Automatic transmissions are one of those masterpieces of engineering that we pretty much take for granted. They've been tweaked to near perfection over the years, and although the new dual-clutch setups are gaining traction, the standard torque converter automatic is probably going to be with us for a long time to come. See how it all works in this video from Dave's farm in Canada.
Infiniti's G Sedan achieves a near perfect balance between performance and comfort relative to price, and it can be tweaked with some of the best tech available in the entry-level luxury class -- everything from easy iPod integration to advanced safety features. But if the G Sedan has an Achilles heel, it's that many of the car's best electronics require adding expensive, bundled option packages onto the final bill.
On the 2009 G37x AWD Sedan we recently tested (sticker price $43,015), these options spiked the price by more than $7,000. And while you get a lot for that amount of money, you also can get stuck with stuff you don't want, which can tip the tech scale on whether to buy the G37 Sedan or a competitor.
Audi has released its latest Multi-Media Interface (MMI), which is set to debut in the 2010 A3, TT and R8. The updated system gets an improved screen resolution and an "unmatched" route calculation thanks to a new processor clocked at 600MHz. The radio-navigation system, version E, will be able to read 32 gig SD memory cards.
Operation-wise, the driver and passenger can scroll vertically, horizontally and now even along the route. The "optical parking assistant" feature is also new, which displays the distance the front and rear is from an object on top of the standard Audi-o bleeps.
The system is estimated to start at $3,200, and you can check out the full release here.
BMW has improved its navigation "Search" feature to provide online access to up-to-date fuel prices, weather forecasts and, for those looking for a constant reminder of how much money they're losing, the major stock indices as well.
New and existing nav subscribers will have to purchase the optional BMW Assist Convenience Plan on BMW Assist and BMW Navigation system-equipped 2009 and 2010 models to get the service.
A car that runs on air? A pipe dream right? Well, yeah, but this little people mover from Motor Development International (MDI) is for real. No gas, no batteries, just compressed air.
Then again, calling this a "car" requires a fairly loose interpretation of the term. Its top speed is only 30mph at this point, but MDI thinks it get th AIRPod up to around 50 mph. It's also limited to one person, so personal mobility device might be a better name.
Even if the only U.S. carrier to have the iPhone still doesn't have MMS figured out (how is that possible?), AT&T did win the turn-by-turn navi race - AT&T Navigator is currently available for the iPhone via the App Store.
The free app is simply an iPhone-compatible version of the wireless giant's navigation software offered on its other smartphones. Some features include the ability to find the lowest gas prices along the route, real-time traffic updates, voice prompting, points of interest, speech recognition and automatic rerouting.
What better person to help you get to where you want to go than the most clueless American ever.
Yes, you too can download voice commands by none other than Homer Simpson for your Tom Tom hand held navigator. It's the newest addition to a growing catalog of celebrity voices available for download.
Seems like Homer might get old after awhile, but who to replace him with? James Earl Jones? Christopher Walken? Bobcat Goldthwait? Any suggestions?
The Land Rover LR2 is sort of like the McMansion of SUVs: It's bigger and has more room than most of the people who own the vehicle need, and it's not quite as prestigious as more upscale models. But for weekend warriors and urban explorers of a certain means, it still makes a statement. Such as, "I have enough money to buy one of these, but someday hope to have Range Rover Sport." Or "I bet I can bike/run/swim/kayak faster than you."
But going for the lower-cost Rover gets you almost as many of the the tech toys as paying more than $60k for the fully outfitted top-of-the-line Sport. In fact, some of the electronics in our 2009 Land Rover LR2 test vehicle (sticker price $40,875) are actually the same if not better than in the 2009 Range Rover Sport HSE we recently tested -- although not on par with the tech in other vehicles in the segment.
Do something enough times and patterns become apparent. Dyno testing is no exception.
For example, supercharged cars usually produce their best dyno result within the first few pulls. Heat soak tends to quickly get the best of the intercooler circuit and erode the engine's output. Once this happens, we call it quits and review the data to select the run that represents the car's stabilized output.
Not so with the 2010 Shelby GT500. With each pull on MD Automotive's Dynojet chassis dyno in Westminster, CA, we witnessed the power from the supercharged 5.4-liter V8 creep up further and further. Five, six runs in and the power was still climbing.
Finally, upon the seventh run, the output of our color-coordinating GT500 stabilized. And we saw that it was good.
This new Shelby appears to have the thermal capacity of an industrial meat locker. That, and Gary and Jeff deserve a high-five for their efforts.
Jump for the dyno chart, video and the lowdown on Gary and Jeff.
Truth is, the uconnect Wi-Fi router can be installed in any vehicle, no matter the make or model. All you have to do is pay the $499 for the Autonet router and a subscription of $29 a month. And the router and service is available through the aftermarket as well.
Calling all Mike Rowe's and Bear Grylls' of the car world: The Discovery Channel is looking for two car experts to host its new program called Garage Wars.
The series will run for ten episodes, and parallels the idea of TLC's Junkyard Wars. Except instead of a junkyard to peruse, each team is given a set of identical parts with the same end goal of making a certain type of vehicle. As vague as that sounds, it should still be enough to draw plenty of contenders to the Web site to apply for the positions.
Auditions will be held here in L.A. during the week of June 15th.
Lexus has a new vehicle-based telematics system called Enform that will debut on the equally new HS 250h in late summer. Toyota had previously been one of several OnStar carmaker partners in the U.S., but OnStar is going it alone and is now available only on GM vehicles.
In developing an offshoot of the successful Japan-based G-Book and G-Link, Toyota's U.S. operation has switched its partnership to ATX Group, the other major telematics service provider in America. Toyota will have its own dedicated ATX call center.
There are two tiers of service categories for the subscription-based Enform: safety (which Toyota calls Safety Connect) and convenience. The safety tier includes automatic crash notification, stolen vehicle location, emergency assistance SOS, and enhanced roadside assistance.
Have you ever driven a dinosaur? That's how I felt behind the wheel of the 2009 Chrysler 300C SRT8.
Not only is the automaker threatened with extinction, but it's a foregone conclusion that gas-guzzling, high-performance engines like the 425-horsepower HEMI in the 300C SRT8 are going the way of the T-Rex. Or at least they'll cease to exist in two-ton sedans.
But if our test car (sticker price $48,520) is already a rolling relic, it's one decked with tech that Chrysler's more cash-stable competitors could benefit from copying.
You read our feature on the Hennessey Camaro SS project car, so you know it hadn't made a full-on pull on the Magnuson chassis dyno with its HPE550 supercharger package.
Now it has.
Hennessey was aiming for 562 hp at the crank (the stock 2010 Camaro V8 makes 426 hp). In this pull, the Camaro makes a claimed 550 hp and 503 lb-ft of torque at the wheels, suggesting that goal has been satisfied and then some. Inside Line will be doing its own test on this car once all modifications are complete. And, yes, listening to the blown Hennessey Camaro on the dyno will be the highlight of your weekend.
In the video, Jet Pack Pilot Eric Scott says that his Go Fast Jet Pack is powered by superheated steam -- the result of hydrogen peroxide (a 90% concentration) being forced over a precious-metal catalyst. He also claims an 800-hp rating for his pack. Wonder if we can put his jet pack on a dyno to confirm...
They should have named it k-Drive or something, because BMW's new iDrive is a big departure from previous iterations of this navigation controller. BMW has transformed iDrive from the butt of automotive jokes into a useful tool to access in-vehicle navigation, entertainment, and vehicle settings.
Preliminary reports suggested that the new iDrive's major improvement was the addition of switches on the periphery of the rotary controller, in a similar fashion as Audi's MMI. But these switches are the least of its accomplishments. The new iDrive's excellent usability and screen flow are the big stories.
With the 2009 Q5, Audi has introduced its next-generation MMI (Multi-media Interface).
Although it has always been a good system, MMI now features some improvements that improve the setup's user friendliness. We take an in-depth look at the new features to see just how far Audi has come.
"The research project AMULETT (the German acronym for "Active mobile accident avoidance and mitigation of accident effects through cooperative data acquisition and tracking technology") involves vehicles communicating with a radio transponder..."
Our crack team of engineers put our long-term 2009 BMW 750i on a dynomometer recently to see just how much power the big Bimmer's twin turbo V8 produces. It's rated from the factory at 400-horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, but as several dyno runs confirmed, it's probably makes a bit more than that at the crank.
With production still over a year away, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is still very much a work in progress. Our Senior Editor in Detroit Dan Pund recently had a chance to see just how much work has been done thanks to a brief test drive in one of Chevrolet's development mules.
He reports that the Volt does in fact move under pure electric power, and it does so in a way that makes it feel like a properly sorted sedan. No, he didn't go far enough to test the range, or even engage the gasoline-powered generator for that matter, but that's why it's called a mule.
Long before the landscape was crawling with Escalades, Cayennes and all manner of alphabetized and numbered blinged-out boats from Mercedes, Audi and others, the Range Rover was the original luxury SUV. Even now, with vehicles in the category about as popular as mortgage-backed securities and McMansions, the legendary British marque is still equal parts regal and raffish, a combination that especially appeals to affluent soccer moms and weekend warriors. And, lest we forget, serious off-roaders.
But you're more likely to find a Ford Ranger than a Range Rover mud-bogging with a bunch of good ol' boys. The 2009 Range Rover Sport HSE we recently tested (sticker price $62,725) is a vehicle more suited for showing up at an apres-bike-ride Sunday brunch or at the tennis club for a set of mixed doubles. And while some of the vehicle's coolest gadgets are geared to its 4x4 underpinnings, it has plenty of tech to keep the Type As that typically drive this vehicle connected, entertained, and suitably pampered.
Now anybody can sit around agonizing over which wheels to order on their new Porsche Panamera Turbo. A well-built configurator is now live on Porsche's Web site and it provides a good look at all the various options available for the new Porsche sedan.
You want your Panamera in purple (that's Amethyst Metallic) or maybe a nice sea foam green? Check out the two-tone interior colors, too, they're a much better idea than the "special" exterior colors.
