Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
New cars were on the menu, of course, but so was the potential of a Chrysler tie-up with Fiat and its small car expertise. It's all being done in the hopes of getting consumers to think about cars.
Posted in Advertising, Driving Matters, Incentives, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Nothing's guaranteed yet, but if there's enough interest in the machine GM and Segway hope they can put a two-seat transportation device on the market one day. It's not the answer to all of our transportation issues, but it could help a lot of people.
Posted in Design, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Green, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
In an effort to become a world power in transportation and perhaps reduce the potential pollution problems their growing market might cause, the Chinese have ambitious plans for their car companies.
Posted in Green, Program For Change, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
The cars that so many experts were telling the car companies to make more of are now sitting around on new car lots everywhere, mostly because they make less fiscal sense than ever with gasoline prices so low. Even with various discounts currently on offer, it's very hard to recover ...
Posted in Advertising, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Gas Issues, Green, Incentives, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
The large crossover from General Motors' truck division has been judged the most pet-friendly new vehicle on the road today, thanks in no small part to its OnStar emergency notification system and other features.
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Pets, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
When the time comes to actually buy a car, it's often difficult to understand which features you should make sure are part of the package. This story helps you sort out which things are worth the extra money and which aren't.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Marketing, Safety, Sales, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
After getting all those enthusiastic press reports for promising a hybrid to America for less than $20,000, Honda now looks to be planning a much higher price for the compact four-door when it arrives on this continent. What a surprise.
Posted in Green, Pricing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, February 6th, 2009
If you're in the market for a pickup truck this year, you need to know that Ford has upgraded the smaller of its two models -- the Ranger -- with some interesting safety features. There are side airbags and, most importantly, an electronic system that reduces the chance the truck ...
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Product News, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
By using the Microsoft-designed Sync system, Ford says, drivers can do more of the multi-tasking with voice controls, leaving their hands free to steer. Check out Ford's press release below for the full details.
Posted in Accidents, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Parts, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
As this column from a venerated international auto journalist shows, sometimes the best thing to do isn't the one that people want. When it comes to saving the environment, that could mean skipping mass transit. You'll have to forgive him the Heath Ledger crack.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
The glee in this press release about a method for overturning DUI charges from a British law firm is not quite typical of the kind of thing you see from American law firms when they think they've done something clever, but it's close enough to give you the creeps.
Posted in Driving Matters, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Sad stories, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
The key point here is that unless you really want to drive a sedan that's smaller than a Chevrolet Malibu or a Toyota Camry, you won't like what the new vehicle situation will be like when the national fleet fuel economy average meets those new standards.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
In principle, the idea of switching from gas to electricity to power cars has a lot of appeal, but there are a lot of challenges on the road to this utopia, including the infrastructure required to supply the electricity. This NY Times story gives a reasonably accurate perspective of the ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
In what may be a first for the auto industry, the handful of customers who already bought the high-profile, low-volume Tesla Roadster will have to pay more than they originally expected. Just more evidence that the economics of such vehicles don't make a lot of sense.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Green, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
These pictures are quite entertaining, if you're sitting someplace comfortable at home and not behind the wheel trying to get across town without getting killed, at which point some of these traffic lights would be terrifying.
Posted in Cute stories, Driving Matters, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Right now they're not really making much of a difference in the struggle to reduce the use of oil, but every new technology has to start somewhere (ask the owners of Apple Newtons) and solar panels have made their debut on a couple of production cars.
Posted in Green, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
The woman in charge of leading the development of hybrid vehicles for Ford is enthusiastic about the opportunity, even in such parlous economic times.
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
In an effort to extend its incredible success with marketing a fuel-saving car that doesn't save its owners any money, Toyota has announced a program to push slow-moving second-hand Prius hybrids off of dealer lots. The candy is an examination of some battery-related equipment that is supposed to make you ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Our View, Pricing, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Not only is it possible that a really old car can get better fuel economy than a new one (usually because it doesn't have airbags and other safety technology that adds weight), but not buying a new one can have other environmental benefits as well. At least that's what this ...
