The Latest Car Technology News

Ford Reflex Concept

Ford uses a lot of words to describe its Reflex concept car. Words like bold, innovative, American, sporty . . . and from what I can tell, all the words fit. But I think the best word is one Ford doesn't use: family. Let's face it, most of the newest car innovations fit a family about as well as a studio apartment! While Ford never says so, the innovations designed into the Reflex concept make it look like they were designed with family in mind. A hip sporty family, that wants to go green, but a family.There are the reverse butterfly doors which make it easy to get in and out of front or back, and mean a parent is no long bumping into the door installing a car seat, or buckling baby in. And speaking of car seats, it comes with one; built right into the rear seat. When is the last time your car came with one of those? Then there is the rear seat itself - you know how some vans split their row seats 60-40 for easy removal? Well Ford did something similar in the Reflex, for a different reason. The rear seat is divided into one seat, and a small 'love seat' that can easily and comfortably fit two full size adults . . . or, you can push a button, and the love seat is divided in two small seats, perfect for children. Safety is also a major consideration, and in addition to the standard safety features - and not so standard ones, like side curtain airbags - Ford has added some innovation here too. The inflatable seat belts that reduce injury to second row passengers, is nice. The BeltMinder™, that lets you know if someone in the rear seats isn't buckled up, is even better. Ford doesn't stop innovation there either. The solar roofs fans, that power themselves to keep the car cool when it's sitting in a summer parking lot, are a very sweet extra. The solar head and tail lights, that absorb sunlight during the day to use when you turn the lights on - and charge the battery - are a very nice touch as well, and boost the fuel economy nicely. Not that the Reflex needs help boosting the fuel economy. The diesel electric hybrid gets up to 65 mph, while giving all the benefits of all wheel drive. Of course, some things - like how it handles - will need to wait until Ford starts offering test drives.All in all, there is only one minor issue I can see with the concept. Did they have to use white for the interior? I really hope that mesh cleans easily, because speaking for every parent I know, white and kids just do not mix well! 11/05/2008

Future Cars - Camaro Concept

The Camaro concept made its first appearance at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with styling that wowed the crowd and the styling will not change all that much when the car goes into production. The fifth generation Camaro will be based very closely on the concept, which is powered by a 400 horsepower aliminum small block LS2 V8, has a T56 six speed manual transmission and what GM says is a sophisticated chassis with four wheel independent suspension. The engine is fitted with Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology to save fuel, enough says GM for the concept to get 30mpg or better. While the concept does have four seats, the ones in the rear are for very short people only, as there’s not much room in there. "Millions of people of all ages fell in love with the Camaro for all of the right reasons," said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, global design. "Camaros were beautiful to look at and offered performance that could rival expensive European GTs. Yet they were practical enough to drive every day and priced within the reach of many new car buyers." And then, after the Camaro coupe came the convertible at the North American International Auto Show in 2007. The production convertible will follow the coupe, with an on-sale date in late 2009. This time the concept came in orange pearl paint, with gunmetal gray racing strips. Tom Peters, General Motors' director of exterior design for rear-wheel-drive and performance vehicles, says they wanted to make the car stand out more: "We opted to go with bright metal accents, as opposed to satin finish, for things like the exhaust tips and fuel filler, and even the rear lights have a polished look. The wheels are different, too. We wanted to do an update of the redline tires from the 1960s, but instead of the red line going around the tire, it's actually on the wheels." The changes to the concept are obviously around the rear end of the car. Even though the car is a concept it has been engineered to take a folding roof in the trunk. The windshield will be taller on the production version as well. The roof itself is not fitted, and there’s the possibility that a hard top folding roof may be on the production car. And by the way, it seems that the story of Bob Lutz walking in on the team developing the Camaro concept when it was close to its completion and simply saying ‘no’ and then walking out again was slightly incorrect. It was actually General Motors' Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner who ordered a redesign at the last minute. Apparently the design was far too closely styled after classic Camaros. 12/04/2007

