January 31, 2008
One of the true measures in distinguishing a plush car is the technology it is offering. Now, let me ask you, are you ready for WiMax? What is it by the way?
WiMax, popularly described as WiFi on steroids, is a wireless broadband data system that has superior range than the usual WiFi signal. Used as an in-car technology, WiMax claims it has the aptitude to allow all kinds of digital information to be passed back and forward at remarkable rates and volume.
As Chrysler LLC suggests, the always-on connectivity of WiMax offers:
• Turn-by-turn navigation combined with satellite imagery to provide more realistic maps
• Automatic wireless map updates, to ensure that drivers will always have the most up-to-date map information. Real-time weather and hazard information will also be available.
• Electronic service reminders, delivered directly to the vehicle
• Readout of e-mail messages using text-to-text speech, and sending messages via voice command
• Remote computer updating — wirelessly download software updates for any electronic module
• Wireless audio and video file transfer from home computer to car
• Simple set-up for teenagers
If you are a technologically savvy auto buff, you will certainly be delighted by the features of the WiMax. But the industry is swarmed by different jaw-dropping auto technology. There’s the Sync from Ford and not to forget the OnStar offered by GM vehicles.
At any rate, I can’t wait to have any of them in my car. I think, I’d rather install one in lieu of a radiator hose.
[credit: DetNews.com]
January 26, 2008
The most admired sports car in the planet may be a little bit crowded for three passengers, but it doesn’t mean that it falls short under the interior and convenient category. Guess what? The Mazda MX-5 Miata boasts of lush and cool interior standards that will definitely change the phase of the driving experience! The auto body is outfitted with the best hood, wheels, striking edges and lights. Now that’s the exterior. But wait until you see what’s on the inside!
You want to sneak peek inside? Sure, be my guest. Dig in and check out the vehicles interior standards and special features courtesy of Mazda USA:
- Air conditioning, CFC-Free
- Cruise control
- Cup holders, 2 front
- Defogger, rear window
- Demisters, front side window
- Door locks, power
- Floor tunnel net pocket
- Front door storage pockets with bottle holders
- Foot rest – driver
- Locking glove box
- Locking rear center console
- Steering, leather wrapped
- Shift knob, leather wrapped
- Remote keyless entry with retractable key
- Remote, trunk lid/fuel door/back slide feature
- Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry
- Steering wheel w/audio and speed controls
- 12-V power outlet Standard
- Windblocker – mesh aero board
- Bose® audio 7-speaker sound system (includes AudiopilotTM)
- Speed-sensing automatic volume control
- In-dash 6-disc CD changer
SEATING & TRIM
- Power windows with driver’s one-touch down feature
- Passenger one-touch down feature
- Bucket with reclining and forward/back slide feature
January 17, 2008
Just because the car is green doesn’t mean it’s as slow as a snail.
"If I say ‘electric,’ people think ’slow.’ They think electric cars are golf carts," Malcolm Bricklin, chairman and chief executive of Visionary Vehicles, said at the Detroit Auto Show. "What people don’t get is they’re very fast, and they’re real."
Seattle Times writes:
Fisker Automotive and Visionary Vehicles are two companies planning to bring luxurious plug-in sedans to market, proving green doesn’t have to come in an economical package.
Take the Fisker Karma. The sports car, unveiled this week at the show, can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 125 mph.
But it can also travel 50 miles on pure electric power — using a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor developed for military vehicles — before using its small, four-cylinder gas engine.
The $80,000 Karma is expected to go into production at the end of 2009.
In an interview, Fisker said he wanted to erase the image of green vehicles as awkward and small. "I wanted to make a real statement of how sexy a green car can be," he said. “Otherwise, green cars will never achieve the mass appeal needed to make an environmental difference.”
"We know the system works," said Alan Niedzwiecki, a Fisker director and CEO of Quantum Fuel Systems, an investor in the carmaker. "We’ve had it for four years from a vehicle we did for the Department of Defense. Quantum will make a small number of that ‘jeeplike’ vehicle for the military under a $5 million contract.”
“There is a market for expensive, environmentally friendly vehicles, but that it will be difficult for small manufacturers to do what giants like GM and Toyota have failed at because of cost and technological difficulties,” said Aaron Bragman, an analyst for the consulting firm Global Insight.
GM hopes the Chevy Volt will be available by 2010. Toyota, meanwhile, is not testing its fleet of plug-in hybrids. The maker of Acura heater core might just enter the competition to make it steam some more.
January 15, 2008
Who said that classy interiors are only found in luxury cars? Maybe if I give you a swat in the head, you’ll think twice! Either way, posh interiors can also be found in some premium vehicles… Take for example the MAZDA3 hatchback!
A view from afar would make you realize that his car means business. The great body styling with the splendid grille assembly would instantly tell you that MAZDA3 hatchback offers more interesting features inside!