There's been considerable talk lately about some early build 2010 Chevrolet Camaros that arrived at dealer lots with weights attached to their brake calipers. After much speculation, Camaro5 got an official answer from GM. Spokesman John Fitzpatrick said the weights were added as a damper to reduce noise and only early build cars would need them.
Sounds like an odd engineering change at the last minute, but as our own Dan Edmunds pointed out just yesterday, BMW apparently had a similar issue with the 1 Series. Turns out that our 135i long-term car has some extra mass added to its calipers as well (green arrow), most likely for the same reason as the Camaro.
Okay guys, this is the debate you've all been waiting for: the age-old battle of which race engine type is the best, the engineered-in-a-barn (not really) NASCAR OHV V8, or the engineered-in-a-test tube (not really) Formula One DOHC V8. If nothing else, this is certainly good a good excuse for downing more than just a few cold brewskis. Ah yes, bench-racing at its best...
And if you need some data to back up your respective position, then Jack Kane, who published just such an article for Race Engine Technology Magazine, is here to help. Better put on your engineering beanie though, as this stuff gets pretty technical.
In what seems like a reversal of roles, Lotus will provide audio technology to Harman Becker, a division of Harman International, the huge OEM audio supplier that's home to such brands as JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon Mark Levinson and Lexicon.
Lotus will supply Harman Becker with a trio of audio technologies, one of which is active noise cancellation that uses microphones to monitor engine and road noise and sends the information to a processor. The processor then generates an opposing signal composed of frequencies that, when played through a car's speaker, cancels the offending noise.
The second piece of technology is designed to add some noise to electric and hybrid cars via external speakers so that the blind can hear them coming. The third is another sound-generating technology that creates a signal relative to the vehicle's engine speed. The resultant signal is fed into the cabin to give drivers the impression that car has an "exciting exhaust note."
And they don't have to regret that they coulda had a V8.
Lexus has introduced a new navigation controller in the 2010 RX crossover, and it might be the most advanced human machine interface (HMI) controller yet. Called Lexus Remote Touch, it's the first controller to deviate from the rotary-type paradigm that we've seen in Audi MMI and BMW iDrive. Remote Touch instead mimics the computer mouse, and it's the first controller both to have user-adjustable haptic feedback and the first to have this feedback on two spatial axes.
The 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 Luxury 4Matic ($47,430 as tested) is a rolling example of this recent quandary. While the sedan's smooth ride and sumptuous interior definitely let you know you're not driving, say, a Kia Spectra, aspects of the in-cabin tech at times made me wish I was in a Kia Soul.
We were invited to California Speedway in Southern California to try Continental's two new "ultra high-performance" tires, the summer Extreme Contact DW and the all-season Extreme Contact DWS. We evaluated these two tires and their competitors from the "Big Three" (Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Michelin) on wet and dry parking lot handling courses, wet and dry skid pad, and during threshold braking tests.
The "DW" indicates dry and wet weather performance, while the "DWS" adds snow (more like all-season) performance. These tires incorporate several new technologies that may become more widespread in the future.
To improve cornering performance, both the DW and DWS feature chamfered edges. The edges of the tread blocks are not squared off, but instead have 45-degree-angle edges. Continental said that a square edge could actually roll under itself during hard cornering, reducing the contact patch. The 45-degree chamfered edge will remain flatter, with increased surface contact and ultimately, more cornering potential.
The Kia Soul is the latest entry into the burgeoning box-car market, following the trail blazed by the Scion xB six years ago and soon to be trod on by the Nissan Cube. And like the youth-targeted Scion, the Soul comes with a surfeit of bells and whistles for a vehicle priced well below $20,000.
But while our top-of-the-line Sport-trim test vehicle (sticker price $18,345) came with premium audio, Bluetooth and other electronic accoutrements, it's not on par with what you'll find in, say, a current BMW.
As soon as the Ridemakerz press release came across our desk all we could think about was how this might be an opportunity to play with some model cars while still on the clock.
Mission accomplished. We started with the company's latest replica, the new 2010 Ford Mustang - somehow they'd managed to make the models look cartoonish but strikingly authentic at the same time. But this is no one size fits all toy.
The car is a lot more complicated electronic device than any iPod you can imagine. When you're behind the steering wheel, there's a lot of stuff on the menu: ventilation controls, audio entertainment options, navigation system, calibrations for the powertrain and chassis. It's no wonder that car designers have been trying to figure out what to do about operating all this stuff.
Designers have long recognized that a simple touch-panel display possesses superior Human Machine Interface (HMI) qualities, yet they continue to seek a more elegant solution than the customary computer screen jammed in the middle of the dashboard. This is what led BMW to bring us iDrive in 2001, followed subsequently by Audi's MMI and Mercedes-Benz's COMAND. Now even Lexus is headed down this route to the remote-control device, replacing its widely admired touch-panel display with its Remote Touch interface for the 2010 Lexus RX.
The 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited FWD is the automotive equivalent of eating reduced-fat ice cream. You get the pleasure of enjoying something that may be a little better for your health and diet -- or in the case of the Escape Hybrid, driving an SUV that may be better for the health of the planet and your gas budget -- but isn't quite like the real thing.
While the payoff with the 30-plus mpg Ford Escape Hybrid comes at the pump and perhaps knowing that you're driving a bit greener, the trade-off compared to the conventional Escape -- or comparable gas-powered small sport-utes and crossovers -- is the premium price and in performance by carting around an extra 300 pounds.
But there are few downsides to the 2009 Escape Hybrid Limited ($33,725 as tested) when it comes to the vehicle's tech. And going for the top trim model comes with distinct advantages.
Honda is no stranger to innovative and modestly heart-warming commercials. From its helpful sales people in blue shirts to its walk through history with the "Impossible Dream", it's had a good run of memorable clips.
This could be yet another. It's a promotion for the new 2010 Honda Insight and it looks quite unbelievable at first. It's real, sort of. Check out how they did it after the jump.
Forget all the nonsense about the Tesla Model S, it's all vaporware don't you know. For an example of serious mileage and affordability in the real world check out the Project Sipster series on Top Gear USA. They built a car that could not only achieve 70mpg, but could also go from 0-to-60mph in less than 7-seconds. Oh, and their budget was $7,000.
A near impossible task, but Jared and crew attacked it non-stop for two months. They added a new engine, new suspension and some homemade bodywork that may have improved its aerodynamics.
Dave Coleman of Sport Compact Car fame narrates the story, adding his own unique perspective along the way. It's a great read and a good reminder that mileage and speed don't come easy, especially in a '81 Rabbit.
Apple recently filed a patent application for a touch-screen navigation system that, in typical fashion, the company claims is smarter than all of the other nav systems currently available.
The patent app includes a description of a nav system that would have a touch-screen interface and use GPS and an accelerometer to tell if a vehicle is moving, as well as sensors to determine whether the driver or passenger is operating the system.
If the vehicle is in motion and the driver attempts to operate the system, the user interface locks and a warning pops up. Nothing new there, since many OEM and aftermarket systems do the same thing.
But if a passenger riding shotgun is detected by a weight sensor in the seat as well as the angle of their touch input relative to the screen, the interface unlocks. Additional settings would also allow other system features to be accessible or inaccessible based on driving conditions, the experience of the driver and user preferences.
The patent application indicates that the nav system could be configured in both permanently installed and portable versions, suggesting that the patent could be applied to the iPhone and iPod touch in addition to factory-installed systems.
Like all Apple patents, the filing doesn't mean that Steve Jobs will unveil an iNav at the next MacWorld, but simply reveals the company's research in the area.
G-Map already offers a turn-by-turn navigation application for the iPhone 3G, although Apple recently pulled it from its App Store. So maybe that means we will see Apple's nav system sooner than later.
Since 3,000 square feet of living space isn't enough of a draw these days, the building under construction at 200 Eleventh Ave in New York City is offering Sky Garages as an added enticement.
As the video after the jump shows, the Sky Garage is nothing more than an apartment-level garage space accessed by a glorified freight elevator. Still, it sure beats an underground lot, provided you don't drive an F-350 dually.
A race is kind of like a physics test, a high-speed evaluation of automotive machinery. But the best thing about sports car racing is, there isn't just one right answer.
The 12 Hours of Sebring provide a worthwhile reminder, as a surprising number of different exam booklets were submitted for the 57th running of the annual, twelve-hour endurance race in Florida. This road-racing event is part of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), one of the few racing championships that is about cars, not just money. In comparison, Formula 1 and NASCAR look like one-make spec-car series, where the only way to tell the cars apart is by color and sponsorship decals.
The Audi R15 TDI earned the gold medal in this particular physics test by narrowly winning the race by just 22.279 seconds over the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP with which it had rubbed fenders for virtually the entire 12 hours. But the Acura ARX-02a, BMW M3 GT2, and Lola B09/86-Mazda MZR-R also came up with some interesting answers.
You probably already have WiFi in your house and at work, so why not complete the circle and get your car "connected", too? That's what Cadillac plans to offer on its CTS sedan starting in April.
The system is a $500 option and requires a $29-per-month subscription to maintain. It effectively turns the CTS into a wireless hotspot that delivers speeds up to 800Kbps according to Autonet Mobile which is supplying the system.
With a world debut officially scheduled for the Shanghai auto show next month, the 2010 Porsche Panamera is edging slowly toward production. Additional information has been released on the some of its more unique features. They include a start/stop ignition, retractable rear wing and a nearly flat undercarriage for improved aerodynamics.
Although the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is offered with an optional V6, it's likely that the turbocharged 2.0T version is destined to be the more popular choice. It's less expensive and lighter, plus it's got a happy spinny thing under the hood known as a turbo. And when it comes to tuning potential, a turbo is hard to beat.
We tested a bone stock Genesis Coupe 2.0T on MD Automotive's Dynojet chassis dyno located in Westminster, CA. Hyundai says its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder generates 210 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel, and like most factory ratings for turbo cars, those numbers are a bit on the conservative side.
Hit the jump to see the dyno chart and other discoveries.
In a surprise announcement this morning, Ford Motor Company pointed out a feature that it added to the Escape and Mariner cute-utes for the 2008 model year.
