In March of last year, we heard that Toyota had a mind to create its very own in-car operating system to “boost efficiency and speed up development.” Now, it’s bruited that BMW is asking any automaker who will listen to join hands in order to jointly develop an open source in-vehicle platform. The company has [...]
We knew good and well it was on the way, but now we’re bubbling over with excitement. The forthcoming Model S — an all-electric, five passenger sports sedan that will ride on a platform developed entirely by Tesla — has apparently been revealed. Of course, there’s still a real possibility that the image you’re drooling [...]
We thought we had a handle on what the next-gen Prius was going to look like when we spotted those renders back in July, and Toyota’s just confirmed that some press shots that leaked out last week are the real deal, not just photos of a super-high-tech sneaker. The company isn’t providing any more information [...]
Fusionman Yves Rossy, not to be confused with Buzz Lightyear, successfully crossed the English Channel today — the first to do so in a solo flight with jet-propelled wing. Rossy was dropped from a plane at 8,200 feet and flew 22-miles in under 10 minutes from Calais to Dover. When asked by National Geographic’s Kathryn [...]
A clever name, a clever design and a solid premise — now, if only we didn’t see a set of front and rear pegs along with Dave Mirra grinding down a stairwell each time we looked at it, we could actually take this thing seriously. Unfortunately for our childish hopes, Ultra Motors’ A2B electric bike [...]
Night view isn’t exactly a new technology, but Toyota’s latest implementation of it in its Crown Hybrid luxury sedan is a bit different than most. Unlike the company’s previous effort, which displayed images straight on the windshield, this one makes use of an LCD in the dashboard, which also does double duty by displaying the [...]
It’s only taken about a million years, but someone has finally decided that improvements are possible in automobile braking lights. Students from Virginia Tech have developed a new system that can show not just whether you’re stopping, but if you’re slowing down, when you’re about to stop, and how quickly you’re pressing the pedal. The [...]
Mio has quietly introduced a snazzy new navigator on its site, dubbed the C728. This unit boasts an expansive seven-inch 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen, 400MHz Samsung 2443 processor, SiRFstar III GPS chipset, AV input, internal speaker, SD / MMC expansion slots, a headphone jack, USB connectivity, 2GB of memory, 64MB of RAM and a [...]
CAR Online managed to get one of the first test drives of Ferrari’s new F430 Scuderia, and put together a video compilation for your viewing enjoyment. Click here for more pics.
The new car can count on an extremely low weight-to-power ratio of just 2.45 kg per hp thanks to a low dry weight of just [...]
InsideLineVideo managed to snag spy footage of the 2009 Nissan GT-R out at Nurburgring. According to a photographer, the GT-R recorded a 7 min. 38 second hot lap — the 911 Turbo clocked in at 7 min. 40 seconds. Click here for more pictures
With barely a month to go before its official debut, the 2009 [...]
Mitsubishi has officially announced the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Available in RS ($26,134) or GSR ($30,473+) trims, it comes equipped with a “lightweight 2.0-liter DOHC MIVEC turbocharged engine” that produces 295hp and 300 lb-ft torque. Click here for more pictures.
We’re also especially excited about the new Twin-Clutch SST 6-speed automated manual (think DSG from [...]
Pioneer’s been known to unveil new navigators fairly frequently, but the firm is starting October off right by introducing no fewer than nine new units for you to choose from. Starting at the top, the AVIC-HRZ009G / AVIC-HRV002G both sport seven-inch displays, DVD playback, support for MP3 / AAC / DivX formats, a terrestrial digital [...]
Hot on the heels of Matra’s MS1 comes yet another human / electric-powered hybrid bike, but Marcus Levison-Hays’ Electrobike Pi definitely rocks a more unorthodox design. This blindingly red transporter “combines the lightweight portability of a bicycle with speed and self-propulsion more akin to a motorcycle,” as it includes a 36-volt pack of NiMH batteries [...]
Sure, we’ve seen all flavors of electric motorcycles over the years, but Matra’s iteration takes a slightly different approach. The MS1 looks more like a bicycle and less like a Harley, and it provides commuters with a backup source of energy that should never fail so long as you’re properly fed, hydrated and rested. That [...]
It’s not the first such unit we’ve seen, but car stereos with SD card slots instead of CD players are still rare enough to get our attention, which is exactly what Blaupunkt has managed to do with its new Melbourne SD27 system. If that’s a bit too limiting for you, you can also make use [...]
Panasonic’s just announced a new mid-range, Strada-brand, in-dash GPS unit for the hometown crowd, the CN-HDS710TD. Following the European-spec’ed CN-GP50N we just spotted at IFA, this rolling entertainment center offers almost all of the functionality you could ask for, with a 40GB HDD, DVD / CD player, SD slot, MiniDisc deck, and digital TV tuner [...]
Some German drivers can already send data straight from Google Maps to their BMW’s GPS unit, but it looks like certain Mercedes owners can now get in on the act as well, and be able to do the same with Yahoo Local Maps to boot. That oft-desired feature is the centerpiece of Mercedes-Benz’s new Search [...]
For the handful of audiophiles who simply cover their ears with their uber-expensive cans when the rational crowd invites them to stop hoping for SACD to take off, here’s to you. Sony has launched the “world’s first” (we believe it, actually) in-car head unit that supports 5.1 SACD. The double-DIN XAV-W1 touts a seven-inch WVGA [...]
Earlier this year, Toyota was reportedly mulling the idea of crafting its own in-car OS, but now the firm — along with nine other Japanese companies — will be collaborating with the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry to develop “an operating system for automotive electronics.” The initiative is supposedly in reaction to similar joint developments [...]
We can imagine that quite a few of you sea-dwellers out there would love to just escape reality and cross the Atlantic on a solar-powered vessel, but for those who can’t withstand a full ten minutes at sea without heading for the railing, Seakeeper feels your pain. Busting out a pair of advanced stability systems, [...]