I have seen a MAZDA3 model up close. I guess that was last year, and I was impressed upon checking its stylish interior. Based from my own sharp memory, I wrote down what stuff I found inside the car. However, to make sure my details are exact and complete, I confirmed my info at Mazda.com! Check this out:
- 12-volt power outlet in center console (1)
- Air Conditioning with pollen filter
- Ambient (outside) temperature display
- Automatic climate control system with display
- Cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls - illuminated
- Cupholders - dual front with lid and dual rear (integrated in armrest)
- Front dual map lights
- Moonroof, power sliding-glass ("one-touch" open feature) with interior sunshade
- Power door locks with 2-stage unlocking
- Steering column, tilt & telescopic
- Steering wheel, 3-spoke leather-wrapped
- Steering wheel-mounted audio controls - illuminated
- Shift knob - leather-wrapped (M/T and Optional A/T)
- Windows, power with driver-side one-touch down feature
- 60/40 split fold-down rear seat
- Seats, driver’s seat lifter (lever-type) with manually adjustable lumbar support
- Seats, heated front seats (driver and passenger)
- Seats, reclining front bucket seats - sport-type
- Scuff plates - urethane type
- "Triple-H" construction
- 3-point safety belts for all seating positions (2 front; 3 rear)
- Advanced dual front air bags (SRS) - with crash-zone & driver’s seat position/passenger weight sensors (Mazda Advanced Restraint System)
- Child-safety rear door locks
- Collapsible steering column (following air bag deployment)
- "Crushable" brake pedal
- Engine immobilizer anti-theft system
- Front safety-belt pretensioners with force limiters
- Height adjustable front shoulder belt "B" pillar anchors
- Keyless remote panic button feature (on key fob)
- LATCH rear seat child safety-seat lower anchors & upper tethers
- Side air curtains - front & rear coverage
- Theft-Deterrent Security System
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
- Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Traction Control System (TCS)
January 8, 2008
For as long as we can remember,
Porsche is the king when it comes to posh and fast cars. The 911 has been the king of the hill for so long. But recently, the 911 has found a formidable opponent in the Nissan GT-R.
The Japanese automaker is known for reliable cars and the Z car is the only thing that stands out when it comes to fast cars. But the new GT-R is proving to the world that Nissan is a force to reckon with.
Just take a look at what a writer for Edmunds had to say about the subject:
"Balance and body control of the GT-R are extraordinary through faster, bumpy bends that will have the 911 unsettled enough to make the driver lose confidence. I had a number of heart-in-mouth moments in the Turbo trying to keep up with the GT-R, even with the Porsche’s suspension set to its harder Sport setting. It still seems soft, and there’s a bouncy lack of balance in the way the suspension controls the body, and the way the big engine slung out the back threatens to swing round. By contrast, I never felt anything but natural solidity in the Nissan, adjustable and fluid."
"The Nissan really is something special, and you get the impression that while a master driver could wring every last ounce of performance out of the 911, your mother could do the same in the GT-R, all the while making lightning-fast up and down changes in milliseconds while the Porsche driver messes with manual."
In closing, Bill Thomas writes: "This car has no competitors. Not at any price. But that won’t prevent one of the first GT-Rs in Europe from being bought by an anonymous man and taken to Porsche AG in Stuttgart for a thorough examination. With an even more powerful and lighter V-Spec GT-R on the way, Porsche can’t afford to lag behind for long."
January 4, 2008
What a great way to start the year! Johnson Controls proudly presents “Creating Smart Environments" - smartly created enhanced vehicle interior innovations that offer a much convenient, sustainable safe world. According to my source, stylish merchandise, systems, equipments and future concepts from Johnson Controls will be the main point of the group’s contribution at the 2008 North American International Show (NAIAS) at Cobo Center in Detroit. The much awaited event is definitely the mirror of a glorious automotive industry in the future.
In addition to this, the convention will highlight one of the world’s leading automotive shows. The media and invited guests have full access next week on Sunday, January 13, 2008.
"In the global auto industry, demand for systems and products that reflect innovation, ingenuity and smart design has never been greater than it is today. With a commitment to ‘Creating Smart Environments,’ we acknowledge the importance of delivering products with features, functions and performance that are intelligently-crafted and well-integrated," he said. "The ultimate goal is to provide innovative products and technology to our customers that enrich the experience of automotive consumers," says Jeff Williams, the group vice president and general manager of the North America for the Automotive Experience business arm of Johnson Controls.
To give you a sneak peek on the products, technologies and concepts that Johnson Controls will showcase at the 2008 NAIAS event, dig in with these bits of information courtesy of The Auto Channel. Check this out:
- The I3 Concept Vehicle, a medium-size crossover plug-in electric vehicle, with a full-featured interior reflecting the themes of "Ingenuity, Integration and Interface." It’s packed with the latest innovations from Johnson Controls in seating, safety, storage, comfort and convenience — and integrates a fuel-efficient, lithium-ion hybrid battery produced by the company.
- The CrafTec ™ interior, which features finely crafted products manufactured using a portfolio of advanced, single-step production processes created by Johnson Controls.
- An all-new, "earth-friendly" headliner that features biomaterials, and requires no VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
- Current- and future-generation batteries and other power solutions for conventional vehicles, as well as hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs).
- Other industry innovations in electronics, instrument panels, door panels, floor consoles, overhead consoles - and more.