Turns out, those little buggers had standard a system that could compensate for crowned roads and heavy crosswinds, without the driver being aware of it. Who knew? The so-called Drift/Pull Compensation software built into the utes' electric-assist steering system can apply torque to offset steady-state environmental conditions. (And no, Ford is not the only manufacturer with this type of system).
Ford now notes that 90 percent of its vehicles will use electric-assist steering by 2012, and every one of them will incorporate the drift/pull compensation. By then we'll be one step closer to totally automated operation. All that we'll need then is lane-departure systems and radar-based automated braking. Unless...Ford already has them and hasn't mentioned it. We'll get back to you in 2013 on that.
The Citroen C-Crosser Exclusive PSP Edition will be priced between 28,344 and 33,990 Euros, depending on which blog you want to believe. But our videogame fiend friends across the pond will have to spend more to feed the gaming addiction of backseat passengers.
BMW announced today that it completed an engineering demonstration in Philadelphia that validates the use of HD Radio to broadcast "advanced traffic information" -- as well as explains why the company continues to support a technology that few people care or even know about.
The demo was conducted in November by BMW and its HD Radio technology partner, Clear Channel Total Traffic Network, using a new protocol that provides "real-time, high-speed broadcast of traffic information." According to BMW, the technology will allow vehicles to gauge "current and predicted traffic patterns, speeds and flows almost instantaneously."
The proof-of-concept was carried out in a 5 Series equipped with custom hardware and software that cruised the entire Philly metro area while BMW techs monitored HD Radio coverage and the accuracy of traffic info. BMW claims that the high-speed data transfer provided by HD Radio made it possible to transmit traffic info to the test vehicle in just 14 seconds throughout the metro area during rush hour.
We knew there had to be a reason why BMW and other automakers continue to offer HD Radio even though most car buyers are either oblivious to it or underwhelmed by it.
Microsoft has made major inroads into the dashboard in the last few years, starting with its Blue & Me system for Fiat and with Sync for Ford shortly afterward. And the company's deal with Hyundai-Kia signals that the software giant plans to expand its foothold in automotive infotainment.
But some car companies and suppliers are hoping that Microsoft doesn't get a lock on automotive software the way it has in the PC market and have joined together to support open-source software development.
The GENIVI Alliance includes such heavyweights as BMW, GM, Delphi, Visteon, Intel, Magneti Marelli, Peugeot Citroen and Wind River. The companies have banded together to create "a common software architecture that is scalable across product lines and generations." And the alliance claims that "the platform will accelerate the pace at which automakers can deliver new solutions, bringing them closer to the life cycle of consumer [electronics] devices."
And perhaps thwart Microsoft's plan for global dashboard dominance.
As Josh noted in his story, the Genesis more than holds its own against the higher-rated Infiniti. It's not until after 6,000rpm where the Infiniti starts to show any considerable advantage. And if you're keeping score, this G37 performed better than the last one we tested, so don't think for a second that the Hyundai was up against a weaker-than-normal Infiniti.
We've already tested the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but enthusiasts keen on exploring every facet of its performance credentials now have another data point to consider--our chassis dyno result.
Hyundai pegs its brand-spankin' new Genesis Coupe's 3.8-liter V6 at 306-hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. To detemine just how truthful they've been in this rating, we strapped a Genesis to the Dynojet rollers at MD Automotive's facility in Westminster, CA, and let 'er rip.
BMW is developing a navigation system that "learns" owners' driving habits and analyzes a car's current location to predict where the driver may want to go next. Called ILENA, an acronym for Intelligent Learning Navigation, BMW claims it has 80 percent accuracy in guessing the car's next possible destination, which is displayed on the nav screen.
In addition to the convenience factor, BMW claims ILENA increases efficiency since the car's computer and systems will be able to automatically adjust performance and power relative to the next-destination info it gathers, which can lower driving costs by between 5 and 10 percent.
But BMW owners will have to decide if the small savings and convenience ILENA offers is worth giving up a large amount of privacy, and they'll have time to decide since BMW says the system won't be road-ready for about five years or so.
Lotus is using the 2009 Geneva Auto Show to showcase a new variable-compression engine it calls the "Omnivore." Designed to run on alcohol-based fuels as well as gasoline, the single-cylinder concept engine uses direct injection and a two-stroke operating cycle to maximize its efficiency.
An adjustable puck at the top of the combustion chamber is used to vary the compression and according to Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering, the Omnivore has potential as a four-stoke, production engine.
"The absence of poppet valves in two-stroke engines makes the incorporation of a variable compression ratio system relatively straightforward. Our research into these systems on four-stroke engines has led us to the conclusion that while thermodynamically it is a desirable technology to incorporate, practically it isvery difficult, particularly taking into consideration production feasibility. This two-stroke engine could solve these practical difficulties and simultaneously permits a much larger range of compression ratio adjustment, with the potential to perform at a much higher efficiency when running on renewable fuels," according to Castle-White.
Chrysler is the first automaker that comes to mind as the most likely casualty of the car industry collapse. But the company probably is not first to mind for most as a technology innovator -- and its stalwart but stodgy minivans may not be considered the pinnacle of tech.
Yet the 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT we recently tested (sticker $37,880) is loaded with top-shelf in-cabin tech that makes any trip more comfortable, convenient and entertaining whether it's across town or cross-country.
The 47-year-old owner of a fire-protection company paid to have a billboard posted in East Palo Alto along Highway 101. It tells Simitian in no uncertain terms that "Your Cell Phone Law Sucks."
The Jaguar XK is largely credited with getting the British luxury brand back on track. With its sleek, sexy styling, Jag's sports coupe is both a departure from the stodgy designs that plagued the company for years and heir apparent to Jaguar's legendary 1960s E-Type.
The XKR Coupe adds an extra 120 horsepower to the XK's pussy-footing 300 ponies and comes with an ample array of in-cabin tech, much of it standard equipment -- which is the way it should be on a car costing close to six figures.
Surprising? Well, no. Neither Sirius nor XM ever turned a profit as separate entities, and together they have $3.25 billion in debt. And come the end of February, a bill for $175 million will come due.
A group of undergrads at MIT has a invented a shock absorber that collects kinetic energy that's caused when a car hits a bump in the road and turns it into electricity. And the geeks claim their GenShock generates juice while simultaneously smoothing a car's ride better than conventional shocks.
The students also hope to generate some serious coin by selling the concept to companies that operate large fleets of heavy vehicles. Several truck manufacturers have already expressed interest, as has an organization with real money in these tough economic times: the U.S. military.
AM General, which produces the Humvee and is currently developing the next-generation of the all-purpose military vehicle, loaned the MIT students a vehicle for testing purposes. Just think about taking that to Florida for spring break.
The idea for the project came about because the students "wanted to figure out where energy is being wasted in a vehicle," explained senior Zack Anderson (pictured above in his shop clothes). Since hybrid cars already recover energy from braking, the MIT team examined other places in a moving vehicle where energy is generated and then dissipated -- and ultimately wasted. And they zeroed in on the suspension.
Maybe the Ford folks on the project were building up their collective lung capacity to blow up the balloon targets that are being used to demonstrate the technology at the company's Dearborn test track.
We've been hearing a lot from car companies lately about adding popular social-networking apps to in-car electronics and telematics systems soon. But Google is offering the service starting today with the launch of Latitude.
The service allows anyone with a cell phone or other wireless device to keep tabs on the location of friends and family, and it's an extension on the app the company introduced two years ago that allows mobile phone users to peg their location on Google Maps.
Of course, a nimble company like Google can offer a service like this much quicker than an automaker, and it's designed for portable devices and not the dashboard. For now, at least.
Google Latitude could allow parents to easily and inexpensively track teen drivers or friends to spot each other on the freeway. But as with anything that has to do with sharing personal information, particularly something as revealing as a person's location, privacy issues are bound to pop up.
Automotive News reported yesterday that OnStar is shopping its telematics services around to other automakers -- at a time when several car companies and suppliers are launching competitive systems.
And at a time when it may be tougher to get GM car owners to re-up and pay after receiving the service for free the first year.
"We did make a decision late last year that we are now talking to other vehicle manufacturers about the potential of bringing OnStar services to their vehicles in the United States and Canada and other parts of the world," OnStar president Chet Huber told Automotive News at the NADA convention in New Orleans, although he declined to name any prospects.
But we can say for certain the car companies that won't be interested.
You don't need sales figures to know how popular portable navigation systems have become, since they seem to hang from the windshield of every other car on the road. But we've also been hearing a lot about how popular portable navs have become among thieves, and we do have a staggering stat for that.
Hey, hotshoe. Think you're good at matching revs when you're downshifting? The 2009 Nissan 370Z's SynchroRev Match can do it better.
And if you're one of those drivers that has wondered why all this "heel-toe" business requires your two feet to do three things simultaneously, then you, too, can benefit from SynchroRev Match.
SynchroRev Match is a feature that automatically "blips" the throttle when the driver initiates a downshift in manual transmission-equipped 370s. If you depress the clutch, lift off the throttle and move the gearchange lever to a lower gear, SynchroRev Match zips the engine up to precisely the right speed for that gear.
The result? Perfectly smooth rev-matched downshifts every single time, and drivers that look like heroes.
Rev-matching is common among automatic- and automated-manual transmissions, but the 2009 Z-car marks the debut of such a feature in conjunction with a real-life, stick-in-the-palm manual gearbox.
Now, come with us to the other side of the jump to learn how it works.
One of the promises of the merger between former satellite radio rivals Sirius and XM was that fanatical listeners would one day be able to tune in every channel offered by both services on a single device. The cleverly named Sirius XM MiRGE, the newly formed company's first interoperable receiver, will deliver on it when the portable device becomes available in early spring of 2009 for $249.99.
Now you won't need two sat radio receivers to enjoy the Sirius Everything plus XM Everything package that will be available for $19.99 a month.
After months of seeing one claim after another about the Nissan GT-R's transmission issues, Inside Line finally got some real numbers. According to Nissan officials, less than 1 percent of the 1,750-to-1,800 GT-Rs in the garages of U.S. enthusiasts experienced transmission failures.
