Archive for October, 2009
Chrysler Adds Live TV in Vehicles
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
Starting in December, Chrysler will offer the option of live mobile TV in its vehicles—a first for a U.S. automaker. The service will include 20 channels, with offerings like CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, FOX News, MSNBC, MTV, NBC 2Go and Nickelodeon.
It will be available as a $629 factory-installed option, plus installation. This comes with a one-year free subscription as well.
The signals will flow through FLO TV’s dedicated multicast network, and will be available only in 100 markets and along some interstate driving corridors. In other words, if you live in rural areas or are traveling outside of the 100 markets listed a lot, the service probably won’t be worth the money.
The service can also be added to certain 2008-2010 vehicles that have already been purchased, but you’ll have to have the specific Mopar headrest or seat-top DVD entertainment systems installed first.
Previously, Chrysler used Sirius Satellite for in-car video viewing but they used only three specific channels created just for them, not existing networks’ live feeds.
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Tesla Roadster Sets Record for EV Range
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
The Global Green Challenge in the Australian Outback featured a new world record for distance by a production battery-powered vehicle. Simon Hackett, owner of a 2008 Tesla Roadster, made it a whopping 313 miles, shattering the previous range record, Tesla says.
The Roadster, which uses only a lithium-ion battery pack to power it, had three miles left on its charge when it crossed the finish line in South Australia. This beat the previous distance record for an electric vehicle of 241 miles set by another Roadster in April, as well as the 244 miles the car managed on the EPA test cycle.
As a sports car, the Roadster is capable of leaping from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, but obviously Hackett and his passenger couldn’t have tested that on this trip if they wanted to maximize their distance. They are better men than most: on an empty Australian highway, I doubt I’d be able to resist the temptation to test the Roadster’s driving performance.
While the Roadster’s $100k-plus price remains prohibitive for most, Tesla serves as an example that battery-powered cars can achieve impressive range.
2010|Tesla|Roadster
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2010 Mercedes-Benz E550: Through Ian’s Lens
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
One of my childhood memories is sitting on the front-seat armrest of my grandfather's early 1980s’ Mercedes-Benz 240D while he drove me and my brother around the flat farmlands of southern Minnesota. Sometimes we’d run errands and sometimes we went just to go for a drive. With the smell of the leather interior in our noses and the comforting clatter of the diesel engine in our ears, my brother and I knew we were riding in something special.
That “Something Special” legacy continues at Mercedes-Benz for 2010. Taking design cues from the smaller C-Class and larger S-Class, the completely redesigned 2010 E-Class combines a fierce front with sleek hard lines throughout the hood, grille, headlights and fenders. It's an aggressive new stance for a model that has felt middle-of-the-road for the past 15 years. Mainstay design elements are prevalent on the E-Class with the dual headlamps on either side of the nose and stacked indicator/reverse lights/brake lights on the rear. In profile, the E-Class carries its major design lines in a slow crease that swoops along the body panels from the top of the front wheel well to the top of the taillight.
When you see it on the street, this new E-Class will definitely stand out against its competitors. Check out the full-screen player after the jump.
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Lexus Sponsoring In Flight WiFi
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
When flying to cover auto shows or test drive the latest new car, I really love getting to use the in-flight WiFi. I tried it out about a year ago on a Southwest flight (pictured above) and was geeked to watch Hulu check my work email at 30,000 feet up.
The fact that it was free made me happy. Now, Lexus is hoping that by sponsoring in-flight WiFi on select American Airlines flights, fellow happy travelers will think better of the luxury brand. It likely could work, but their promotion is only part of a weeklong test program from Nov. 1 to Nov. 6.
Lexus is using the program to promote its 2010 LS sedan which gets some mild updates. When you go to www.aa.com/wifi from your laptop or smart phone you have to enter this promo code: 2010LEXUSLS.
While free is free, we’d like to see sponsors pick up the tab for in-flight WiFi permanently. Like when we’re flying out to the L.A. Auto Show in December. You listening, Lexus?
