Motoramic’s Dash for Friday, Dec. 16, 2011

What we're reading this morning about self-driving cars, auto award season and Chinese men named Simon who stave off midlife crises with special-edition Bugattis:

Google awarded U.S. patent for driverless car technology [L.A. Times] The patent protection for a car that drives itself is noteworthy. What Google will really need to ever launch a driverless car in the United States is a legal test case — or even better, changes in liability laws. Otherwise, the first fender-bender and every one thereafter could reach into the corporate till, regardless of who's at fault.