Yep, that means we're talking about no more than 16-to-19 cars total. You might have thought the number was a little higher, way higher. But that's not the whole story. We dug a little deeper to find out even more about this ongoing situation and have compiled a full report.
Read Inside Line's full story on the saga of the lunched GT-R transmissions.
Call it the anti-iDrive. Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) uses a similar center-console controller as a command center for much of the car's cockpit tech, but it's much more intuitive and fluid than BMW's complex iDrive, which has gotten better over the years.
The last-gen version of Audi's MMI, which will debut stateside on the 2009 Q5, gets even better with the addition of a joystick to the controller, a high-capacity hard disk for navigation functions and music storage and a hi-res 7-inch display that provides 3D map displays.
Here in Los Angeles, the only broadcast radio station worth listening to just went off the air. Indie 103.1 played tons of cool new music and featured DJs that were actually, brace yourself, into and knowlegable about music - shocking I know. Of course if you REALLY want to hear Panic! at the Crapsco or even more Jay-Zzzzz, you're still in luck. Plenty of commerical laden Top 40 stations crank that stuff out like it's, well like it's good. But don't rush out and buy that 5 year Sirius subscription pack just yet.
Ever wonder how having a bicycle, kayak, snowboard, kiteboard or -- if you live in an an outdoor-sports crazy place like me -- all four on a roof rack at the same time affects your vehicle's aerodynamics? And if there's anything you can do to compensate for the extra drag besides putting a sticker-plastered wind fairing on the front?
If your off-hours duds are made of Lycra, Gore-Tex and neoprene, you'll be stoked to know that the crossbars on the roof rack of the 2009 Audi Q5 crossover include sensors that automatically alert the vehicle's Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) that there's a load on top in order to compensate for it.
Rivaling the Lexus LS in terms of in-car hardware and sound quality is not easy but Hyundai has done it with the Genesis thanks to a new Lexicon audio system.
As the car audio aftermarket continues its slow decline towards dinosaur status, like many A-list names in the business, Alpine is stepping up its OEM offerings. The company has in the past been a marquee nameplate in luxury vehicles such as Jaguar (before getting bumped in favor of fellow Brit's B&W) and Lincoln. At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Alpine announced it has scored a trifecta and unveiled new tech that will appear in vehicles from BMW, GM and Mercedes-Benz.
These include a whopping 8.8-inch in-dash display in the center stack of the 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster (rear-seat entertainment systems in some minivans don't have a monitor that size), a new head unit for a global Mercedes platform and the first infotainment system -- OEM or aftermarket -- with 2 GB of flash memory for the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and 2010 Cadillac SRX.
#DAS09 Like virtually all other automakers at this year's Detroit show, Ford is big on electric vehicles, partially electric vehicles, vehicles that look, sound or smell like electric vehicles.
Ford, in the person of Mr. Ford hisownself, announced today some details on one of two full-electric vehicles it plans to produce in the coming few years. The first of them is a commercial vehicle for 2010. This you needn't worry about. But the other one is a Ford Focus-based electric the company plans to sell to actual private citizens in 2011. The car, done in partnership with Magna International, will be powered by everybody's favorite future-car battery, lithium ion. Ford is estimating a range of 100 miles and the company says that it will sell only about 5,000-to-10,000 annually in the first couple of years.
The company was offering drives in a prototype car around Cobo Hall. It looks exactly like a current Focus, which is not at all what the real thing will look like. We imagine driving it feels much like driving an electric car. Maybe we'll take Ford up on its offer of a drive later on this very day.
The company also announced that in 2012, it will introduce its next generation of hybrid cars, including a plug-in hybrid. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
Whenever some company we've never heard of promises "100mpg!" from any motorized vehicle, we take it with more than just a grain of salt. We pretty much consider it crap.
Not that it's impossible, but given that Toyota's R&D budget hovers around $7-8 billion a year, it seems a tad far fetched to think that one could virtually double the mileage of Toyota's best effort with a simple add-on device installed in a few hours.
Of course, that doesn't stop the believers, and thankfully it didn't stop Consumer Reports from testing the best-selling Prius plug-in conversion kit on the market. It concluded that the system from A123 Systems didn't even come close to its claims and "cost more than you could ever expect to recoup in gas savings." Our hybrid watchers over at Green Car Advisor have more on the story, but needless to say we weren't the least bit surprised.
In the past, a new car computer came around every couple of years. But within the last seven days we've seen two that will debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this week.
Last Monday we reported on a new line of car PCs from Dashboard Devices that will be unveiled at CES, and now we've come across a company called Swiitek that's jumping into the fray with an in-dash computer designed to replace the factory head unit in specific cars -- despite a lack of interest even among early-adopter tech geeks.
The addition of a full LED lighting system to the Audi R8 5.2 might not seem like big news, but it does represent a major shift in technology that could radically shift future car designs. It's one of those technologies that's been promised for a long time and is only now making its way into production.
No doubt inspired by the Lexus self-parking feature, Lincoln MKS and MKT models will offer their own version, called Active Park Assist.
The system uses ultrasonic sensors mounted on the outside corners of of the vehicles and combines them with a new electric power assisted steering setup. Active Park Assist can then manipulate the steering automatically as the sensors detect where the vehicle is relative to other vehicles. The sensors detect the distance between cars to determine if there is enough space, and then it manipulates the steering, as well as instructing the driver as to when to shift into Drive or Reverse as well as press the gas or brake.
...And, of course, Lincoln says their system is better than the Lexus version.
The idea of an in-dash car computer isn't new. Clarion's attempt to market the AutoPC in the '90s eventually failed even with backing from Microsoft. An outfit called Q-PC came out with one a few years later -- and it disappeared as well. More recently, MP3Car.com has offered versions geared toward the DIY set, while Azentek Atlas CPC-1000 is the latest in this long and ill-fated line of carputers.
Undeterred by the driving public's lack of interest, Dashboard Devices will introduce three new EVN (Entertainment and Navigation for Vehicles) car computers at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
You might think 6-speed automatic transmissions are a dime-a-dozen these days. And, well, you would be right. But that doesn't mean Hyundai's new 6-speed tranny is any less important, at least as far as Hyundai is concerned.
The Korean automaker correctly points out that only Toyota and a joint venture between Ford and GM have produced proprietary 6-speed transmissions, while the rest of the world bought theirs off of perfectly good suppliers. The existence of 7- and 8-speed automatics was not addressed.
Buried within the long-winded release are a few interesting tid bits of info however. For instance, there is no dipstick. The transmission is filled with fluid that's designed to last the life of the car. The head of the Skinny Funnel Manufacturers Association had no comment on the development.
Also worthy of note: the applications of the new transmission. The first will be the Azera with the 3.3-liter V6 in early 2009. Hyundai says to expect a 12% improvement in mileage and two-tenths off the 0-to-60mph time. Later on in the 2009, the new transmission will find its way into a fully redesigned Santa Fe. A total of sixteen different models will eventually use the transmission.
A pair of Chinese students have invented a prototype fingerprint scanner that detects whether a driver is legally drunk or is designated to drive the vehicle.
When a driver places a middle finger into the scanner, the device determines if the grooves in a fingerprint match those of people authorized to drive the vehicle and also analyzes the chemical properties of oils and sweat from the digit within 20 seconds. If the driver doesn't pass the test, the engine locks out.
Zhao Wencai and Li Zhoumu from China's University of Geosciences debuted the device at Beijing's third-annual China-International Road Safety Expo. The event has grown along with concern over driving safety in the country, where there are about 250,000 traffic accidents a year and more than 50,000 deaths caused by drunk driving.
Wired.com suggests that the government require domestic automakers to add a feature like this to all their vehicles as part of a bailout since, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 36 people die in the U.S each day from alcohol-related accidents and the monetary toll of crashes tops $51 billion annually.
A new device for teens as well as adults called Key2SafeDriving puts the lock on cell phone use while driving . It encases a copy of a car key, and when the key slides out a signal is sent to a cell phone via Bluetooth or RFID to put it in "driving" mode and a "Stop" sign appears on the phone's display.
The Key2SafeDriving can be configured so that teens are not allowed to talk or text or so that adults have to use a hands-free device. Incoming calls and texts receive an auto-reply and the technology's licensing partner, Accendo, says the phone can still be used for emergencies. When the key is removed from the ignition, the phone is again enabled.
Check out this YouTube video for a demonstration on how Key2SafeDriving works, as well as some bad acting but convincing male sibling banter.
Aegis Mobility also has plans to make software called DriveAssist available through wireless carriers that blocks incoming and outgoing calls, text messages and Internet access from a phone while the user is driving. The company has teamed with Nationwide Insurance to offer policyholders a discount when they sign up to use the technology.
With the SPLITVIEW technology Mercedes-Benz plans to introduce on S-Class vehicles in Europe and China next summer and in the U.S. soon afterward, a front-seat passenger can watch a video on an in-dash monitor while the driver can only view a navigation screen or other info.
Developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch, the 8-inch TFT LCD monitor in the center of the dash shows two separate images simultaneously by placing pixels adjacent to one another. A filter then divides the mixed images so that, depending on the seating position, only the pixels that make up one image can be viewed. The front passenger can use a remote control to choose whether to watch a DVD or TV and also has the option of listening to the audio portion of a video using wireless headphones.
Yep, it's that time of the year again. Time to gather some holiday gear for your favorite gearhead. Thanks to PickupTrucks.com, we have some holiday hitch goodies for those pickup and SUV owners to consider. I rather like the one pictured above.
Any self-respecting automotive enthusiast might regard an audio or navigation system as practically irrelevant in a car like the new GT-R. But after the initial thrill of driving the 480-horsepower beast wears off a little (however slowly), drivers may want to listen to some decent music, get directions or make a call without breaking some hands-free law.
This car is equipped with a Bose audio system, like the one you find on the Infiniti G-series of vehicles. Of course, the specific cabin acoustics of the GT-R were analyzed and taken into account for the EQ'ing. The system plays CDs and files off your iPod or an SD card (there's also a hard drive for storing your music). There's no DVD (or other format) playback, but this is an above-average two-channel system that achieves its objective of good sound.
