Surely you remember all those hot sport-compact cars of ten years ago? Well, we can barely remember them ourselves, but it turns out that tire manufacturers do, because they built ultra high-performance tires for them. Fortunately all that tire technology has not gone to waste.
As we learned at the introduction of the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport Comp-2 the other week, the tire companies initially thought ultra high-performance (UHP) tires would never be more than a marginal market segment, just like hot sport-compact cars. Instead the market for Z-rated tires since 2006 has grown 10 times faster than the overall U.S. tire market. It’s expected to double in size by 2016 when it will become 8 percent of the overall tire market.
We’d guess that this means a Z-rated tire is probably coming to your car sometime soon, and we’ll bet that it will be a lot like BFG’s Comp-2.
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Categories: Car Tech,Dodge,Trends
This is the first image you're going to see of the next generation Skoda Octavia, Audi A3, Volkswagen Polo, Golf, Beetle, Sciorocco, Jetta, Tiguan, Touran, Sharan, Passat and CC.
Volkswagen is calling the new A/B-class architecture MQB -- the German acronym for Modular Transverse Matrix. One of the most important things about the MQB platform is a uniform mounting position for all engines in all vehicles. This is done in hand with the new modular petrol engine system (MPB) which includes, amongst others, a four-cylinder with cylinder deactivation and the modular diesel system. VW says that this move will reduce engine and gearbox variants by 90 percent "without any negative effects." Volkswagen also claims that this system allows "an identical mounting position for all current alternative drive concepts without limitations -- from natural gas and hybrid versions to the pure electric drive."
For Volkswagen, this is a big step in streamlining production. VW, as you know, is hell-bent on becoming the largest automaker in the world. This new platform is supplemented by a new Modular Longitudinal System at Audi and a Modular Standard System at Porsche.
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Categories: Car Tech,Future Vehicles,Volkswagen
BMW's ConnectedDrive department is following in the footsteps of Google and developing their own self-driving car.
The "highly automated" BMW 5 Series uses radar, cameras, laser scanners and ultrasonic scanners to replace the human eyes/brain. The system relies on precise mapping -- to the centimeter -- and advanced driving strategy simulation with advanced algorithms to cope with the real world including obeying all software laws.
While the self-driving BMW is still far, far away (or never, they say it's a technology study) we are looking at individual systems that will find their way into production cars in the near future. Watch BMW explain themselves -- and ignore any mention of joy -- after the jump.
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Categories: BMW,Car Tech
Mercedes-Benz rolled into Las Vegas this week for their first CES show and in usual style, went big. Not only did the company demo its solutions for the connected car on the show floor, but also on hand was Daimler AG Chairman of the Board, Dieter Zetsche. The dapper doctor spoke at a keynote about the company's vision for platforms such as cloud-based computing, and its proprietary telematics solution mbrace, which attendees could experience at MB's North Hall booth.
The advanced in-car communications system was definitely the main event for the Stuttgart-based company, which showed its newest iteration -- the mbrace2. The automaker bills this latest version as "the most comprehensive cloud-based telematics system to date," and makes a pretty good case with a robust feature set that touches virtually every aspect of the driving experience including safety, information, entertainment, personal assistance and vehicle care.
Some of the specific functions include cloud-based apps (including special in-car versions of Facebook and Yelp), traffic and navigation assistance, speech recognition, internet browsing and searching, concierge services and collision notification. Starting this spring with the launch of the all-new SL-Class, mbrace2 will be included as standard equipment on most Model Year 2013 vehicles.
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Categories: Car Tech,Mercedes-Benz
Rockford Fosgate, a marquee name in high performance car audio, is turning Vegas' Palms Casino Resort into the boom boom room over the next few days. In addition to showing off its latest aftermarket offerings, the company is demonstrating its next-generation ecoPunch factory-upgrade audio system in a Nissan Juke.
The concept audio system is designed as a plug-and-play upgrade that will include a wiring harness, Rockford Fosgate amplifier, and choice of subwoofers. The add-on components are designed to work around a vehicle's existing factory speakers.
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Categories: Car Tech,Nissan
Gentlemen, start your cloud. That's the proposition of the Viper SmartStart, a smartphone car control app which allows drivers to start, lock, unlock and monitor their vehicles remotely from their smartphone. To date, the app has been downloaded by over one million iPhone, Android and Blackberry users. So obviously a lot of car owners are going keyless.
To get even more drivers to go that route, today Viper introduced SmartStart 3.0, a new multi-featured iteration that goes even further in making the cloud-connected car a reality.
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Categories: Car Tech
Kia has been aggressively building brand awareness the last few years with a slew of new vehicle introductions and innovations including UVO, the company's in-vehicle infotainment platform.
Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Kia unveiled its future direction in infotainment with the introduction of UVO2, showcased in an Optima Hybrid sedan. It's really no surprise that the latest iteration of UVO (an acronym that stands for "Your Voice"), now features a new layer of smartphone-enabled services, but what definitely got our attention is the extensive suite of capabilities UVO2 promises.