Posted in Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
In a rational, sensible world, something good would come from this story about new air quality regulations in California that would make life difficult for some technology firms working on devices to reduce pollution from cars. That something good would be a wider public understanding of exactly how difficult it ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
The days of having nothing but a few gauges that most people didn't understand are behind the instrument panel, which is historically known as the dashboard. Soon enough they will be considerably more adaptive and interactive than you could possibly imagine.
Posted in Advice, Children, Driving Matters, Gadgets, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Despite the tone of harrumphy disapproval that usually accompanies auto writers' examinations of the subject of in-car entertainment, this NY Times article is a fairly balanced view of the continued expansion of TV service to cars.
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Time was that a BMW or Mercedes had safety, quality or ergonomic levels that less expensive cars couldn't come close to offering, so there was some rational reason for buying them. But those days are long gone. Now about the only thing you get for the extra money is the ...
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Parts, Pricing, Safety, Save Money, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
Some hyper-mileage geeks were surprised that Honda's latest version of its Insight hybrid doesn't register better fuel economy, and they probably won't be happy that it was done in the name of fun. Regular consumers, on the other hand, are likely to feel differently. That's Honda's hope, at any rate.
Posted in Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Green, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
With gas prices down and hybrids still costing more than a similar car with worse fuel economy, the numbers on buying hybrids still don't work out for most people. If, on the other hand, you want to do your bit right away to save the environment and reduce the use ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Financing, Green, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The Converj concept coupe from Cadillac is essentially the stylish follow-up to the Chevrolet Volt, since it will share the same power source -- a battery that will provide a majority of the world enough electricity-driven range to live a normal life, with a small gas-powered engine onboard to keep ...
Posted in Design, Driving Matters, Green, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Not sure how much weight this will carry with lawmakers, but the idea that you shouldn't be able to talk on a cell phone with a headset or through the car's stereo system or indeed through any method at all unless the car is stopped will surely irritate a lot ...
Posted in Accidents, Driving Matters, Law Enforcement, Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
By far the most exciting development in gas-saving vehicles the last couple of years has been the cars that might be called extended-range electric vehicles, with the Chevrolet Volt being the most famous. Unlike hybrids, which have two drive systems (a regular engine and a battery) these vehicles are only ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
One of the auto industry's most regular critics takes a look around the Detroit auto show and finds that Detroit's car makers are doing a lot better job than many Americans and members of the government thought.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The latest version of the car that gets by far the most publicity for the small number of vehicles that people actually has been revealed. That would be the Toyota Prius, which will be improved when it appears on North American roads this spring but is still a long, long ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
At the end of a few words from an auto journalism's widely appreciated for being a smartass, there is a wealth of information on the BEV available in the press releases from Ford and Magna.
Posted in Design, Green, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
More than many people in government and the general public (especially its bloggers) seem to understand, switching away from the big, over-powered, gas-guzzling vehicles that the public was demanding less than a year ago to the hyper-green fuel-suckers it still doesn't seem interested in (hybrid sales are down) is going ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Marketing, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
If electric vehicles and hybrids are ever to make a significant impact on the amount of oil used on this continent, they will require a steady and stable stream of batteries. Which is why a lot of companies, including General Motors, are determined to see that they come from North ...
Posted in Design, Green, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Lots of revisions to the droptop little car make it safer and more accommodating, though not much was said about fuel economy. Maybe this car is just too much fun to worry about that. After the short introduction in the attached story there's a link to the entire press release, ...
Posted in Accidents, Design, Driving Matters, Marketing, Product News, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 10th, 2009
While every new vehicle does come with a guarantee that the costs of repairs will be paid by the car company, there's considerable difference between what the car companies will pay for. That is to say, a certain item may be covered by one company, and not another. So one ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Marketing, Parts, Pricing, Product News, Save Money, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