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Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Nissan 370Z Convertible
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
Conceived alongside its coupe sibling, the 2010 Nissan 370Z convertible was designed to dispel the notion that convertibles have to be heavier, flimsier versions of their hardtop counterparts. Now that the 370Z convertible has fallen into the hands of Cars.com reviewer David Thomas a year after he had the hardtop version, he’s prepared to render his judgment. How does the convertible hold up? Read Thomas’s full review to find out.
2010 Nissan 370Z Convertible Review
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Chevy Cruze Launch Delayed
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by admin.
The Detroit News is reporting that GM is pushing back the launch of the Chevy Cruze compact by roughly three months. Now it won’t go on sale until the third quarter of 2010 instead of during the summer. The company wants to make sure the car’s launch is a smooth one and cites that reason alone for the delay. The car has already gone on sale in Europe and Asia.
Despite recent successful launches of the Chevy Malibu, Equinox and Camaro, many industry observers say the Cruze is the company’s most important new product.
GM delays Cruze launch (Detroit News)
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VW Teases All-New Sedan
Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by admin.
Volkswagen has been relatively mum about its upcoming midsize sedan. Today, they’ve released the above sketch and said the car will go on sale in late 2011. We’re unsure on where this car will sit in the company’s lineup; it probably won’t replace a current offering like the Jetta but count the Passat's days numbered. The fact that it will be built in Chattanooga, Tenn., also makes us think it will be a North America-only offering since buyers on this side of the Atlantic tend to want different things from their sedans, namely more interior room.
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97% of Americans Want Ban on Texting While Driving
Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by admin.
It appears there’s one thing our heavily divided nation can agree upon: ban texting while driving.
An overwhelming 97% want the practice to be illegal, according to a recent CBS News/New York Times survey. Only 1% said it should be legal.
This opinion cuts across regions, gender, and frequent and infrequent drivers. Of those who said texting while driving should be illegal, 52% said the punishment should be the same as the penalty for drunken driving. People who are 45 and older favor a harsher punishment. The poll was conducted among a random sample of 829 adults nationwide on Oct. 5-8, 2009. Its margin of error is 3 percentage points.
This follows a well-publicized study that found drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident. President Barack Obama recently banned federal employees from texting while driving, and the practice is already illegal in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
Whatever this survey says about Americans’ attitudes, I’d say from an informal survey of watching drivers on the road that a solid chunk of this 97% isn’t practicing what it preaches.
Poll: Texting + Driving Should be Illegal (CBS News)
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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon on the Way
Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by admin.
People who complained that the upcoming Honda Accord Crosstour isn’t as cool as the European Honda Accord wagon (above with more photos below), which is basically an Acura TSX wagon, will have nothing to complain about come fall 2010. That’s when Acura says the 2011 Acura TSX sport wagon will go on sale in the good ole U.S. of A.
The news comes as a three-sentence announcement from the automaker, but we’d expect it will come equipped with at least the base sedan’s four-cylinder, if not the new V-6, as well. We’ll likely learn more during this winter’s auto show season.
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Google Tries to Dominate Handheld Navigation
Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by admin.
Google Maps, Google Earth satellite images and Google Street View — all in one navigation system? That’s right. Google has just announced its upcoming Google Maps Navigation beta, which will be available on Android phones like Verizon’s upcoming Motorola Droid.
A few of the most intriguing features include voice search, alternate routing to avoid traffic, points of interest along route search and access to the up-to-date points of interest database. The most amazing feature that we have yet to see on any navigation platform is Google Street View images overlaid on the route; with it, you see a real photo from your exact vantage point and a directional arrow telling you where to go.
The app will require an active internet connection at all times, which allows it to download only the maps and information you’re requesting at the time as well as provide up-to-date information regarding traffic and points of interest.
After the Motorola Droid rolls out Nov. 6 for $199.99 (with a two-year contract), Google Maps Navigation beta should extend to other devices using the Google Android operating system. There’s no word on whether this will be available for iPhones.
While this is great news for smartphone users, it’s terrible news for the navigation industry. Check out the video below and let us know if you think this could be the death of dedicated portable navigation devices.