The list of features reads like a greatest hits of telematics services: automatic crash notification, geo-fencing, roadside assistance and parked vehicle locator. The new features are powered by a free smartphone app which enables the system with a whole new level of connected-vehicle management functions in addition to utilizing many of the features of a driver's smartphone or tablet.
Dubbed eServices, the new telematics suite is the game-changer here, putting UVO2 on the same playing field with more mature systems such as OnStar and Ford Sync -- if the automaker doesn't drag its feet getting the system on the road, as it did with the first-generation of the technology.
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Categories: Car Tech,Kia
The Dodge Charger is the winner of Edmunds.com's 2012 Technology Breakthrough Award. The award is presented each year to a vehicle that sets the standard for intuitive, practical and affordable automotive technology that enhances safety and convenience for both drivers and passengers. All new cars and trucks available for sale in the U.S. within the last 12 months are eligible.
The 2011 Dodge Charger won for its cutting-edge -- but intuitive -- UConnect Touch infotainment user interface, its reliable Bluetooth hands-free and voice-recognition features and its innovative active safety technology. Edmunds.com's editors chose the Dodge Charger because it embodies some of the most modern technology available in a car today -- and it's available in a vehicle that's within the budget of average consumers.
And since the Charger is a sensible sedan that masquerades as a modern day muscle car, the total package is that much more attractive to consumers and enthusiasts.
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Categories: Car Tech,Dodge
Just a few years ago, not many gearheads would have predicted that one of the most hotly contested automotive battlegrounds these days wouldn't be under the hood, but in the dash. Infotainment head units to be exact. Bigger screens with higher resolution and more voice and touch-controlled features comprise the holy grail, and now Chevrolet has thrown down the gauntlet with a new in-dash system created in conjunction with consumer electronics giant LG.
Significantly, this new iteration of the MyLink platform will debut in the division's lowest priced cars, the Chevy Sonic and Spark, illustrating the increasing democratization of the connected car.
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Categories: Car Tech,Chevrolet
All roads lead to apps seems to be the theme here at CES, and two Ford announcements today underscore that trend. The first, a Sync AppLink-enabled NPR News app, allows fans of National Public Radio to now get their favorite shows on demand and create custom playlists -- all with hands-free functionality. The Blue Oval is playing it smart here given that new studies like a recent Arbitron & Edison report show drivers are increasingly using wireless data connections to stream their favorite programs while on the road.
The big story here is popular content (NPR has 34 million listeners) delivered with minimal driver distraction. Using both voice prompts and custom steering wheel controls, the new Sync-integrated app gives you access to multiple layers of programming. Need to catch up on breaking news? Just say "Hourly News" at the voice prompt. If you're looking for something more entertaining you can say "Programs" to catch the latest celebrity profile on Fresh Air or practice your best Boston accent and call up Car Talk. Even better, there is a timeshifting element here, similar to what you experience on DVRs like Tivo. Get your Car Talk fix on a Thursday night for example, as all programming is available 24/7 (if a local station is playing the requested program, the app will grab the live stream, if not, a pre-recorded stream plays).
User choice is key to the new app, as you can also get local news from across the entire NPR network. Using the app's "Stations" command lets you listen to a favorite affiliate and even offers the option to assign the station a preset from the car radio.
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Categories: Car Tech,Ford
It can be difficult to decide between an in-dash navigation system, a portable and a smartphone nav app. Well, maybe it's easier now that the latest Internet-connected portables and nav apps make in-dash systems seem expensive and antiquated.
But if you want the best of the portable and smartphone nav app worlds -- without having to pay for a data plan for both -- Garmin's Smartphone Link app has you covered. The app works with any Garmin nuvi portable with Bluetooth capability.
The app is free for Android phones and so are a couple of the connected services, such as live weather, that the app wirelessly streams over to the nuvi portable nav. But you have to pay extra for the premium services.
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Categories: Car Tech
"There's an app for that" could become a motto of sorts for GM, as the automaker prepares to open up its OnStar API to third party developers. But on a limited basis.
First up is a partnership with the car-sharing service RelayRides, which will allow millions of GM vehicle owners to use the embedded OnStar system to rent their cars while controlling access and rates. Utilizing the OnStar API, a RelayRides app will let renters unlock and access a participating GM vehicle starting later this year. GM claims that vehicle owners could earn up to $250 a month. Just make sure you've stashed your stuff.
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Categories: Car Tech,General Motors
The Beats by Dr. Dre audio system currently available in the 2012 Chrysler 300C will make its way into the 2012 Dodge Charger. The system will simultaneously debut at the Detroit Auto Show and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.
The 10-speaker setup will be standard on the Charger R/T Max model and part of the Blacktop or Rallye Appearance Group options packages on the SXT trim. Or you can get it as part of the (deep breath) Sound Group and Wheels and Tunes package on the Charger R/T. Chrysler says it will hit showrooms and the streets in the first quarter of this year.
We first saw and listened to the Beats by Dre system in a 300 S at last year's New York Auto Show. It pounded out bass better than most OEM audio systems, thanks to a dual-voice-coil 8-inch subwoofer in a sealed enclosure in the trunk (which looks a lot like the Kicker subs in other Pentastar products).