Carcoverworld.com - Review of one of the best online car cover sellers

I was impressed when I first visited carcoverworld.com. It has one of the best possible names which a car cover website can get. My initial impression was fantapulas thus I planned to do an extensive research on the entire website. The site has one of the simplest of navigation and is filled with valuable products. If I were buying a cover for my car, carcoverworld would have been the first choice I would go to see what an online marketplace has to offer me. The speed with which this website loads is great when I compare it with other automobile websites. I highly recommend this site to anyone looking to buy a car cover. Its is a very good website with the full line of Covercraft and Coverking Products. The products include Indoor and outdoor car covers, truck covers, front end masks, truck tonneau covers, sun shields, interior covers, seat covers, and a full line of covers for motorcycles and ATV's. Carcoverworld ships vehicle protection and enhancement products in United States and to more than 40 international destinations around the world. If you do not have a car cover then buy one from Carcoverworld to protect your vehicle against harsh outdoor conditions, preserve vehicle paint and to safeguard it from dings, dents and dust. Sponsor Post 10/23/2007

2010 Camaro Concept

The Camaro concept made its first appearance at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with styling that wowed the crowd and the styling will not change all that much when the car goes into production. The fifth generation Camaro will be based very closely on the concept, which is powered by a 400 horsepower aliminum small block LS2 V8, has a T56 six speed manual transmission and what GM says is a sophisticated chassis with four wheel independent suspension. The engine is fitted with Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology to save fuel, enough says GM for the concept to get 30mpg or better. While the concept does have four seats, the ones in the rear are for very short people only, as there's not much room in there. "Millions of people of all ages fell in love with the Camaro for all of the right reasons," said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, global design. "Camaros were beautiful to look at and offered performance that could rival expensive European GTs. Yet they were practical enough to drive every day and priced within the reach of many new car buyers." And then, after the Camaro coupe came the convertible at the North American International Auto Show in 2007. The production convertible will follow the coupe, with an on-sale date in late 2009. This time the concept came in orange pearl paint, with gunmetal gray racing strips. Tom Peters, General Motors' director of exterior design for rear-wheel-drive and performance vehicles, says they wanted to make the car stand out more: "We opted to go with bright metal accents, as opposed to satin finish, for things like the exhaust tips and fuel filler, and even the rear lights have a polished look. The wheels are different, too. We wanted to do an update of the redline tires from the 1960s, but instead of the red line going around the tire, it's actually on the wheels." The changes to the concept are obviously around the rear end of the car. Even though the car is a concept it has been engineered to take a folding roof in the trunk. The windshield will be taller on the production version as well. The roof itself is not fitted, and there's the possibility that a hard top folding roof may be on the production car. And by the way, it seems that the story of Bob Lutz walking in on the team developing the Camaro concept when it was close to its completion and simply saying 'no' and then walking out again was slightly incorrect. It was actually General Motors' Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner who ordered a redesign at the last minute. Apparently the design was far too closely styled after classic Camaros. 10/15/2007

Add Gas Prices to Your Website

Automotive.com, a big name in automobile arena have launched "Add Gas Prices to Your Website", a seductive opportunity for website owners and webmasters who could now display local gas prices to their users using data from the reliable and authenticated sources associated with Automotive.com. All you have to do is to copy a small code provided here and paste it in the source page of your website or blog. The gas price tool display local gas prices in real time. Simply input the zip code for the area and it would give up-to-date gas price which enable you to plan your next trip ahead, for the prices involved. This tool gives amazingly closest/real values and I am not sure how every time day after day they maintain these data. Head on to Automotive.com for this great free addictive tool and give your visitors a value added service. Automotive.com allows you to find new and used cars, buy or sell cars, car reviews, and even provides or assists for auto financing and loans. While writing this review for the site, I came across car forum which is one of the best places to interact with like minded car enthusiasts who discuss their love affair with their machines. The site has a very friendly interface and browsing the site is a breeze. Sponsored Post 02/08/2007