To overcome the GT-R's significant road and tire noise, its sound system needed more than a couple of 6x9s. And it does. Godzilla's frontstage consists of a three-way speaker setup in the doors (a 3.25-inch Twiddler and 6.5-inch full-range speaker with a 1.5-inch tweeter in the sail panels), plus a Twiddler at the top of the center of the dash. There are a couple more Twiddlers on the rear deck for fill. The two 9-inch woofers deftly integrated in between the two rear seats are the highlight of the speaker system (pictured). They provide decent bottom end and look pretty cool to boot. An eight-channel digital amp powers the speakers.
In general, the soundstage was a little narrow and music imaged lower than I would've liked. But this will vary with your head height. The tonal qualities, however, were quite decent. I played Jay-Z's "99 Problems," which on some factory systems can sound muddled. Here the guitars were fairly distinct and had the right crunch. Sigur Ros' "Svefn-G-Englar" didn't reveal any resonance issues as it sometimes does. The dynamics on this track were well reproduced. "Boxenkiller," which I use to audition every system, would've been better if the bass had more definition, but the system provided a live feel with authentic-sounding toms. Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" had too much high-end that I had to dial back the treble on, but the song had plenty of impact.
Next I played some tracks off my iPod. I connected it through the USB cable and selected from the complete menu of options, accessing songs by playlist, songs, albums, etc. The graphic quality of the monitor leaves something to be desired, but the functionality is perfectly fine. Even with some of the lower bitrate files I have of some Corinne Bailey Rae and Alicia Keys tracks the audio system provided a good listening experience.
Controlling the audio and other features is easy. The center stack is simple. You're not overwhelmed with a thousand buttons like on some cars, and the touchscreen has just the right sensitivity. Plus, the steering wheel controls follow suit. That is, everything is easily identifiable and located properly for access with your thumbs. The only weakness in terms of ergonomics is the location for the disc slot. It's too low and in front of the shifter.
The monitor is well-positioned for viewing the navigation info, but the pixelated quality of the graphics takes away from the total system. Frankly, in a car with this lofty price tag, it's disappointing. However, there's not too much to complain about with the overall performance.
That includes the hands-free Bluetooth. My iPhone worked without a hitch. There was some echo of the other party's voice, but mine was delivered clearly. It may take a driver some time to begin to appreciate the other aspects of this GT-R, but the car definitely delivers on more than one level. -- Ben Oh, Inside Line Contributor
IL Tech Ratings (10 is Best): 2009 Nissan GT-R Audio: 8 iPod: 8 Navigation: 8 Ergonomics: 9 Bluetooth: 8
If you have a hard time keeping your hands off of your BlackBerry while driving, iLane will safely satisfy your email jones. But as with most addictions, it'll cost you.
The portable device from the Canadian company IMS costs $599 and carries a $7.99 monthly fee. It connects to BlackBerry 8000 Series smartphones (version 4.1 or newer) and can alert a driver when an email arrives and read it aloud.
iLane also allows composing emails via voice activation as well as managing an email in box using commands such as delete, reply and call back. Other features include hands-free calling and text messaging, accessing calendar functions and on-demand news, sports, weather, business and entertainment info from the Associated Press and The Weather Network.
Another benefit of the iLane is that it can be carried between vehicles. But in addition to its steep price, another downside is that the iLane sticks out like a sore thumb and requires wires dangling from your dash.
Karl has a good read up on a new Edmunds.com section called Car Audio and Electronics Center; which, as you might suspect, is geared towards the techie side of cars.
I'm in full agreement with Karl in that there are no really bad new cars out there. Even the worst car is really not that bad, especially when compared to vehicles that have come before (K-car, anyone?). That being said, what makes a customer choose one good car from another good car?
Karl states that once the practical aspects have been met (gas mileage, safety, price, comfort, etc.), it boils down to styling, ergonomics and features. Again, we're in complete agreement here. It should also be noted that with each new model announcement, the audio/infotainment aspect gets even more complex and confusing. Hopefully this new Edmunds section will help sort all this out, and make choosing the right vehicle just a bit easier.
Faced with an ever-growing list of complaints of GT-Rs with Launch Control failures, Nissan has decided to drop that feature on the 2010 models. Apparently too many owners were playing with the Launch Control, with the result being broken GT-Rs; not a good thing for Nissan warranty folks to deal with, not to mention Nissan's reputation.
So, it looks like 2009 GT-Rs just became a bit more valuable (or not).
The new 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is equipped with basically the same electronics package as the 2008 Cadillac CTS. There's a lot to like about the system, but there are some deficiencies, too.
It's a comprehensive setup with a video monitor that motorizes up and down, navigation by Alpine and a 5.1 surround sound system.
Basically, the entertainment system can handle almost everything you throw at it. You can watch regular DVDs, play your 5.1 discs and listen to CDs. You also have a hard drive for storing your music, iPod playback and satellite radio. The video quality on the monitor is not exactly high-def, but then you're not going to be sitting in your car for hours watching videos. It's good enough for what it is, but the audio reproduction quality isn't where it should be.
Audio quality is also a problem despite the Cad's 10-speaker setup. It simply doesn't provide quite the immersive quality you might hope for. The sound stage lacks breadth and the tonal qualities are bland. Your 5.1 discs will sound better than CDs, but the realism is lacking. The different EQ settings each have advantages and disadvantages. There wasn't one that could be considered the best compromise.
I listened to an Emma Shapplin 5.1 disc in DTS. The song "Leonora" begins with the sound of thunder and bass strings. The rumble just wasn't quite there and the speakers seemed to struggle to play the bass note. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" sounded better, but the dynamics were average. By adjusting treble, midbass, bass or trying the different EQ settings for each song I was able to get some better results, but I doubt many drivers would be willing to tinker with the configuration every time -- and they shouldn't have to.
Audio quality aside, in terms of functionality for an iPod, the system is just fine. I connected my iPhone via Cadillac's proprietary USB cable in the center console compartment and was able to access my tracks instantly. You have to scroll through your playlists, or songs or artists, etc., but fortunately the system scrolls through even thousands of tracks very quickly. I wished I could've selected an artist by choosing a letter, but it didn't slow me down much to find a specific song.
The best part of the technology package was the voice-recognition feature and the navigation. The latter allows you to add a voice tag to a location, making it easy to set a destination. I find voice recognition is often buggy in factory or aftermarket products, but here selecting music or nav commands by voice made things very convenient. The software worked without major issues, and the traffic information is among the best I've sampled, with quick updates and accurate data.
I like the ergonomic layout and overall design of the center stack on the CTS-V. Once you understand that the Audio button is for selecting a source, and not making audio adjustments (that's what the Config button is actually for) you'll be fine.
The hands-free calling, however, might be an issue for some drivers. That's because the built-in option is provided by OnStar (or else you need a portable Bluetooth product or earpiece for your mobile phone). The upside is that using OnStar probably will allow you to make calls over a greater area; and the audio quality and phone connection were indeed very good.
On the downside you'll have to buy minutes for your OnStar account. And it'll take you a long time to verbally add all your contacts with voice tags to your OnStar system. It would be easier to load your address book from your phone onto a standard Bluetooth system. That being said, I should note that GM will be offering Bluetooth in some other '09 models. -- Ben Oh, Inside Line Contributor
One of the trends at this year's L.A. show was active fuel economy coaching. Honda showed its FC Sport fuel-cell prototype with its videogame-like eco assist system. The display shows your eco score with blossoming flowers. A similar system will be on the new Insight hybrid. Ford has its own coaching system on the 2010 Fusion/Mercury Milan hybrids with EcoGuide (shown below). So if you have to drive a boring fuel sipper, at least you can entertain yourself by making a game out of your hypermiling.
Albert Austria, Senior Vehicle Evaluation Engineer
Before and after the wraps were removed from Volkswagen's SCORE Baja 1000 Trophy Truck, the diesel-powered Touareg you'll soon be able to buy sat unloved right next door.
The 2009 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI, as they're calling it, will reportedly be available as early as January 2009. Some dealers have already received order guides listing the starting price at $43,490, including destination charges. That's about $3,500 more than the 3.6-liter gasoline V6.
No one at the show could confirm whether or not the 19-inch wheels and tires on the display car would be standard on the TDI, but if they are, the effective price difference shrinks by $1,200 -- the cost of that option on the 3.6-liter V6 gasoline model.
On the eve of the LA Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated an in-car Internet system called myCOMAND in the company's ConceptFASCINATION vehicle. Unlike current in-car Internet applications, which have grown in the past few months from none to about a half dozen, Mercedes plans to use MyCOMAND to provide access to media, communications and navigation functions -- and dump the hardware traditionally associated with those technologies.
Instead of CDs or even an iPod, music would be accessed from an online library. Instead of using a mobile phone, calls would be made via VOIP. Instead of directions and information from an outdated in-dash or portable nav system, drivers would use Google Maps. And instead of a DVD-based rear-seat entertainment system, passengers would watch videos on YouTube.
MyCOMAND would also bring all of the power and function of the Internet into the car, including searches for everything from gas to garage sales, reviews and rating for restaurants and other services and the ability to find parking spaces, the cheapest gas, movie show times or almost anything else that can be done on the Web.
Mercedes has no immediate plans to make the system available in production vehicles. Dr. Ralph Guido Merrtwich, director of infotainment and telematics research and advanced engineering for Mercedes, said at the unveiling that myCOMAND won't be ready until cellular networks literally get up to speed, which he predicted will be "rolled out starting in 2012."
That's eons in the fast-paced world of technology.
While originally developed for the military, this honeycomb tire could be the future, in that you would never need to have a spare. Yeah, they would have to put some sort of 'skin' on the sidewalls so that the honeycombs don't clog up with mud or snow--a huge issue if you go off-roading. Also wind noise and aero-efficiency are likely to be problems with such a tire as it currently is shown.
This tire was developed because the military wants an alternative to the current Humvee "run flat" tires. The current run-flats, despite the name, still need some air pressure, and can blown out via gun fire.
"You see reports all the time of troops who were injured by an IED or their convoys got stranded because their tires were shot out," said Resilient's General Manager Mike Veih. "There's all sorts of armor on the vehicle, but if you're running in the theater and get your tire shot out, what have you got? You've got a bunch of armor in the middle of a field."
