Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Car companies from all around the world are rethinking their plans for greener vehicles in the light of the ongoing collapse of new vehicle sales. Without the cash from those sales, they can't afford to research and develop more fuel-efficient technology.
Posted in Design, Gas Issues, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
By Susan Winlaw
A new version of the Ford Mustang and a revised Lincoln MKZ sedan may get the glamour coverage, but most consumers will be interested to see what Ford's doing to its Fusion mid-sized sedan line for early next year.
Posted in Design, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
That mad Brit auto writer, Jeremy Clarkson, is back with details on what many people have suspected about men and over-powered cars for a long time.
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Sad stories, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
GM's OnStar system has sent emergency service personnel to the precise location of over 100,000 crashes in the last 12 years, often when the vehicle's occupants were unable to call themselves or to places where there was no cell service. For the serious safety seeker, OnStar remains the creme de ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, November 14th, 2008
This isn't as self-indulgent a service as you might think, since it might be able to get you somewhere important (a roadside cafe with a clean restroom and a broad coffee selection) without you having to drive around looking for one, or pulling over to search the web the old-fashioned ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Gadgets, Product News, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
A self-described "Confused Citizen" poses some interesting questions about how we can help the car companies, the planet and even the consumers.
Posted in Advice, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Don't even think about reading this story unless you're deeply concerned about the intricacies of how the service industry will look after your vehicle and how it might affect its reliability and your costs.
Posted in Dealerships, Parts, Pricing, Repairs, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Lower prices for HD radios make it easier for people to get better sound from all those free radio stations.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Marketing, Parts, Pricing, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, November 10th, 2008
You have to see the picture of this car in action to appreciate how it works, and how wonderful it would be to have one in many, many situations.
Posted in Cute stories, Design, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
If you own a Prius and you're willing to spend a lot of cash for a battery that lets it run short distances without using gasoline but not actually save any money, there are people willing to help you.
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, November 7th, 2008
The story of Sara Janssen, her husband and their 4-year-old daughter moved into a small RV, converted it to run on used vegetable oil and sun panels and set out to tour the country. What can that be like?
Posted in Children, Green, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, November 7th, 2008
By Susan Winlaw
No matter how many airbags they put in cars from now on, there'll be no gigantic advance in auto safety until the car companies figure out a way to build cars that are smart enough to not run into each other.
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Even when a recall notice from the manufacturer sounds mundane, the little problem can sometimes be the tiny spark that ignites a huge blaze, and we mean that literally as well as figuratively.
Posted in Advice, Is There A Lesson Here?, Recalls, Repairs, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Hybrids have never really made much economic sense for the average buyer because it was hard to recover the cost of their extra cost by small amount you save for gasoline, but with various government incentives drying up and the cost of gasoline falling their financial value is getting worse.
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Gas Issues, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
This story reiterates the major things you've heard before about women and the car business -- they prefer green vehicles, safety's important, dealers treat them with disdain, etc. -- but it's worth repeating, and it's good to know they're particularly excited about the coming of the Volt plug-in hybrid.
Posted in Dealerships, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Only two things will bring about significant decreases in highway fatalities -- cars that don't run unless the seatbelts are engaged, and cars that talk to each other. Naturally, there's no one giving any serious thought to the easiest, cheapest and fastest answer (seatbelts), but lots of people are ready ...
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Product News, Program For Change, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Unbeknownst to most women, there's a vast army of people creating an endless array of aftermarket products for cars of all types. Every fall they gather in Las Vegas to display their new wares, and this year's show features a bunch of helpful stuff that would appeal to both sexes.
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
By Susan Winlaw: GM and its OnStar safety and security network recently debuted a service in that allows the police to slow down a stolen car so they can recover it and capture the people who took it.
Posted in Children, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Our View, Program For Change, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Lots of people think a car's airbags will do the job as well as a seatbelt, but this Scottish TV commercial proves them wrong. Remember that the official name for the airbags is "Supplementary Restraint System," which essentially means it enhances the job done by seatbelts.
Posted in Accidents, Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
The ageless rock star has a business that helps people convert gas guzzlers (like his own 1959 Lincoln Continental) to run on alternative fuels.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
A top speed of 80 mph still seems too high, but Ford's MyKey system could help teen safety by muting the sound system until their seatbelts are done up.
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
A long, detailed and depressing overview of how political interference kept the feds from taking action on banning cell phone use in cars, from Mother Jones.
Posted in Accidents, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Sad stories, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Technology that wasn't even dreamed of a decade ago is starting to show up in modern cars, and instead of being restricted to upscale models it can often be found in low-priced cars as well.
Posted in Gadgets, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Ordinarily cars have gauges in the instrument panel that tell you when something's happening, either good or bad, but starting soon some of Ford's cars will display leaves in the electronic display when the driver's not using much gas.
Posted in Cute stories, Green, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, October 27th, 2008
While there's certainly a unique slant of things in the UK (what's a "grafter"?), there's plenty of truth in the situation for women in North America with regards to working in the car business.
Posted in Cute stories, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Program For Change, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, October 27th, 2008
It's hard to imagine that anyone with a car and an iPhone couldn't use at least one of these software systems.
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Law Enforcement, Repairs, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
There's no guarantee that either plan will actually come into effect, but at least it might be helpful to see how John McCain and Barack Obama feel about the subject of low-emissions vehicles.
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, October 20th, 2008
With gas prices hovering where they are, it's not altogether clear that the pressure to move from oil to alternative-fuel vehicles won't abate and slow down their development.
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
Most people don't bother uses the emergency brake when parking, but that could be setting them up for trouble or extra cost in different situations.
Posted in Is There A Lesson Here?, Repairs, Safety, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, October 17th, 2008
It was only about a decade ago that GM introduced built-in VCRs (remember them?) to its minivans to meet what they thought would be a tiny market segment. Well since the Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere's debut the market for in-car entertainment has exploded and it's sometimes hard to keep up with ...
Posted in Children, Cute stories, Gadgets, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, October 17th, 2008
This story out of San Francisco makes a nice counter-balance to all the rabid boosterism for hybrids that have made them seem like a good idea for way too many people.
Posted in Buying Tips, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Tesla has been a media darling for some time now, promising to build an electric car superior to anything that the established car companies could manage. But reality has been catching up with Tesla for some time and the current economic woes have generated more setbacks. The promise is not ...
Posted in Green, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
A remark by Senator McCain during the final presidential debate about how not to deal with nuclear fuel rod safety has this writer wondering what other safety items the Republican nominee might not care about.
Posted in Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
The father of a son who was killed by a driver distracted by his cell phone has come up with some software that could automatically cut down on a person's ability to accept calls while he or she is driving.
Posted in Accidents, Children, Program For Change, Sad stories, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, October 13th, 2008
In an effort to break away from the regular advertising arc for cars, Honda actually built something into a stretch of road north of Los Angeles that played a few notes of music every time a car drove over it. This amused some drivers but also annoyed many of the ...
Posted in Advertising, Cute stories, Gadgets, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
