BACK SEAT DRIVING—The occupy movement has come to small claims court. In a blow to both trial attorneys and the American Honda Motor Company, a lone Honda Civic Hybrid owner has prevailed in small claims court. Los Angeles County Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan found that Heather Peters has a legitimate claim against Honda for her 2006 Civic Hybrid that has been averaging less than 30 miles per gallon. The case may open the floodgates for throngs of other owners to do the same.

HOT WIRE —With 111 million views, Super Bowl XLV became the most watched TV program of all time. That’s according to the Neilson Company. And the car commercials were particularly noteworthy, with Volkswagen’s “The Force” and Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” ads making particularly big splashes. It’s no wonder then that the car companies are gearing up big time for Super Bowl XLVI. There have been an unprecedented number of previews leaking out—and we’ve got ‘em here. Let the Super Bowl car commercials begin!

AUTO REVIEW—Lean Six Sigma is widely known as a blueprint for quality products from efficient manufacturing practices. At Toyo Kogyo, Lean Six could also describe its bread and butter family car, appropriately called the Mazda6. We commandeered a 2012 model to see how Mazda’s lean machine compares with its competition. Mark Dorman reports.

AUTO SHOW—Just a few years ago, they were left for dead. Talk of bankruptcy and bailouts filled the air, and the talk applied as much to Detroit as it did to its auto industry. Today, the talk is about a come-back city with the come-back industry. Auto sales are booming. Attendance at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the best in five years. Chris Merlo and Mark Dapoz were there to witness the historic resurrection of the American car industry.

LA CAR REPORT—A new year begins, and that means it’s time to put our learning caps back on to understand and digest all the new driving-related laws in California. Of the 750 bills passed by the legislature in 2011, a number of them affect what we do behind the wheel, so it’s better to learn them here than from a CHP officer who has taken time out from his busy day to spend a little quality time with you on the side of the road. Our own Reed “The Traffic Guy” Berry reports.