The tire was developed by Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison's Polymer Engineering Center. They studied other airless tires, like the Michelin "Tweel," but in the end settled on this design. The patent-pending design mimics the precise, six-sided cell pattern found in a honeycomb and best duplicates the "ride feel" of pneumatic tires, according to the developers.
"The goal was to reduce the variation in the stiffness of the tire, to make it transmit loads uniformly and become more homogenous," said mechanical engineering professor Tim Osswald. "And the best design, as nature gives it to us, is really the honeycomb."
On Friday we reported that Google will unveil an iPhone app that allows performing a Web search by simply speaking a command into Apple's popular phone. On the same day, telematics provider ATX announced that it has developed a system that let's drivers simply say what they're looking for and a vehicle equipped with on-board Internet access and a navigation system finds it.
ATX calls the application Browse By Voice, and it allows speech-enabled access to the Internet for local search and general Web searches while behind the wheel -- without having to remove your hands to type text into an in-dash display. "So, when a Google or Yahoo search engine main page is displayed on an in-vehicle display, the user will only have to say: "What's the weather in Boston?" to activate the search rather than having to type the phrase or use a knob to do the equivalent entry of a text stream," ATX says in a press release on the app.
ATX, which has already demonstrated the prototype app to several automakers, is betting that on-the-road Web surfing will soon become as common as iPod integration. And with Autonet Mobile, Chrysler and BMW all having introduced in-car Internet service since the beginning of 2008, and Mercedes set to debut a system at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, that seems more like a reality than a longshot gamble.
Leave it to Google to offer something for free that everyone else is trying to figure out a way to monetize. The New York Times reported today that Google is working on an application for the Apple iPhone that allows a voice-activated search. This means that while driving around looking for a place to eat you could simply say, "What's the best pizza in Manhattan" to your iPhone and it would display on Google Maps the locations of the top places in the city to get a pie.
This comes at a time when several major players are moving into the mobile search market. As an add-on to its BMW Assist system, BMW recently introduced a Google Search function that's part of a Convenience Plan package that costs $199 a year, and in October, Best Buy debuted a pair of portable navigation systems priced at $400 and $500 with one year of free wireless service, after which it costs $99 a year. Just this Monday, TeleNav unveiled its new Shotgun portable nav that costs $299 and carries a monthly service fee of $12 (or $129 a year) and allows for wirelessly sending location-based info from a website to the device.
But according to the Times article, Google's voice-activated iPhone search app could appear on Apple's iTunes App Store as early as today, and for absolutely free,
A while back it was announced that both Sirius and XM satellite would be merging. Now we're getting word of how this might shake out in terms of channels. There will be 22 new stations, and 15 other stations will disappear. The changes went into effect on November 12.
Mercedes-Benz announced today that its European 2009 E-Class and S-Class cars will get safety tech next Spring that keeps a driver from nodding off, recognizes speed limit signs, minimizes crash injuries for occupants as well as pedestrians and more.
In unveiling the wide ranging suite of active safety technology in Leipzig today, the German luxury automaker says it intends to create vehicles that can be part of the "thinking" process of driving and also "see, sense and act autonomously."
And, of course, also create cars that sell, since safety tech ranks high on the list of bells and whistles that customers are willing to pay for.
With the connected portable navigation market slow to catch fire despite predictions to the contrary, pioneer Dash Express couldn't stand the heat (or lack thereof) or the burn rate of its venture capital funding and pulled the plug on its consumer business last week, announcing that the company will instead pursue licensing its technology. Exactly a week later, TeleNav has stepped in to take the place of Dash with its $299 Shotgun cellular-based portable navigation device (PND).
The nascent connected PND market is getting more crowded with each passing month, and the competition is a good thing for consumers, if only for the early adopters at this point.
In late October, big box retailer Best Buy introduced two connected PNDs: the Insignia NS-CNV10 ($399.99) and NS-CNV20 ($499.99). Like the TeleNav Shotgun, the Best Buy PNDs use a cellular connection for Internet access, and they can perform Google Local Search for services and allow users to send directions to the units from Goggle Maps.
Clarion will also start shipping its MiND PND ($649.99) soon, which offers full Internet access using either a DUN connection to a Bluetooth phone or WiFi when in range.
The Shotgun leverages TeleNav's years of experience in providing real-time traffic info and location-based services. But the connected PND contenders that survive may be the ones that don't scare off customers with a higher monthly service fee.
> Garmin ranks highest among portable navigation device manufacturers, performing particularly well in the display screen, ease of use and appearance factors
> TomTom follows Garmin in the ranking, performing well in the routing, speed of system and voice direction factors
> Magellan ranks third overall in customer satisfaction.
> While the affordability and multi-car versatility of portable GPS units is very attractive, owners do report considerably higher numbers of problems with their units than people who have factory-installed in-dash units. Common problem areas reported are system mounting, battery life and route accuracy.
A bolt-on, stock-looking ball-bearing Garrett GT30R with a twin-scroll turbine housing for the 2008+ Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution? Owners residing in California will eat this up. Heck, it even retains the stock heat shield on the exhaust manifold.
According to the company, this turbo will be available in two flavors, GT3071R and GT3076R (same except for compressor wheel size) and the larger one will support more than 500 hp without decimating boost response. There will also be two turbine housing sizes available (0.73 and 0.94 A/R).
We're intrigued. And we have an Evo X GSR project car. Stay tuned.
Hyundai is calling the RKSport-massaged 2009 Hyundai Genesis a concept, but you can expect to see its 460-hp supercharged V8 in a production car in the near future.
The company's press conference bristled with engineers, including head of powertrain John Juriga. He spoke to us about what went into the concept. "This is not just a supercharger bolted to the existing engine," he said.
Indeed, this represents a comprehensive rework of Hyundai's 4.6-liter "Tau" V8. It includes new head and intake manifold castings integrating an IHI twin-screw supercharger, and a cylinder deactivation system. This system, like other such systems in production, allows the V8 to operate in V4 mode to save fuel. John continued, "We saw an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy while simulating the FTP cycle," which is used by the EPA to determine the fuel economy numbers on a window sticker.
Hyundai reckons this Genesis reaches 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and runs the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds at 108 mph, while returning 18/27 city/hwy mpg.
They also hint that it's "suitable for sports cars," too. Bring it on.
AT&T and RaySat have teamed up to develop a satellite TV system for vehicles other than SUVs or RVs. And at a price that makes it attractive to more than just rappers and sports stars.
Companies like RaySat and KVH have offered sat-TV systems for several years, but they usually require an antenna that weighs as much as 50 pounds, looks like a small flying saucer and can only be installed on large vehicles. The AT&T CruiseCast service uses a low-profile antenna that fits on just about any vehicle, and AT&T claims that the system employs technology that gets the sat signal around obstacles such as trees, overpasses and buildings that can cause reception to be choppy.
On Monday we reported that GM and Opel are developing a cost-effective car-to-car communication system that could be implemented across various vehicle makes and models. The system would allow vehicles to share information such as location, speed and direction of travel to potentially avoid accidents and speed traffic.
The other critical component to creating "smarter" vehicles is car-to-infrastructure (aka car-to-x) communication that allows your ride to become a "data probe" that sends information about road and weather conditions, accidents and such to authorities.
But it could also communicate everything about your driving habits, perhaps telling the heat and your insurance company when you've been hooning your Honda.
GM claims it's "democratizing" advanced safety with a car-to-car communication system that uses existing and inexpensive technologies that can be easily implemented across car brands and models.
Typically, cutting-edge tech like night-vision cameras on Mercedes S-Class vehicles and some BMW models and active safety systems such as Mercedes' Pre-Safe and Lexus' PCS debut on high-end models before eventually trickling down to less expensive cars.
GM's technology, which the company demonstrated last week in Europe with Opel, warns drivers of a stationary or slow-moving vehicle ahead and whether another vehicle is approaching a blind intersection or curve. Because such a system is more affordable, more vehicles can be equipped with it, according to GM.
In other words, you don't have to be well-heeled to save your hide.
Originally, the prospect of driving a full-size SUV like some kind of hypermiling superdouche--with the air switched off, mind you--had all the appeal of listening to Fran Drescher on infinite loop.
And the Audi Mileage Marathon certainly would have been a supreme bore had James Tate (of Traction Magazine) and George Achorn (Fourtitude Forums) in Q7 number 4 not put on their game faces for Day Two. In doing so, the team turned the friendly-but-daft Audi marketing campaign into a manhunt.
The highlight of the overall technology package offered on the 2009 Acura TL is definitely the ELS Surround sound system, which was designed and personally tuned by Grammy-winning music producer and engineer Elliot Scheiner.
With 440 watts of power, there's plenty of output and, with 10 speakers, prepare for a true wall of sound. I listened to everything from Emma Shapplin and the Eagles to The Roots and Sigur Ros, as well as my usual demo tracks like "Boxekiller," covering every genre, format and file type. The 5.1 is amazing. Some people may want a little more bass for certain songs (and more controls to tweak the sound), but overall, this is a very well-balanced audio system that offers an immersive listening experience with enough musical detail to satisfy even some audiophiles.
Although at its best with DVD-Audio, the ELS (ELS is Scheiner's nickname) Surround system is more than capable of delivering terrific sound from files on your iPod (that is, as long as you have songs converted at a decent bit rate). I connected my iPhone with a connector cable to the USB interface in the center console and was able to zip through my music on the 8-inch monitor, much as I would on the iPhone itself. Plus it charged the unit. If you have another music player that you can't connect via USB, you can use the stereo mini jack input, also located in the compartment.
With XM Satellite (free for 90 days) and the internal 12.7-gig hard drive for storing your favorite tracks, you have one of the best OE entertainment systems anywhere.
Too bad the system's voice recognition feature didn't work as well as it should. I sometimes had to repeat instructions in an effort to get what I wanted. I should note, however, that I've yet to experience voice recognition in any factory or aftermarket system with anything approaching a flawless success rate. When the Acura system works well, it's a nice luxury that lets you keep your hands on the steering wheel while controlling audio, climate and navigation functions by speaking your commands (there are 600).
