallest hill on the automaker's course at the New York Auto Show, and the rain didn't play too well with its tires and the metal grating - not just once, but twice. The Compass did not attempt the course again. Thankfully, most hills in the real world are not made of metal.

Purists swore off Goose Island forever when Anheuser-Busch acquired Chicago's oldest craft brewery for $38.8 million in 2011. Goose Island President Ken Stout makes no apologies. Before the deal, the company was struggling to meet demand in other states. Now, it brews more varieties of beer in Chicago than ever before and employs more people.

Lexus has launched a collaboration with U.S.-born, London-based music producer Mark Ronson. Unveiled at a press event in London by Lexus Europe, the "Make Your Mark" campaign celebrates the launch of the Lexus LC, its flagship coupe and a crucial new model in the brand's continuing campaign to appropriate a sense of excitement and style.

In what might be the PR disaster of the century, United seems to forget the two golden rules of marketing, One: Don't let your customers get hurt; and two: When you apologize to a customer, sound like you mean it. The apology eventually issued by United's CEO appeared heartfelt and genuine, but it was too late.

Coca-Cola is discontinuing the healthier Life variety in the UK after flat sales. Coca-Cola Life, which accounts for only under 1% of the company's trademark sales, had poor sales since its launch in 2014. Coca-Cola stated that taking out the Life variant can enable the company to simplify consumer choice between sugar and no-sugar formats.

Starbucks debuted a new lunch menu at 100 Chicago stores. It's aimed at customers who demand vegetarian-friendly and protein-filled options. If the line is successful, it will be expanded nationwide. Starbucks already sees half of its customers in the U.S. after 11 a.m., making options for lunch and dinner a big priority.

Walmart, starting April 19, will begin offering a discount on merchandise that customers buy online and have shipped to a Walmart store for pick-up. The new discount program will initially be available only on about 10,000 items, but will be expanded to more than one million of the chain's most popular items by the end of June.