Auto Mobiles

With thanksgiving just around the corner, the winter season is almost upon us. As all drivers should know, driving through winter poses risks and challenges that can be overcome with a few simple tips and pointers. Here are some important winter driving tips from Car Care Council.

Check antifreeze level to protect engine, radiator, and hoses against freezing

Carry emergency kit, heavy bag of sand in trunk; weight will lend traction on icy roads

Check battery; winter weather can cut life in half

Replace windshield wipers if cracked, torn; use specialized winter blades in severe conditions

Keep tires properly pressurized; use specialized tires in extreme climates

Maintain gas tank at least half full to prevent gas lines from freezing

Via Car Care Council

For Volkswagen, a bumper sticker should say more than just a clever proverb or a humorous quip. Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory is developing a high-tech bumper sticker that will let drivers indicate their mood. The wafer-thin, highly-flexible programmable foil sticker will display text and images like a computer screen. It will continuously update what the driver’s emotional state is, so that the following drivers will know.

This shows how Volkswagen, as well as other automakers, is hard at work to improve communication between drivers. “You can let the traffic behind you know how you are feeling or say whatever you want to say as the mood takes you”, says VW’s ERL based in Palo Alto California. Other ideas on the drawing boards include an on-board heart rate monitor or other vital signs monitor that lets other drivers know the driver’s condition.

Meanwhile, Steven Kozak, safety engineer at Ford Motor Corp. explains how communication between drivers can help drivers save up on fuel. Cars equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology driving on the same road can line up to a “platooning” pattern, similar to how a wedge of geese flies. This can considerably improve aerodynamics as the front vehicle will break the air and the following vehicles will experience less drag. The front vehicle wouldn’t realize the fuel savings, however.

Communication technologies like these can do wonders to help prevent road rage. A few months ago we featured an LED display that lets drivers display preprogrammed text messages like “Sorry”, “Thanks”, “Please”, “Please Call 911” and “Help”. The invention even won an award as outstanding new product design and invention from Popular Mechanics.

The latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, is set to open this week with Daniel Craig portraying the suave British spy for the first time. Of course what would a Bond movie be without a bevy of Bond girls? For Casino Royale, sexy French actress Eva Green is Vesper Lynd and sultry Italian Caterina Murino is Solange. But one other “co-star” is just as sexy and head-turning – the 2008 Aston Martin DBS. With stunts such as doing seven consecutive cannon rolls, the Aston Martin DBS is set to wow audiences in the film.

The Aston Martin DBS is only the latest car to be the Bond-mobile.Ever since the very first 007 movie (Dr. No, 1962, starring Sean Connery), the cars are as memorable as the Bond girls - from the Sunbeam Alpine in Dr. No to the stunning Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day that features invisibility cloaking device and an artillery of guns and missile launchers popping out from nowhere. ForbesAutos.com recently released a list of the top ten Bond-mobiles. It’s a veritable wish list of some of the best sports cars ever.

There is a growing demand for PCs and Web Access on automobiles. Last September, a survey conducted by CNW Marketing Research revealed that 14% of prospective buyers under 30 years old would like to have in-car email and web access, a figure that double the number of people who said they wanted this feature back in 2004. Because of this demand, we will see more and more automobiles equipped with access to internet via an on-board PC.

Initially, these auto PCs will connect through regular cellular phone signals. However, the technology is expected to shift to WiMAX, a high-powered Wi-Fi that covers broadband access across urban areas. At present, Ford offers web access in its F-Series pickups through Fordlink, a $2,999 option. Meanwhile, KVH Industries features TracNet 100 system lets drivers view web pages on vehicle navigation and video screens. The TracNet 100 system equipment costs $2,000 while the monthly connection is $79.

At the recent Convergence Conference held at the Cobo Center in Detroit, General Motors Corp., through luxury brand Cadillac, demonstrated a technology that can revolutionize vehicle safety in the future – vehicle to vehicle communication technology or V2V. This V2V system will enable a vehicle to detect the position and movement of other vehicles on the road, even up to a quarter of a mile away. In effect, V2V equipped cars communicate their relative positions to each other.