2009 Chevy Impala Concept - (GM Future Cars)

The all-new 2009 Chevy Impala is under development now. We could very well expect the new 2009 Chevrolet Impala Concept soon. The best thing about this next flagship sedan will be that for the first time in many years Chevrolet Impala is going to be built on rear wheel drive platform - Zeta. It will also share the design cues from the much-awaited future Camaro. Other features expected are 300C, with retro styling and an optional V8. Well, lets wait and watch for the first concept version emerges. 09/14/2006

Resource for automobiles enthusiasts

Try this new site we found called CarsDBs - Automobiles. Its got a good collection of automobile related news and car related articles including categories like car maintenance, auto insurance and latest car reviews. Its got a nice forum too that is categorised into specific brands of auto manufacturers like BMW Chevrolet Audi Volkswagon Honda etc. 09/12/2006

2009 Acura NSX, Acura 2009 Future Cars

Acura demonstrated world with there opening NSX that they could acquire a super car and use it on a daily basis driving. Long awaited the current NSX is there since 1991 with some minor updates. Acura NSX is expected to tap the roads by 2009. The 2009 Acura NSX is going to target Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo in a big way and is for sure a big dent into their market.. According to gossips Honda is already testing prototypes for the car in Japan. Front-engine layout, and mid-engine like one in the earlier model is worked on. The car is also probably to have V10 engine with 500 horsepower. Super Handing All-Wheel Drive is most likely to be used in 2009 Acura NSX as is right now in Acura RL. It will send power to front wheels whenever required. Otherwise front engine layout would run most of the power to the rear wheels. 06/30/2006

Hybrid cars News Update

This Monday hybrid car owners at New Jersey will be reworded. Drivers of hybrid vehicles at New Jersey Turnpike could use high occupancy vehicle lanes which will bring much relief in their commutation. The move is welcome as it will encourage people to opt for hybrid vehicles in the era of rapidly rising fuel prices. Owners of hybrid cars could drive in HOV lanes without any occupant. Right now these lanes are reserved for vehicles with at least 3 occupants, motorcycles and buses. Congressman Brad Sherman, a big supporter of hybrid car thinks that plug-in hybrids will be next big thing in automobile industry. According to him cars that could get more then 100 miles per gallon could be termed as the cars of the future. Since electric cost is one third of the current gas price, there seems much depth in his thought. It was Brad Sherman who sponsored legislation which was aimed to encourage hybrid vehicles be included in highway bill which enabled states like California allow these cars in car-pool lanes. Another great initiative to promote hybrid cars was taken by Aviva Insurance Company of Canada. Aviva is now giving 10% discount on auto insurance in Quebec. The only criterion for this discount is that the car should be environment friendly. Thumbs up to Aviva for acknowledging well deserved environmental friendly car owners. 05/18/2006

New Hybrid cars for 2006

Gas electric Hybrid cars is no longer considered as passé and they are very much driving into the mainstream automobile market with full stream. This is evident with the new hybrid cars that are being launched in the market with great speed. Toyota has launched hybrid version of its most popular car in US where as Saturn has lowest priced Hybrid SUV. GM and Toyota both launching its hybrids is another sign that the automakers are now serious with the environmental cars. Toyota launched revamped version of its Camry Sedan with a Camry Hybrid at the Auto Show in Detroit. Camry is one of the best selling car in US since last four years and a hybrid version of the same is surely going to boost the hybrid car sales for Toyota motors the NO. 2 carmaker of the world. General motors NO. 1 carmaker of the world, one of the late comers in the hybrid car market is also coming up in the competition with a lower price tag for its Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid which is also being launched at 2006 Detroit auto show. The car is coming with a price tag of $23,000, which is going to make it the lowest cost hybrid SUV launched in the market so far. The base price of regular 4-cylinder VUE is $17,990. People go for hybrid cars for 2 reasons i.e. money they are going to save on fuel and environmental factors. In these two, price is the real factor and the present hybrid cars are not meeting it effectively. The hybrid cars as of now cost nearly $3000 more then their traditional counterparts. This money could be saved by higher fuel efficiency of hybrid cars but would take on an average 6 years. Most car owners do not keep their cars for this long. Toyota plan to make one of its most popular cars as hybrid could heat the competition with other carmakers especially Honda and GM. 01/12/2006