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Categories: Car Tech,Chrysler
Say you spot a rare super car, cool classic or bizarre project vehicle. You can (and probably do)snap a photo with your smartphone's camera and share it in any number of ways: email, text, Facebook, Twitter. That's the basic premise behind CarZar. But the free iPhone app adds its own social networking spin by letting you connect with fellow car freaks and earn badges a la Foursquare and garner followers as on Twitter.
After downloading the app, you register by entering the usual info: name, password and email address. You can also list your first car and favorite car and connect to your existing social networking accounts. Then you can start snapping and sharing your favorirte car finds.
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Categories: Car Tech
DashCommand is one of the easiest, neatest ways to access your vehicle's OBD-II information. It's also not always ideal to have it on your iPhone's display. Thankfully, a new update now allows your OBD-II sourced info to be displayed on your radio...if you have a Pioneer AppRadio.
Pioneer's Appradio is the latest in mobile integration and uses Apple's iPod Out (a feature that sends the iPhone's graphic user interface) to an outboard screen. But instead of simply sitting idly by and letting the iPhone do the thinking, Pioneer adds a graphics pack to make things easier to use in a car. Swipe and pinch controls remain, though it's unclear how they function for DashCommand.
You can display up to 27 gauges including coolant temp, accelerometers, power, Gs, track mapping, speed and RPM. And, of course, you can use it for those pesky check engine lights.
Categories: Car Tech,Miscellaneous
Depending on your outlook, US Patent No.: US 8,078,349 B1 could be the best or worst thing ever. US 8,078,349 B1 you see is Google's patent for
The abstract reads: "Disclosed are methods and devices for transitioning a mixed-mode autonomous vehicle from a human driven mode to an autonomously driven mode. Transitioning may include stopping a vehicle on a predefined landing strip and detecting a reference indicator. Based on the reference indicator, the vehicle may be able to know its exact position. Additionally, the vehicle may use the reference indicator to obtain an autonomous vehicle instruction via a URL. After the vehicle knows its precise location and has an autonomous vehicle instruction, it can operate in autonomous mode."
Google envisions this landing strip as being anything from a tradition parking spot to a simple marking on a wall or sign. The driver shows up, stops, turns things over to the computer, tells it where to go and, hopefully, arrives safely.
An interesting part of this is that a driver requiring a vehicle could simply snap a photo of the corresponding QR code on a roadway and an autonomous vehicle could be delivered to that exact spot.
Like it or not, here they come...
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Categories: Car Tech,Future Vehicles
The emerging Web-browser standard HTML5 promises to have big implications for the car by making access to information and content quicker and more convenient -- and also potentially safer while behind the wheel. Cadillac's new CUE system that debuted on the XTS at the recent LA Auto Show includes HTML5 capability, and the standard is making inroads elsewhere in the car.
Now TeleNav has announced what it's calling the world's first HTML5-browser based voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation service for mobile devices -- and it could be another nail in the coffin of expensive automotive in-dash nav systems. TeleNav claims that by adding just one line of code, mobile web and app developers for local content will have a way to add free GPS-enabled turn-by-turn directions to their services.
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Categories: Cadillac,Car Tech
We're usually skeptical of multipurpose apps, and find that single-purpose apps often work better than the jack-of-all-trades type. The developers of Car Butler describe this one as "the all-in-one-app for people and their cars." And after testing the app, it's hard to argue the point.
The free iPhone app gives drivers weather reports, GPS navigation, traffic info and the ability to search for services such as gas stations and repair facilities. And it can make accident reporting easier and less stressful.
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Categories: Car Tech
Aftermarket car audio has been on a slow decline for about a decade now. Recent factory-installed audio systems offer all the connectivity you'll ever need, good to great sound quality and (previously the aftermarket's greatest advantage) good bang for the buck. Add in upgrade-unfriendly dashboards, whole-car electronic integration and the sheer complexity of modern cars (ever accidentally triggered an airbag?) and you'll understand why fewer people are ripping out their stock audio components and replacing them with aftermarket gear.
Pioneer is one major aftermarket brand battling back (and, as always, playing both side of the fence as a major OEM supplier) with recent innovations like its Aha and App radios. Here are the essential tenants of the company's most recent aftermarket counterattack: No one listens to albums anymore, everyone buys single tracks and the DJ scene is huge among the company's target market (see David Guetta).
With DJs in control, songs are sequenced by tempo, musical transitions are inserted between tracks and effects are added. So Pioneer is hoping that a DJ-playback feature will represents a new way for the masses to listen to music -- and a new way for its products to appeal to music fans.
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Categories: Car Tech
Wards auto has released its official list of the 10 Best Engines for 2012. A record seven feature direct injection and five engines feature turbo or supercharging. Wards made the decision after driving 36 different vehicles with 34 new or redesigned motors over 2 months. Scores are based on power, technology (think that slightly skews this towards DI/Turbo motors instead off something like, oh, the LS1?), observed fuel economy, noise, vibration and harshness. Vehicles must be priced below $55,000.
Full list after the jump. (Pretend you didn't see the spoiler photo above.)
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Buick,Car Tech,Chrysler,Ford,Hyundai,Infiniti,Jeep