A V2V-equipped vehicle can anticipate and react to whatever driving situations there are on the road. It will warn the driver through chimes, visual icons and seat vibrations once it detects any potential collision. If the driver fails to respond to these signals, the vehicle can bring itself to a safe stop, thus avoiding a collision. “V2V technology gives drivers a sixth sense to know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow,” says Larry Burns, GM vice president of research & development and planning.

GM says that the cost of this new V2V system is lesser compared to equipping a vehicle with radar sensors. However, the technology is still too new for any cost estimates. But if this technology is implemented, it can reduce delays, fuel wastes at stoplights, and infrastructure costs. With a network of V2V-equipped cars, many traffic control devices can also be eliminated. In addition, traffic can be regulated to safely accommodate more cars. However, five to ten percent of cars on the road should be V2V-capable for safety to be immediately possible and evident .

Last October 27, 2006 at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy, the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Eos and a host of other stunning automobiles emerged victorious at the XIV L’Automobile più Bella del Mondo or The World’s Most Beautiful Automobile” competition for 2006. The international jury led by Bruno Alfieri, the Italian journalist and editor who created the awards back in 1993, chose the best looking cars in various categories such as city cars and compact cars, mid-size hatchback, limousine, coupe, spider, station wagon, concept cars and many more.

After examination of the various new models introduced in 2006, the jury proclaimed the winners in their respective categories. However, upon a closer look on the list of winners, one can see that Japanese and American cars are conspicuously absent from the list. Europe does offer some of the most stunning of automobiles, but do they have the monopoly when it comes to aesthetics? We don’t think so. Still, the list offers a veritable showdown of some of the most beautiful cars ever to grace the road.

City cars and compact cars: Mini Cooper

Mid-size hatchback cars: Volvo C30

Mid-size sedans: Volvo S80

Limousine: Bentley Continental GTC

Coupé: Mercedes CL

Coupé-cabriolet: Volkswagen Eos

Spider: Alfa Romeo Spider

Sportscars: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Station wagon: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

MPV: Citroën C4 Picasso

Crossover: Audi Q7

Specials: Studiotorino RK Coupé

Concept Cars: Renault Twingo Concept

2006 Ferrrari 599 GTB Fiorano

A leaked “global master plan” revealed Toyota Motor Corp.’s plan: to take a 14% share of the world car market by 2010. The report by the Wall Street Journal said that Toyota, currently the second largest global automaker, is on track to overtake GM as the world’s biggest car maker by grabbing 14% of the global automotive market, up from 11% in 2005.

The plan expects that Toyota’s global auto ales will reach 73 million vehicles by 2010. In 2005, Toyota sold over 65 million vehicles worldwide. To meet this burgeoning demand, the report said Toyota will increase production its plants in China and India. A new minicar that is geared towards families in developing countries is supposedly also in the works.

Meanwhile, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco declined to comment on the supposed plan adding that the Toyota has no concrete plans yet to offer a new minicar model. However, he confirmed that Toyota is indeed targeting developing markets including Russia, China, India and Brazil.

Rumors reached fever pitch that Toyota is set to green light its futuristic Endo supermini, when the tiny concept car was spotted during testing in Japan. The Endo is Toyota’s answer to the Smart fortwo. It amazingly offers space for four passengers, including the driver, in its compact size. The stubby looking concept debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Other unique features of the Endo include a vertical tailgate, wrap-around windscreen, two-tone body work and doors that hinge away from the car’s body to improve access to the cabin. The concept car even featured an avant-garde flat screen dashboard. However, if the Endo will indeed see production, it will have to be in a more conventional approach to keep the costs down. As for now, the Endo production model is expected to hit the markets as soon as 2007. Or will it? We’ll see next year.