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  1. More people have been installing in-car cameras to record almost every journey just in case they happen to have an accident and the entire series of events can be kept on tape. This video is more like civilian chase meets USA's infamous cop car pursuits! This happened in Singapore and as the description shows, the thief tried to steal this man's bike from his house in broad daylight. Not long after his wife told the thief off, he scrambled and eventually stole another bike from another house. The guy then hopped into his car and went round the estate to search for the villain and found him riding away on the stolen bike. What I like about this is that the thief was caught and handed to the police in the end. I guess these cameras do more than save your insurance after all! Man running barefooted, topless demanding the thief to 'COME HERE!'. Quite a way to spend an afternoon...
  2. image courtesy of autoblog.com As all the techno boffins flock to San Francisco this week for Google's infamous I/O developer conference, Ford has announced that they will be utilizing Google's new Prediction API system to increase the efficiency of commuting by car and to decrease travel time. The main uses of the Prediction API system are more for obtaining locations but Ford has proposed that they want to use the system for driver analysis, which means monitoring driving patterns and habits, routes and finally optimizing the route depending on traffic conditions and the weather. Their main aim is to reduce carbon emissions and travel time but Ford is aiming to integrate the Prediction API into its electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. By storing all this information in a cloud and directing drivers to the most efficient routes possible, Ford says that this may reduce the range anxiety that electric vehicle owners have. Look at the diagram above to see what Ford's idea is all about!
  3. Yes. A bunch of boffins got together at Toyota and said, "we really need a rollercoaster that's slow and doesn't even carry anyone on it!" What they did is attempt to show how the kinetic energy from braking could be stored as electricity and used for something else in say, an amusement park? In this case, they used the energy stored to power all the lights seen in the video. It looks kind of pointless and it is considering how much effort was taken to rip the Prius apart and rebuild it as a 'rollercoaster' which does 15mph which isnt really 'rollercoaster speeds'. Then again, the idea behind it all is noble; to use the otherwise wasted heat and kinetic energy to power something useful like lights for instance. The idea behind it is great but the final result, not so. I just don't see this happening anywhere else. It will be too expensive and ironically, I feel that the Prius is still more environmentally unfriendly in the long run (as with Rigval's article a few months ago) than say a diesel powered car. All I can say is, nice lights!
  4. Microsoft has teamed up with the Volkswagen Group to develop the next generation of automotive information and entertainment delivery strategies. It has signed a patent licensing agreement with Volkswagen Group's software supplier e.solutions, giving the Germany-based company access to Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) technology - the latest generation of Microsoft's file system. The agreement is the first of its kind that Microsoft has forged within the automotive sector. exFAT delivers a significant leap forward in the size of media files that can be stored on a broad range of consumer electronic devices and increases the speed with which they can be accessed. exFAT will give car owners additional and reliable resources for bringing multimedia content into their vehicles. The goal of the joint venture is to provide an infotainment software suite to enhance reuse of software for in-vehicle infotainment and to drive innovations. The company is developing technologies for a new multimedia platform that will provide a longer menu of infotainment options while reducing drivers' distraction. Using exFAT technology will help e.solutions follow future consumer electronics developments while delivering an outstanding multimedia experience. "exFAT will help the auto industry and other industries make it easier for their customers to move large audio and video files across devices," said David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft. "e.solutions is leading the way for the auto industry, and we're pleased to make exFAT available to them and to others through our patent licensing program." Microsoft offers flexible intellectual property licensing programs that give companies access to many of the foundational technologies in its own products, allowing those companies to build devices, applications and services that work seamlessly with each other.
  5. Jaguar has confirmed that its gorgeous C-X75 supercar concept will be heading into production and should be hitting a road near you by late 2013. The concept car received overwhelming praise since its debut last year at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. The car is jointly developed by Williams Formula 1 team and parent company Tata Motors. Williams in particular will be providing insight gathered from the world of F1 racing, namely, its aerodynamic design capability, efficient powertrain technology and carbon fiber construction expertise. The new eco supercar will be built around a full carbon fiber chassis, which could see the car's final curb weight come in at less than 3,000 pounds. This should ensure not only stunning performance but also stellar fuel economy. The microturbine technology previewed in the original C-X75 concept won
  6. [extract] Volkswagen unveiled the Polo R WRC, which is the official ticket to Volkswagen
  7. The hardcore Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG isn't the only E-Class model that gets a new heart for the 2012 model year. According to sources in Mercedes-Benz, both the E350 and E550 models will receive new powerplants currently found elsewhere in the automaker's lineup. The E350 will now be powered by the automaker's new 3.5-liter V6 with direct-injection, an engine that is found under the hood of the C350 sedan and SLK350 roadster. Rated at 302 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, the new engine provides power increases of 14 hp and 15 lb-ft over the current V6 while the use of direct-injection and a seven-speed automatic transmission will return improved fuel economy. The eight-cylinder E550 will ditch its naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter unit with direct-injection, currently found in the CL550 coupe. In the E-Class, this engine will be good for 402 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 20 hp and 52 lb-ft respectively.