Whereas the voice recognition has some issues, the navigation system is truly advanced. The large monitor is positioned well and displays a nav menu that is intuitive and simple to access. All the buttons and dials on the center stack may be intimidating at first, but once you start trying the functions, you'll likely find it user-friendly.
The highlights of the navigation system are the extensive traffic information, the Zagat ratings for restaurants and, something essential for long journeys, weather reports for any place in the country. Depending on traffic conditions, the system will offer rerouting if it calculates that the alternative is more than a couple of minutes faster. The delay in getting timely traffic info (as is the case in other systems) can make this a marginally beneficial feature, but that potential problem is ameliorated by the fact that in the TL, information is updated every 90 seconds.
Pairing my iPhone to the Bluetooth system was also quick and hassle-free, but loading my contact list of about 250 people or so took over a minute. Once it had my address book, though, it was a breeze accessing the information and making calls. The only real problem was the quality of the audio. I could certainly hear and be heard, but there was significant static that interfered with easy communication. -- Ben Oh, Inside Line Contributor
IL Tech Ratings (10 is best): 2009 Acura TL Audio: 9 iPod: 9 Navigation: 9 Ergonomics: 8 Bluetooth: 7
In case you haven't heard, the Audi Mileage Marathon--a coast-to-coast trek across the USA in diesel-powered Audis--is underway. The trip is divided in four major legs, the final leg of which Edmunds is currently participating. Leg Four will stretch and divide the distance between Las Vegas and Santa Monica into three days of driving with stopovers in Mammoth Lakes, CA, and Monterey, CA.
They're pitting automotive journalists in teams of two against each other in several of their TDI-powered models including Q7s, Q5s and A4s. Dan Edmunds and I make up the team representing Edmunds and Inside Line. We're in a 2009 Q7 3.0 TDI bearing the number 3.
Audi says the goal is to demonstrate the efficiency of their TDI turbodiesel engines. We say they're just staging this competition as an excuse to witness the absurd lengths to which automotive journalists will go in order to gain an advantage and protect their fragile egos.
Day One of our leg is Vegas to Mammoth Lakes. Stay tuned.
Nissan has announced it will offer a slip-hazard alert and road-cam service in Japan for vehicles with the company's CARWINGS telematics system. The slip-hazard alert will be available in December and testing of the road-cam system will start next month.
The slip-hazard alert links data from Japan's Intelligent Transport System (ITS) with ABS braking systems to warn drivers of slippery road conditions, while the road-cam system uses the ITS service to provide drivers with visual images of potentially dangerous mountain passes in winter.
Both of these forward-looking technologies provide drivers with a heads-up on hazards down the road and offer a glimpse of what the ITS in the U.S. could offer -- when it's eventually deployed.
Latest word from AutoObserver is that the deal between Chrysler LLC and Getreg Transmission on developing a dual-clutch automated manual transmission may be over--and not in a good way. Reportedly Chrysler has instituted a lawsuit against Getreg. Chrysler alleges that Getreg misrepresented themselves in their ability to get the necessary financing for the $455-million joint venture.
Modern kids have it made. No more boring license plate games or playing Punch Buggy when today's tech-savvy tots and teens can choose from rear-seat video systems, video games and Sirius Backseat TV. Now three students at Berlin University of the Arts have come up with a way to turn the world outside of a car into a video game using a laptop and a webcam.
The webcam projects buildings, trees and other objects outside the car window onto a computer screen, and the player has to steer a "ship" around the obstacles on the screen without crashing into them. The faster the speed of the car, the faster the ship flies and the more difficult it is to keep from crashing.
Now before you write this off as merely a silly stylistic concept, you just might want to hold off a bit. Yeah, it's only a "dream bike" which hints at what Honda may be up to with their two-wheelers, but it's more than that--much more.
What's really unique here is that Honda may be reviving their oval cylinder engine design once again. Anyone who has followed Honda's 2-wheeled GP history knows that back in 1979 Honda experimented with an oval cylinder V-4 GP racer called the NR500 (here) (engine pictured below); and without much success, I might add.
Why oval cylinders, you ask? It allowed for the use of 8 valves per cylinder as well as 2 plugs per cylinder, In doing so Honda was able to get power levels comparable to an 8-cylinder engine of that era, but without the size and weight of an 8-cylinder engine. So imagine an 32-valve, 8-plug, sorta 8-cylinder, 500cc engine, if you will.
Apparently this oval cylinder concept has not died, but rather has been honed over the intervening years to the point in which it may see production some day. Now fast-forward this thinking a bit, and imagine an oval-cylinder, 8-valve/2-plug Honda car. It's not as wild as you may think, as much of the high-tech engineering that you see in Honda cars first started on their bikes.
This new Honda concept is being shown at Intermot, a.k.a. the Cologne Motorcycle Show.
Shortly after announcing MyKey, a parental check for young drivers (Ford's MyKey offers parental check on young drivers), they now have announced a radar-based collision avoidance system called Collision Warning with Brake Support.
What it does is use the radar system from Adaptive Cruise Control to detect danger. If the system senses contact with something might occur, it will at first sound an audible alarm and activate a warning light. At the same time it will "precharge" the brakes and activate a brake-assist function in case the driver needs to slam on the brakes.
Ford has found a new way for parents to keep teen drivers in check when they lend them the car.
Called MyKey, it's a car key with a chip, which can be programmed to keep the top speed of the car to 80 mph. The MyKey will come standard with the 2010 Focus coupe and eventually will be available on other Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models, according to Ford.
And in another safety-related story, a study shows that there are more vehicle accidents during presidential elections. This due to more people driving, many of whom probably shouldn't be behind the wheel, and going to possibly unfamiliar destinations.
Hmmm.... I wonder if my recent accident was a result of this? The elections are month away, and it was in the DC area. Good grief, I can just see the person who caused it using this as the excuse.
You never see massive insect pileups, which is why Volvo has been studying locusts to help develop crash-avoidance systems. Now Nissan is copying the flight of the bumblebee.
Engineers at Nissan's Advanced Technology
Center in Japan are hoping to create a buzz when they unveil a project at CEATEC this week that attempts to recreate a bumblebee's compound-eye vision and natural instincts to design a next-generation of
crash-avoidance systems.
The BR23C robotic car is
the inner-most layer of the shield, and is akin to what Nissan's researchers say is the "personal space" a bee flies in. But then bees don't have to contend with other members of their hive yakking on cell phones when flying next to them.
Google's Android Open Handset Alliance Project made news yesterday with its debut on T-Mobile's G1 phone -- and it was the opening salvo in the search-engine giant's strategy to dominate the emerging mobile-computing Internet advertising market the way it has with the PC. Android also could be making its way into the car as soon as next year, and not just as a part of a Bluetooth-connected phone, judging from comments by a representative of Wind River, which is part of the Android Open Source Alliance.
"We're starting to see Android get designed in on devices that extend way beyond the phone -- things that might go in the automobile," John Bruggeman, chief marketing officer of Wind River, told CNET earlier this week. "I don't want to pre-announce any design wins," he added. "I think you'll see them in 2009. I would be shocked if you didn't."
Wind River has already set its sights on the lucrative auto infotainment market by partnering with Intel, which is also a member of the Android OSA.
In a survey of over 5,000 of its members, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found major misconceptions concerning what certain safety and convenience technologies can and can't do, particularly among older drivers. Technology specific questionnaires were mailed to potential owners of vehicles with four features: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), HID headlights, back-up sensors and cameras and navigation. Half were mailed to drivers 24 to 64, and the other half to drivers 65 and older.
The goal of the survey was to determine whether these technologies enhance or detract from driving safely. What it found was that more people need to read their owner's manuals and understand what each technology is and what it does before hitting the road.
Volvo, always an innovator, and always looking for new ways to improve safety, are now studying locust. The little flying beasties have some sort of built-in radar system that allows them to fly in groups of millions, if not billions, without ever having a collision with one another. So Volvo is looking into this with idea of taking--whatever they use--and putting it on a microchip, and in use with a camera, could be used in vehicles to avoid accidents.
No doubt about it; the Chevy Volt is the centerpiece of GM centennial celebration, called GMnext.
Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman of product development, who's been arguably the most visible GM executive promoting this car, drove out a silver Volt before a waiting crowd at the Wintergarden in the downtown Renaissance Center.
The Volt is viewed as potentially industry-changing technology, as it is an extended-range electric vehicle. GM claims it can go 40 miles on an electric charge alone, and with the gas-burning engine which recharges the lithium-ion battery, can go about 400 miles.
It looks like Edmunds.com Subaru Crew buddy Craig Hunter is on a roll here with yet another new gearhead-geared app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
The following is from Craig's press release on his latest app, the greenMeter:
Hunter Research and Technology is pleased to announce the availability of greenMeter, the latest in its line of apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Based on the gMeter vehicle performance app, greenMeter looks at the flip side of performance, using the device's internal accelerometer to measure forward acceleration and compute engine power, fuel economy, fuel cost, carbon footprint, and oil (barrels) consumption.
You can learn from greenMeter before you even get in the car. By tipping the device forward and backward to simulate acceleration, you can study the graphs in greenMeter to see the effects of acceleration, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance across the speed range. Then implement your knowledge on the road, by choosing an efficient cruising speed and using the built-in g meter to limit acceleration while you drive.
greenMeter can compute data in US or metric units. The software offers two calibration options for the accelerometer, one to correct internal offsets, and the other to set the forward direction when the device is positioned in a vehicle. Settings and preferences include inputs to specify vehicle characteristics, weather, and fuel type.
greenMeter is available now, selling for $5.99 on the iTunes App store (here):
For more information and screenshots, please see the greenMeter website.
It may be mid-September, but winter is just around the corner folks, and for those living in northern states and the mountains, that corner is coming up quickly. With that in mind I present Snowbootz, a new gizmo that will help you drive through snow and ice.
According to Navimetrix (a division of Signal Ventures, Inc.) the makers of Snowbootz, they offer these advantages over chains:• Quick and easy installation - takes about one minute per tire• Fits vehicles with tight clearances that can't use snow chains• Embedded steel claws give outstanding traction on ice• Won't damage your expensive tires and wheels - no steel contacts your tire or wheel• At one-third the weight, they're much easier to handle than chains• Durable rubber composite design has been proven for over 180 miles on dry pavementFull story here and here.
