As in other current M models from BMW, the 2008 BMW M6 is afflicted with a dual personality. It masquerades as a big luxury coupe around town, but when the roads open up, the M6 can transform into a superhero. At a push of the M button on the steering wheel, the suspension tightens and the throttle response becomes more acute. Where a superhero might where a cape, the M6 gets a carbon fiber roof, lowering its center of gravity. But while the big, long coupe shows a lot of brawn in its styling, the high trunk lid makes it look like it could afford to go on a diet.
BMW fits the car out with plenty of technology for driving and infotainment. Both the M button and a star button on the wheel are programmable, letting the driver customize the car a little, although this theme could be taken further. iDrive still serves as the interface for navigation, stereo, cell phone, and other car systems, but that system is about to get a radical overhaul, which isn't soon enough.
(Credit: Honda)Honda unveiled its 2009 Civic lineup this Tuesday. As should be expected, the new model receives some incremental styling changes in the form of a tweaked grille and headlamp combo, clear turn signals in the rear, and a new, more aggressive three opening front bumper cover. Power output remains unchanged for the gasoline, natural gas, and hybrid variants. Honda has, however, made vehicle stability control standard for top tier trim packages.
Inside the cabin, Honda is still offering the same optional DVD-based satellite navigation system that we saw on the 2007 Civic Hybrid model, but has added Bluetooth hands free capabilities to the system. Oddly enough the Honda navigation still offers that weird PCMCIA card slot that allows the use of a digital memory card and PC Card adapter to store MP3 and WMA formatted music.
Honda has also added a new LX-S trim level, which is a sport styled LX model, and a DX-VP trim level that sits just above the DX trim level and adds air conditioning and an audio system, which inadvertently brings to focus the fact that Honda even offers a radio-free Civic DX in the first place.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.--Chrysler LLC will make its next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2010 with a unibody construction and a fuel-efficient V-6 engine being developed under the code-name Phoenix, Chrysler Co-president Tom LaSorda said.
The automaker will spend $1.8 billion to refit its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit to produce the Grand Cherokee and other undisclosed vehicles off the same platform, LaSorda told reporters over lunch last week at the Management Briefing Seminars here.
Chrysler worked with Mercedes-Benz to develop the platform, he said.
The expanded Detroit plant will be flexible to allow multiple vehicle models to be built on the same assembly line, LaSorda indicated. In his speech at the conference, LaSorda said the expansion and new-vehicle program will help create 400 jobs in Michigan.
The plant now builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander.
... Read more
The Loopwing Wind Power Generator Set is recommended for ages 15 and older.
(Credit: Tamiya America)Toys are truly a reflection of the time in which they are sold. This new car set from Tamiya has only been around for a short while, and it's already temporarily out of stock. (No worries; Tamiya America says it plans to get more in.)
Instead of a crank or bite-size fuel cell to make your little Speed Racer run, this $67 model kit comes with its own miniature wind turbine.
You don't have to live in Colorado for the wind turbine to work. Specially shaped blades and different gears allow the turbine to turn from the slightest breeze. The stand doubles as a handle, so kids can also run with the turbine to create their own wind (and tire themselves out from exercise).
For every one to two minutes the car spends parked recharging its battery at the wind turbine station, the car gets about 5 to 10 minutes of play time. That may not sound like a lot, but consider kids' short attention spans and that recharging is part of the play. The increments probably work out just fine.
It's recommended for ages 15 and older, but that seems mainly because it's an assembly kit. Once assembled by the cool aunt or uncle who gave it to them, it seems like any 7-year-old could easily play with it.
(Credit: Tamiya America)
ClarionMind integrates the Internet and GPS.
(Credit: Clarion)
At the Intel Developer Forum, Clarion launched the production version of ClarionMind, a portable GPS device with full Internet connectivity that runs on Linux. Clarion showed off a concept of the device at last January's CES. The full product launch reveals a device that looks similar to current GPS devices, featuring a 4.8-inch 800x480-pixel touch screen. And, like some current GPS devices, the ClarionMind offers media playback and Bluetooth for hands-free calling.
What sets it apart is Wi-Fi and software for various Internet applications, including a Web browser and e-mail. It includes viewers for YouTube, Google Maps, MySpace, and weather. According to the news release, Clarion integrated Internet search and GPS functions, so that you can search for local businesses and feed the addresses into the destination entry. Along with in-vehicle navigation and Internet use, the device is also designed to work as a portable Internet appliance in the home or anywhere else.
The ClarionMind runs on an Intel Atom processor and includes 512 MB of DRAM along with 4 gigabytes of flash memory. There are two USB ports and an SD card slot. According to Clarion, a vehicle dock will also be available, and that the device has an "Automobile Mode for safe access behind the wheels." We hope this last feature isn't too restrictive, although from the devices description, it can easily be defeated.
ClarionMind will ship in the fourth quarter.