  8. This is breaking news. Or sort of actually. The Peugeot EX1 all-electric concept race car has set a new speed record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife! But before we break out the glasses and champange please note that the record is for an electric car and not the overall Nurburgring record. The Peugeot EX1 was piloted by Stephane Caillet and lapped the 20.8km Nordschleife in 9 minutes 1.338 seconds with an average speed of (yawn) 138.324km/h. Note that Peugeot have quoted until the 1/1000th of a decimal point for both lap time and average speed. I suppose when you're going this slow every 1/1000th of a second counts. The previous electric car record lap was somewhere in the region of 9 minutes 51.0938849393 seconds. I have no idea what car did that previous lap time and I don't really care. This is because you could do that sort of time in a Ford Transit van (note Ms Sabine Schimdt in one of the Top Gear episodes). What this basically shows is that electric cars may look as good as the Peugeot EX1 concept car, but Batmobile looks aren't everything. It also tells us that electric cars still have a long way to go in terms of outright performance. You see, even though the Peugeot EX1 has twin electric motors making about 345bhp, I believe Peugeot had to tell the driver to take it easy on the throttle as batteries may drain faster than usual knowing the current lack of range in all electric cars built today. In fact, if I were to give an example, the green, frog-like car featured above could lap the Nordschleife in around 7 minutes 30seconds or so. And it also sounds stupendous while doing it. Unlike an electric car which would sound exactly like the electric 1/10th scale car that you see people play with. Which is slightly better sounding than a blender. So until the times (and range) of electric cars start tumbling closer to what fossil fuel driven cars can achieve, only then may more people start believing in their potential.
  9. I have been doing a little bit of reading here and there about the future of car interiors. Aside from the fact that I had nothing else better to do I have realized that I actually spend a whole lot of my time in my cars and also the other cars I happen to get my hands on from time to time. An average person would spend at least an hour or two in their car trying to get from here to there during rush hour or trying to get about town and that car seat and all the controls like the steering wheel, gear shifter and hand controls are what you interact with as you drive. But note that in the near future, you will see that only the seat you are on and the steering wheel in front of you would be similar to the car of today. The sketch you see above is one of a future Audi A3 Sedan. Ignore the funky steering wheel as it may be drawn that way to show the rest of the dashboard. And what do you actually see? A dashboard devoid of signal switches, wiper stalks and gear knobs. We already see a lack of gear knobs and shifters in the latest BMWs, Mercedes' and Jaguars. This has turned into a rotary selector on the transmission tunnel. And according to Audi the dashboard you see is how the envision their future interiors to be, slightly different from what we expect these days. We will also see wiper stalks/controls going missing as when most cars adopt automatic rain sensing wipers and then light switches going missing too when all cars adopt light sensing automatic headlights and cars that will detect lane changes and auto signal (this may happen eventually). And then you add the fact that you now have multi-media systems in the car telling you the temperature, location, air conditioning and entertainment in one screen (which will be touch sensitive and voice activated soon) and everything will be controlled through it soon. You can either scroll through a smartphone like interface to reach for the wipers if you want them on manually or you can do that Star Trek thingy and say 'Computer, wipers on to full. Rain factor heavy'. And so you do not need hand controls any more. Check out the interior photograph above. The interior is a design study that was actually designed by Johnson Controls, the people who are actually at the forefront of automobile interior systems and OE manufacturer to most manufacturers around the world. Note the sparse interior that is dominated by the instrument cluster, multi media screen and the armrest that has all the necessary controls. Say bye-bye to signal stalks, gear shifter and wiper stalks. Say hello to a cleaner looking car interior. And before you know it, car manufacturers will get rid of the steering, brake pedal and throttle pedal too. Everything will be automated and hidden away. Remember the Audi R90 that was featured in I-Robot? That Will Smith movie with the futuristic Audi (pictured below)? He had the option to over-ride the computer to drive manually. This is the future and it isn't that far away actually. Whether we like it or not, as is usually the case. And since all of these changes omit lots of 'unimportant' stuff, can we expect larger and deeper cupholders for those extra large coffee cups?
  10. A big congratulation to the Nissan Leaf as it has defeated the Audi A8 and BMW 5-Series to earn the title of 2011 World Car of the Year. In 2010, the Volkswagen Polo took home this award. The award shows once again the importance of electric vehicles and the trend will continue in the next years. Fuel efficient vehicles are slowly becoming the core product of large automakers and a bet that can transform many companies. Deemed a "gateway to a brave new electric world," the panel of 66 automotive journalists were impressed by the Leaf's pure-electric powertrain and promise of zero-emission motoring. According to Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, "It is a great joy that the world's first, mass-marketed electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, has won the prestigious award of 2011 World Car of the Year. This accolade recognizes Nissan LEAF, a pioneer in zero-emission mobility, as comparable in its driving performance, quietness and superb handling to gas-powered cars." In the less efficient realm of the industry, the 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia was named World Performance Car of the Year, and the sleek 2011 Aston Martin Rapide was given the World Design of the Year crown. Aston Martin Rapide Ferrari 458 Italia
  11. SYF77

