The Consumer Memo, 11/17: Motor Trend car of the year

Ford FusionThe Ford Fusion is Motor Trend magazine’s car of the year. The 2010 Fusion beat out 22 competitors, including the redesigned Toyota Prius, the BMW 7-Series and the Chevrolet Camaro.
Motor Trend says the mid-size Fusion offers good performance, comfort and fuel-efficiency. It praised Ford Motor Co. for offering several versions of the Fusion, including a fuel-efficient hybrid and a sporty version with a V-6 engine.

Wal-Mart confirms Black Friday deals
Wal-Mart Stores is confirming some of the deals it will be push to draw crowds for the day after Thanksgiving. They include a 50-inch Sanyo plasma HDTVs for $598 and $3 children’s sleepwear.

Melissa O’Brien, Wal-Mart spokeswoman, says that the deals that will be heavily advertised in its Black Friday circular also include Magnavox Blu-Ray disc players for $78, TomTom GPS systems for $59 and $7 reversible fleece jackets.

Sidekick phones are back
T-Mobile USA resumed selling Sidekick phones Tuesday, more than a month after a server meltdown at Microsoft Corp. caused contact numbers, pictures and other personal information to disappear from many of the phones.

In the intervening time, Microsoft managed to restore most of the missing user data. T-Mobile provided $100 gift cards to affected customers. The Sidekicks listed on T-Mobile’s Web site are now slightly cheaper. For instance, the top-of-the-line LX model is now $150, down from $175.

Mortgage defaults
The pace at which people fell behind on their mortgages slowed during the summer for the third consecutive quarter, but the overall delinquency rate hit another record, a new report shows. For the three months ended Sept. 30, 6.25 percent of U.S. mortgage loans were 60 or more days past due, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. That’s up 58 percent from 3.96 percent a year ago.

FedEx tracker
FedEx is introducing a new device that can track the temperature, light exposure and location of a package at any point in its journey. The package delivery company said the product, called SenseAware, will initially be targeted for customers in the healthcare and life sciences industries, for sensitive shipments including medications and test samples. SenseAware can be used for single shipments or a large group of packages on a pallet.

Twitter tweak
Social-media site Twitter plans to scrap its hand-picked list of “suggested users” to follow after controversy erupted over the selection of people on the list, a company executive said.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said the company was seeking a more systematic way to introduce its prominent posters, including sports figures, celebrities and politicians, to newcomers to the site.

Gasoline demand
Gasoline consumption in the U.S. rose for the first time in three weeks, increasing by 1.4 percent, according to a report by MasterCard Inc.

Blood thinner warning
Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s blood thinner Plavix, the world’s second-biggest- selling drug, will carry new U.S. warnings recommending against its use with certain heartburn medicines. The anti-clotting benefits of Plavix are cut almost in half when taken with over-the-counter or prescription Prilosec, according to a notice posted today on the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site.

Recall
RockHard Laboratories is recalling select lot numbers of RockHard Weekend dietary supplements, because they contain sulfoaildenfil, a chemical that mimics the active ingredient in Viagra, even though the supplements are not approved to contain active drugs. Details: 800-562-0543.

Chipotle expands
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. plans to open a restaurant in London, its first location in Europe. The Denver-based chain said Tuesday that the restaurant is scheduled to open next April. Chipotle (chi-POAT-lay) is also looking at possible sites in Paris and Munich, but expects most of its growth next year to be in the United States.