With the luxury car market benefiting from increased consumer confidence, automakers are refreshing or expanding their model lineups: the two-seat Audi R8 halo car sees a midcycle refresh for 2014. For the new model year. Cadillac, having launched the ATS entry-lux sedan, is rolling out the 2014 Cadillac CTS. Chief engineer Dave Leone said the car, especially the 420-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 "Vsport" version, is going to impress even the hardcore enthusiast audience. Lexus, meanwhile, has a new version of its IS compact sports sedan.

Tablet shipments will surpass laptops this year and are forecast to outpace the combined PC market by 2015, per research firm IDC. The firm predicts a 58.7% rise in shipments this year compared with 2012. Tablet shipments will reach 229.3 million worldwide, vs. 144.5 million last year. The migration to tablets is a continuation of an "operating system shift" away from traditional desktop PCs to first Apple's iOS (on iPad and iPhone) and now Android devices such as Samsung and HTC, says Charles King, principal analyst at market researcher Pund-IT.

A new campaign between the NBA and QSR partner Taco Bell puts 42 players, including Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, on the outside of special playoff-themed boxes that include such menu items as Doritos Locos Tacos and also contain special codes that lead to a Web site, which unlocks high-action hoops videos and other content.

General Mills' Hagen-Dazs is bringing "The House of Hagen-Dazs" to the UK, with an ad starring actor Bradley Cooper and model Jana Perez.The 30-second TV ad will roll out on TV channels, including the ITV network and Channel 4, which best appeal to the brand's target audience of women aged 16-34. The slo-mo ad has Cooper eating ice cream from the container at an elegant party; he's seduced by a model who ends up just wanting his ice cream, not him.

Restaurants ranging from big chains like Papa John's Pizza to a legion of independent operators stepped up this past week to help residents and businesses of tornado-ravaged Moore, Okla. Brands such as Sprinkles Cupcakes and Oklahoma City-based Sonic, as well as local outlets of Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, CiCi's Pizza, El Chico, Little Caesars, Marco's Pizza and Qdoba also donated part of their sales to the Oklahoma relief efforts.

After six year's absence, Chevrolet is back to IndyCar with winning engines. The company's motors were under the hood of the the top four finishers in Sunday's Indianapolis 500. "It is a matter of pride," Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We've been through quite a tough time. People want to work for us again. That wasn't the case a little while ago."

FedEx delivers packages, parcels and logistical solutions to businesses and customers worldwide. But as Seth Fishbein, marketing specialist advisor-sports marketing for the company, explains in this Q&A, FedEx also delivers its message via alliances in sports that include being a sponsor of the NFL; naming rights to Robert Griffin III's home turf, FedEx Field; the FedEx Cup and the FedEx Racing Team with top driver Denny Hamlin.

According to the AAA, 34.8 million Americans will have travelled at least 50 miles from home over Memorial Day weekend, a 0.9% dip from 2012. Most -- 31.2 million -- will have taken the car. But the auto club predicted fewer people will have flown -- 2.3 million, an 8% dip compared to last year. Dissatisfaction with the airlines, along with the fluctuating economy are key reasons for the predicted drop in Memorial Day weekend travelers, AAA says.

Phillips 66 , at its "New Energy, New Possibilities" conference in Las Vegas, emphasized the role of branded marketing, and offered a list of tactics to help franchisees market themeselves. Among these new ideas, at the jump, are several marketing programs, which will begin rolling out later this quarter.

McDonald's CEO Don Thompson wants Millennials, a 60-million strong demographic whose members spend some $247 billion annually at restaurants. Brand consultant Denise Lee Yohn says McDonald's will have to create a "craveable" brand that's popular with Millennials and jointly promote a new product; embrace causes; compete with fast casual; reinvent breakfast; and fix the nutritionals.