    All that glitters is

    [extract] To celebrate the diamond anniversary of Cooper Tires
  12. Hyundai Motor Company plans to expand its turbo engine family with the introduction of a brand new 1.6L T-GDI turbo engine. Based on the existing 1.6L GDI four-cylinder engine which currently propels the Korean market Hyundai Avante, the unit uses a twin-scroll turbocharger which improves the engine response and performance. At the same time, the turbocharger increases efficiency at low engine speeds, improving combustion efficiency and lowers emissions. The 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine generates 208 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 265Nm of torque. The output puts the power plant on par with the VW Group's 2.0 liter TFSI unit that goes into the Golf GTI and Audi A3 models. According to Hyundai, the all-new 1.6L T-GDI turbo engine will be available in the new Hyundai Veloster sports coupe starting from 2012. Going forward, it will also appear in the upcoming 2013 Hyundai ix30 and next generation Kia cee
  13. SYF77

    New star arising

    The German automaker is preparing an all-new A-class, and we get some insight into what it will look like, courtesy of the Concept A. Falling in line with the rest of the family, the squared off nose is aggressive and wears the Tri-Star emblem proudly. From the side, the Concept A shows hints of the CLS and even the R-Class. Most of the swoopy lines in the concept version are expected to make it to the production A- Class. Underneath the sheetmetal, the Concept A-Class rides on a new front-wheel drive platform codenamed MFA, which is believed to stand for
  14. SYF77

    Hyundai

    [extract] The 2011 Seoul Motor Show that runs in South Korea from March 31 to April 10 plays host to the world premiere of the all-new Hyundai Blue2 concept study. The name, which is to be read
  15. In a move to improve fuel efficiency across the range, Ford will introduce its new Auto Start Stop system, which is found currently on the Fusion and Escape Hybrids and some Ford cars in Europe, to all models in North America. The system, which automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, is said to offer improvement in fuel consumption as high as 10 percent, depending on vehicle size and usage. With the system
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