Mazda has a couple of new tricks up their sleeve, and will share them with the public beginning in 2009.
The first is a new Clean Diesel, that displaces 2.2L. This new diesel has a DPF (diesel particulate filter) that has a better way of removing soot from exhaust gases. Mazda engineers claim this new catalyst activation mechanism is a world first and lets the engine burn off particulates about 60 percent faster. In addition, it also has improved fuel injectors and a lower compression ratio than the existing Mazda 2.0-liter diesel, as well as also improving fuel efficiency. The new engine makes a maximum 182 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque (Wow! That's a whole bunch of power for a diesel of this size!). Its fuel economy is claimed to be 42 miles per gallon.
The new Smart Idle System (SISS and pictured above) improves fuel economy by "around ten percent" in urban areas, based on results in Japan's 10-15 mode tests. The SISS shuts the vehicle down automatically when the car is stationary. Rather than restarting the engine normally, the SISS uses direct-injection technology, injecting fuel directly into the cylinder while the engine is stopped and then igniting it to generate downward piston force, to restart after a shutdown.
OnStar is proving its worth to those who have it, and who are in Gustav's path. The service has reported that well over 3000 calls per hour have been processed from drivers wanting to know the best route in terms of getting out of harms way.
"There's a lot of people that are stranded on the evacuation routes," said Brad Williams, a service manager for motorist help line who was overseeing OnStar's response from a command center in Downtown Detroit.
"They don't want to get on the major highways because they know traffic is at a standstill," said Kim Dupee, a senior adviser in Charlotte who spent much of Sunday directing people out of metro New Orleans. "It's steady. The calls don't stop."
Image: From left, OnStar vice president of subscriber services Scott Kubicki, senior systems analyst Jeff Joyner, and business performance manager Mark Gibb monitor weather and traffic conditions related to Hurricane Gustav at the OnStar Command Center in Detroit Sunday.Gary Male / Associated Press
Lead wheel wheel weight may become a thing of the past, as the Environmental Protection Agency wants them gone by 2011.
Lead weights, which are used to keep tires balanced, have been with us since the Great Flood. However the EPA, wants the auto industry to switch to steel weights, as lead is a health hazard.
"This is great news for the environment," says Susan Parker Bodine, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "You want the consumer to know there are safer alternatives available and ask for them."
During the practice rounds of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix the Grand Prix, Bridgestone Americas Holding Corp. (pictured), is experimenting with weights from 3M that are made of plastic and metal to balance the tires.
It seems like dashboard technology is getting wilder by the day. Now Audi and Futuremark, a California computer graphics firm, have teamed up to develop a new electronic dashboard that goes well beyond anything we've seen to date.
The new dashboard features a fully electronic instrument panel
and central screen, with both 3D and 2D views. Full customization of the display and controls is also possible. The graphics are rendered in real-time, and can switch between the standard speedo/tacho and navigation systems or both at the same time on a single screen.
"We are delighted to work with Audi due to their professional expertise in the car industry," said Futuremark design chief Petri Talala. "Audi is a leader in this field with sophisticated, real-time rendered and high quality content available for future infotainment systems, and being able to have our graphics engine experts and artists contribute to this effort is very special for Futuremark."
To be introduced at the International Radio Show in Berlin are, two new Blaupunkt
navigation systems that offer real-time video navigation and traffic sign
recognition. Both these units also
feature interactive voice controls.Bluetooth is also part of the package, and with the 700, so is internet access.
Nissan has developed an 'Eco Pedal' that's designed to resist the driver's impulse to floor it. As the driver presses down on the gas pedal, the pedal pushes back, resisting the the driver's effort to accellerate. The idea here is to save gas, of course.
"When the driver exerts excess pressure on the accelerator, the system counteracts with the pedal push-back control mechanism," Nissan states.
While the thought is well intentioned, it will surely irritate those with lead feet. The good news for them is there is a defeat switch which can turn this eco-nanny off. Think we might see this on the gizmo-laden GT-R some day? Yeah, right...
Big Brother is alive and will be living in the next-generation BMW 7-Series, as it literally can read speed-limit signs and relay that info to the driver. In addition it can respond instantly to changes in variable speed limits, as well as temporary limits in school zones and roadworks, then flash a warning to the driver.
So the question comes to mind is this something that could be used in court against drivers with cars so equipped?
There have been several new "gearhead-oriented" apps recently introduced that can be put on the new Apple iPhone, and here is one more. It's called the gMeter, a name which appears to be a "spin" on the Apple devices in that the second letter in the name is capitalized. One of the unique advantages of the gMeter is that it also works on the iPod Touch as well as the iPhone. That alone should make this very popular, as there are a gazillion iPods out there.
Of interest to me is that the inventor is Craig Hunter, who has long been a member of the "Subaru Crew" here at Edmunds. Craig, who's other job is with NASA, and he is literally a "Rocket Scientist."
From the web site: gMeter is an app that turns the iPhone and iPod Touch into a vehicle performance computer. By using the onboard accelerometer in these devices, gMeter can measure forward and lateral g forces and use this data to compute acceleration, velocity, and distance traveled. gMeter is setup to compute performance for timed distance (1/4 mile or 400 meter), timed speed (0-60 mph or 0-100kph), or timed braking (60-0 mph or 100-0 kph), and offers a hands-free automatic start feature (based on vehicle motion). gMeter also offers a full manual mode.
gMeter can display data and compute performance in US or metric units, and data from performance runs can be saved and e-mailed right from the device. The software has a calibration mode used for setup, and offers a correction to account for vehicle pitch under acceleration and deceleration.
It is available through iTunes App Store and costs $8.99. More info can be found here.
Good news on the carbon fiber front: There's a news report saying that Toray Industries Inc., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. will be working as a team to develop a new carbon fiber material for use in auto bodies; the goal being to develop mass-market carbon fiber cars.The hope is to create mass production technology for the new material by the mid-2010s. If successful, they could save up to 40% lighter than their steel counterparts--and that's huge folks!Carbon fiber is one-quarter the weight of iron, but is 10 times as strong. High prices have been a major obstacle to the widespread use of carbon fiber in cars, but that's changing as the price of steel continues to rise.Full story here.
For $12.99 on iTunes, you can purchase Dynolicious from BunsenTech, that will turn your iPhone into a performance meter. The software uses the accelerometer inside the iPhone lets you record 0-10 through 0-100 times, quarter mile and trap speed, lateral Gs, horsepower and more.
Full story here at Autoblog, and here at the BunsenTech site.
If you believe Ford, the future is not in expensive built-in navigation systems, but rather in portable cell phone units, much like the new Apple iPhone 3G which has navigation capability, that work in tandem with the vehicle.
Ford is betting on their Sync, and other Sync-like information systems, is where everything is headed. You just dock your (very trick) cell phone into the car, and let Sync take it from there. The video screen to display maps and directions will likely remain, but the expensive global-positioning locator, the software to select routes and the databases of streets and destinations like gas stations and ATMs will all move to a central database like MapQuest.
For all you gearheads sitting by the pool (with your laptop of course), by the lake, by the beach, at the park, or wherever, here's a few automotive related items to get you through until Monday, when we start all over again:
The Parajet Skycar: Britain's zero-carbon flying dune buggy aims for Timbouctou.
Boy, this could be useful in cities, where on-street parking is hard to come by!It's called Smartphone, and it's hooked up to little square sensors that are glued to parking spaces. Drivers are alerted to empty parking places either by displays on street signs, or by looking at maps on screens of their smartphones. They may even be able to pay for parking by cellphone, and add to the parking meter from their phones without returning to the car. 6000 units are being tested in San Francisco.If the San Francisco experiment works, no one will have to murder anyone over a parking space," [yes, it has happened!] said Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose work on the pricing of parking spaces and whether more spaces are good for cities has led to a revolution in ideas about relieving congestion."It will have a cascade of positive effects on transportation and the economy and environment," he said. About a dozen major cities are in discussions with technology companies to deploy so-called smart parking systems, though San Francisco is ahead in its efforts.Full story here.Image: Tod Dykstra, left, chief of Streetline, and Scott Dykstra glue down sensors.
Here's the first "road test" of the new Apple iPhone G3 with navigation that I'm aware of. So is it the Holy Grail of phone-GPS? Well, not quite according to the early adapters over at AutoBlog. While, yes it did get them to where they were headed, there were a few bumps in the road, so to speak. First off, there is no real-time, turn-by-turn voice prompts. This is a major flaw in the system, as it currently stands. Also, if you should miss a turn or somehow get lost, it does not re-route you from where you are; another important feature that's MIA. Full story here.
Okay, so what's a Car-Bot? You're familiar with military defense drones, aren't you? You know, airplanes that fly without pilots? Well apply that same thinking to cars, as in cars that drive without drivers. Yeah, you say, as that's already been done before, so this is nothing new.Well, maybe--but so far it's been used only in very experimental applications. What I'm talking about is Car-Bots for the masses--as in going mainstream. A Car-Bot in every garage, so to speak.BusinessWeek has an interesting article on the possibilities of what Car-Bots might be able to do, and as to where this Car-Bot thing may go. Check it out here and here.
VW is working on producing a 100km per liter car, and obviously the key word here is production. The news is being reported on this Aussie site, but first surfaced on the UK's CAR site. So in Australia, that means one could travel from Sydney to Brisbane on just 10 litres of fuel.
Sound too wild to be true? Perhaps, but VW says it can it, and by 2010, so I guess we'll see. Not much is known about the car, but VW did show a concept back in 2002 (pictured) which might well be the basis of this new vehicle.Full story here.
Early testing indicates that PRV induction (pintle-regulated venturi) to be 25% better in terms of fuel economy. The system would replace a conventional manifold, and was developed by Colorado-based company PRV Performance.
A test consisting of a 203 mile highway run, using just just 3.9 gallons of 10% ethanol fuel, was completed with a Honda Civic. The run was completed at an average speed of 65 mph...
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Here's a snapshot of their findings:
