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Australian road safety researchers on Wednesday unveiled a pioneering "attention-powered car" which uses a headset to monitor brain activity and slow acceleration during periods of distraction. The car, commissioned by the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia, is about to depart on an awareness-raising road trip of Western Australia -- a sprawling west coast state accounting for about one-third of the Australian continent. Lead researcher Geoffrey Mackellar, from neuroengineering company Emotiv, said the car's accelerator could be overridden by a headset with 14 sensors measuring the type and amount of brain activity which determined whether a driver was distracted. In the testing phase, drivers were set specific challenges such as using their mobile phone, switching channels on the radio, drinking water or reading a map so that researchers could record their brain activity while doing so. They were also sent on a 15 kilometres per hour "boredom lap" to see what happened when their brains "zoned out" -- "pretty nasty but we enjoyed it", Mackellar said. Emad Tahtouh, from production company FINCH, said the car used an array of neural inputs and specially-designed software to "go when you're paying attention and slow when you're not". "We're looking at things like blink rate, blink duration, gaze rate -- how long they look at a point -- eyes moving, head tilts, and also frequency of task-switching and the level of brain activity when they flick over to those tasks, so it's a huge pool of data," he said. "If someone lost attention and they switched tasks to, say, reading their mobile phone, or even if they just zoned out, it would usually be represented by a very sharp dip and sometimes very erratic behaviour." The car worked by reducing acceleration when it detected a loss of attention, and speeding back up once full focus was back on driving. The pilot vehicle, a customised Hyundai i40, was built for the RAC as part of a research and publicity campaign to reduce the number of road deaths in the state, which currently run above the national average and are the worst in Australia. Although the system could have potential commercial applications, the RAC said their current focus was on research and public awareness. "The impact of inattention is now comparable to the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by speed and drink driving," said RAC chief Pat Walker. "Nationally, it is estimated inattention was a factor in 46 per cent of fatal crashes." The Australian government estimates that road accidents cost the economy A$27 billion (US$25 billion) every year. Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/techno...ers/825824.html

AMG has been producing racing versions of Mercedes-Benz cars and high performance street machines for over four decades. That tradition continues with the unveiling today in Mexico of a GT3 spec version of the new SLS gullwing coupe. Sales will start this fall and AMG hopes to have the homologation process completed in time for the 2011 race season. The GT3 SLS will use the same 6.3-liter V8 as the road car, but the FIA will determine its final output for racing. The aerodynamic enhancements are the big news here, with changes to the bodywork evident all over. The front end features a deep carbon fiber splitter that's only bested by the large rear wing out back. The hood sports a large cooling event and there are air intakes for brake cooling in the side skirts and cooling vents in the fenders behind the front wheels as well. Other race-spec features include a smooth underbody, rear diffuser, central-locking wheels and fuel filler pipes in the C-pillar. Given the racing heritage of the original SL from the 1950s, seeing a gullwing back racing on the track will be the best kind of d

hopefully our GST will be cut too.. but GST are here to help the poor.. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...ImY3Y-I01K-OEDA LONDON (AFP)

June 13, 2007 at 3:28 am

Making it official: More Mitsubishi Pajero before Paris Posted Sep 8th 2006 12:07PM by Alex Nunez Filed under: SUVs, Euro, Japan, Paris Motor Show, Mitsubishi First, Mitsubishi gave everyone a tease of the new front end. Then, a Japanese car mag revealed full views in advance of the official unveiling. Well, today Mitsubishi finally announced the details of the 4th-generation Pajero (a.k.a. Montero, Shogun) SUV, which will be shown to the public later this month in Paris. The updates work nicely, giving the big Mitsubishi a crisp new look even though though its dimensions are fundamentally unchanged (this is a refresh, not a full-blown redesign). Under the new sheetmetal, the interior gets cleaned up and upgraded with goodies like an optional 860-watt Rockford sound system. Mechanically, the Pajero is now available with a new 3.2L CRD 4-cylinder or 3.8L MIVEC V6. Both are connected to a new 4WD system. The Pajero's off-roading tradition is reinforced annually at the Dakar Rally, and Mitsubishi also revealed the latest iteration of the Pajero Evolution racing off-roader. Though it has visual appeal, don't plan on seeing this car in the US. As we've stated before, Mitsu has pulled the plug on the US-market Montero with the 2006 model year. You have to wonder how it would do anyway, given the presence of the good-looking new Outlander and the larger (but not so good-looking) Endeavour. Both of those are probably better equipped to meet the every whim of most potential customers, whose off-road excursions are seldom at best. We can appreciate it from afar, though. Especially the sporty 2-door, which we've liked since the days of our youth, when the boxy Montero/Dodge Raider could only be had that way. (Photos, press release after the jump) [sources: Mitsubishi, World Car Fans] 2007 Mitsubishi Pajero: 2006 Mitsubishi Pajero (for comparison): Press Release: World Premiere for the next generation of Pajero (European market specification) at Paris Motor Show - 2007 Dakar Rally Pajero Evolution also unveiled - Tokyo, September 8, 2006 - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) is to give the new global standard SUV Pajero* (European market specification) its world debut at Le Mondial de l'Automobile 2006 (Paris Motor Show 2006) to be held in Halls 1-8 of the Paris Expo porte de Versailles from September 28 (September 30 for the general public) through October 15. More than 2.5 million Pajeros have been produced in the approximately 25 years since the first generation was launched in 1982. Sold in over 170 countries and regions today, Pajero has earned enormous popularity as a sport utility vehicle boasting outstanding durability and endurance that enable it to deliver safe, secure and comfortable performance over any and all types of road surface. Debuting at the Paris Motor Show, this Pajero is the fourth in the series. The latest Pajero offers reliability forged in the crucible of grueling competition and use under the harshest conditions to be found on our planet. It retains the all-round SUV specifications of its predecessor, as seen in its approach angle, ground clearance and other all-terrain performance parameters. New features that distinguish the fourth-generation Pajero include: A powertrain applied a new 3.2-liter 4-cylinder diesel with common rail direct fuel injection or a 3.8-liter V6 MIVEC*1 gasoline unit. A 4WD system comprised of the sophisticated Super Select 4WD-II transfer case while both ASTC*2 and the rear differential lock available - developed on the bedrock of MMC's All-Wheel-Control (AWC) concept and delivering significant improvements in both off-road and tarmac performance. Tastefully designed dashboard and interior complemented by high-end equipment such as Rockford Acoustic Design Premium Sound System

To be launched progressively in world markets from Spring 2007 (North America), the Lancer sports sedan will form a full family of cars with dynamic qualities to match their looks all across the range: from entry models (1.5 litre 110 ps engine in Europe) right up to the all-new Lancer Evolution supercar, including diesel power (Europe), a high performance 2.0 litre turbo gasoline version and other variants. so finally its confirmed, a 1.5 Litre engine pumping out 110ps, not too bad eh...

From CNN.com BMW's M division brand manager Tom Salkowski reported to the press today that his division has been working on a limited-production run of the world renowned E30 chassis M3 for a mid 2004 release as the "E30 M3". Salkowski told the press, "We wanted to bring back the car that made us famous," and "If it wasn't for the E30 M3, BMW would not be where it is today." One of the most successful touring cars of all time, the E30 M3 has been a cult car since it's introduction in Europe in 1986. Salkowski stressed that the car would be very close to the original, while being completely redesigned from the ground up. The interior and exterior will reflect the original in almost every detail. Salkowski noted "We wanted to make it a lightweight true to it's purpose race car that can be driven on the street." We are told the car will be motivated by an updated version of the car's original S14 engine, to be named the S16. "We wanted to keep it's character" Salkowski stated. He didn't go into details, but suggested that through the use of many of the new technologies in the current M engines and the new V12 in the 760 sedan, they have been able to get over 300 horsepower from this 2.5 liter 4 cylinder motor. Weighing under 2800 pounds, this car will be a real rocket, possibly the fastest vehicle BMW will have produced. The head of BMW's design division Chris Bangle noted that the design for the vehicle would be basically unaltered, with the same "quirky" lines and "boy-racer" look that keeps the car so original. "It was a unique process" Bangle said, "We had to work within the lines of this vehicle from the mid-eighties and update it without losing it's original look. Bangle, when asked about the criticism he has garnered from many of his recent designs, stated that it was not a redesign, just a freshening. The car will be unveiled this coming April at the New York International Auto Show to the anxiously awaiting public.