Kick-start tailgate control and top-selling autos in October

photo credit: Ford

Kick of the foot to open tailgates, trucks
Ford will introduce its "gesture-based" tailgate control on the redesigned 2013 Escape SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week and in showrooms next year. The Escape system lets anyone who has the car keys to kick a foot under the back bumper to hoist the tailgate. A repeat gesture closes it. The Hands-Free Lift Gate will be part of an optional technology package, which Ford hasn't priced. Audi will have the system as a hands-free trunk opener on the S8 sedan coming to the U.S. next summer as a 2013 model.

--USA Today

photo credit: Nissan

Top-selling cars and trucks in October
The top-selling vehicles and the total number sold last month, with September's rank in parentheses:

1. Ford F-Series, 52,511 (1)
2. Chevrolet Silverado, 36,656 (2)
3. Honda Accord, 22,589 (9)
4. Toyota Camry, 22,043 (3)
5. Nissan Altima, 21,838 (5) (shown)
6. Dodge Ram, 21,037 (4)
7. Honda CR-V, 19,326 (7)
8. Ford Escape, 19,046 (6)
9. Hyundai Sonata, 18,192 (10)
10. Ford Fusion, 18,094 (8)

--The Associated Press