In a recent ad campaign, Chevrolet made the claim that its cars are “more reliable” than Honda's, Toyota's, and Ford's. This claim was based on a survey that Chevy sponsored. Toyota disputed Chevrolet’s claim and a salesperson tipped off Jalopnik, who had received a communication from Toyota corporate addressing this ad -- with the info that Chevy had agreed to pull it from its rotation.

Sears Chairman Edward Lampert’s hedge fund has won a bankruptcy auction for the company with a plan that will keep the retailer in business and potentially save thousands of jobs, a person familiar with the matter told the Chicago Tribune. The bid beat competing proposals that would have forced the 132-year-old department store chain to shut down and sell its assets. But Lampert has been trying to turn Sears around for years and it’s not clear whether he has found a strategy to keep Sears in business for the long haul, an analyst says.

The day after T-Mobile announced its intention to merge with Sprint, a $26 billion deal that would need Trump administration approval, nine T-Mobile executives checked into the pricey Trump International Hotel in D.C., including CEO John Legere. According to the Washington Post, that group keeps coming back to the property. Legere says they're not currying favor -- it's just a convenient spot to stay.

Finally providing details to ongoing rumors, Ford and Volkswagen announced plans to jointly develop commercial vans and midsize pickups under a strategic global alliance. The automakers also will look into collaborating on autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and mobility services, Ford CEO Jim Hackett and VW CEO Herbert Diess told media and financial analysts during a conference call.

Adapt BB is Nike’s new auto-lacing, Bluetooth-enabled sneaker. The BB stands for “basketball” and the shoes build on Nike’s dream to create a smart shoe that adapts to wearers’ feet. The shoes can be charged wirelessly and they have a companion phone app that will require updates. The tech is considered transitional, with more radical changes to come. Future shoes will be even “smarter,” such as knowing when your feet have swelled and adjusting accordingly. 

Fender is focusing on women and beginner players in its marketing efforts. The music company has added nearly four million people to its social channels since 2016. “These pages have been shaped to act as community hubs catering to first-time players in need of support and advice, as well as veteran jammers that enjoy content celebrating its rock ‘n’ roll history,” according to The Drum.

A recent “Real People, Not Actors” spot tries to convince the “real people” that they may have made the wrong choice by purchasing a Honda, Toyota or Ford. Using what some are calling “dubious” survey data from Ipsos, Chevy claims that its vehicles are “more reliable” than the competition. Besides the fact that self-reported surveys can be flawed, fewer than 49,000 respondents completed them -- out of almost 840,000.

Using Oral-B Glide dental floss might be associated with higher levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in your body, according to a study. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are potentially harmful chemicals often used for their water and grease resistance. In a statement to USA Today, Oral-B said it didn't find any of the substances in the study in its floss. "The safety of the people who use our products is our top priority. Our dental floss undergoes thorough safety testing and we stand behind the safety of all our products," the company said.

It’s not yet available, but Amazon says over a million customers have pre-ordered its Echo Auto, which will add Alexa to the interior of cars. The credit card-sized device sits on your dashboard and brings Alexa capabilities to your car via an auxiliary jack, or over a smartphone’s existing Bluetooth setup. Even more consumers could be interested, since the pre-order is currently by invite only.

Trader Joe’s is tops with consumers for the second year in a row, according to the annual study by customer data science firm Dunnhumby. The specialty grocer had the highest overall consumer preference index score while Costco Wholesale came in second in the rankings, followed by Amazon, H-E-B and Wegmans Food Markets. The “Retailer Preference Index” study examined the $700 billion U.S. grocery market, surveying 7,000 U.S. households to determine which of the top 56 largest grocery retailers have the strongest combination of financial performance and positive consumer sentiment.