- Topics:
- Communications,
- GPS,
- In-car entertainment
- Bookmark:
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
Lotus is known for making small, fast cars with Toyota engines, but the company's engineering department gets into all sorts of projects, with the Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV) being one of the more novel.
The CIV is designed to cross the Antarctic.
(Credit: Lotus)
Lotus designed this propeller-driven vehicle to lead the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition, a scientific expedition which will chart the effects of global climate change while traveling from the west coast of Antarctica, over the South Pole, then north to McMurdo Station.
The CIV is runs its propeller engine on bio-fuel.
(Credit: Lotus)The CIV is 14.8-feet long by 14.8-feet wide and can run on bio-fuel. The vehicle was designed with a minimum of moving parts so it wouldn't be prone to freezing up in the cold temperatures it will face. Along with its skis, it has a spiked foot that can lower to work as a brake on slick ice. The purpose of the CIV is to act as a scout for two heavier vehicles the team will use to carry equipment. To this end, it has ice penetrating radar that can detect hidden crevasses. The CIV is also light enough to be pushed along by a few people if it gets itself stuck.
The SSV has six independently driven wheels.
(Credit: Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition)The heavier vehicles, dubbed Science Support Vehicles (SSV), are Ford vans modified by a team of engineers in Iceland. Each SSV has six independently driven wheels powered by a diesel 7.3-liter turbocharged V-8. These engines are designed to be low emission. The transmission has 20 gears and the SSVs ride on an air suspension. They have solar panels on the roof to help power the electronics, which include GPS and satellite communications.
So, where do we volunteer?
(Source: Edmunds Inside Line)
Last November, we looked at the Navigon 2100 portable navigation device, and while we were impressed by the feature set and affordable price tag, its sluggish performance ultimately left a bad taste in our mouths.
However, we wiped the slate clean as we tested the Navigon 2100 Max, a slightly revamped and beefed up version of the 2100. In short, we liked the enhanced features, including the larger 4.3-inch touch screen and advanced lane guidance. Plus, the in-car GPS is a good value at $299. However, it still suffers from slightly sluggish performance and a kludgey user interface that can't quite compete with the likes of Garmin and TomTom.
One piece of advice that should've been obvious to participants of last weekend's Rental Car Rally from Long Island City, New York, to Montreal, Quebec: use GPS.
Or so I figured, as one member of a three-person team equipped with a MacBook, an EVDO card, a GPS navigator, a backup GPS navigator, and a radar detector to know when authorities were nearby in case we, uh, pushed the speed limit a little bit. (We only used that in New York state, though, because radar detectors are illegal in Vermont and Quebec.)
The surprising truth? A large number of the driving squads had nothing but paper maps on them, making the overnight rally--with six backroad checkpoints, most of which were marked with nothing but a set of coordinates, to ensure that you couldn't just take I-87 the whole way--a pretty difficult affair.
But even with GPS, there was some head-scratching when everyone's Garmins and TomToms navigated them right to the shores of Lake Champlain and recommended that they take a ferry. The gadgets were right: teams that drove onto the Grand Isle ferry arrived in Montreal hours before teams that chose to drive around the lake.
As for the teams that opted for maps over GPS, most of them made it...eventually.
... Read moreTOKYO--The race for lithium ion batteries is heating up, with Mitsubishi Motors saying it will build a plant to meet an expected fivefold increase in demand.
The factory will open after April 2009 and have an initial output of 200,000 battery cells a year, or enough for 2,000 cars. Mitsubishi will ramp up capacity to equip 10,000 vehicles "shortly afterward," amid higher hopes for its i MiEV electric vehicle, the company said in a statement.
Mitsubishi's new factory will be operated by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture with GS Yuasa and Mitsubishi. It will be in the western prefecture of Shiga.
Plans had called for GS Yuasa to make the batteries at an existing plant in Kyoto, with annual output for 1,000 vehicles. But the partners decided that a bigger plant was needed to meet growing demand.
... Read more
If driving while talking on a mobile phone is dangerous, how much more deadly would it be if Formula One racers got distracted while race officials tried to communicate with them via headsets?
(Credit: Crave Asia)Thankfully, colored flags are the de facto method by which vital information is relayed to the drivers without causing unnecessary disturbance. For example, a yellow flag means there's danger ahead and overtaking is prohibited, while a white flag indicates slow-moving vehicles (like the safety car or tow truck) on the track.
However, in F1's upcoming first-ever night race, traditional colored flags might be a little hard to see, despite the nearly 1,500 Philips lighting projectors illuminating the track with light four times brighter than a football stadium at night (and expected to consume 3,180,000 watts). As such, 35 display panels using Digiflag technology (developed by Italian lighting consultant Valerio Maioli) will be set up to allow race officials to communicate with the drivers. These simple but effective devices are essentially rectangular boards of colored lights.
The night race takes place September 28 in Singapore.
(Via Crave Asia)
Related story:
Dell 15" Laptop Deals
