October 22, 2006, 9:34 PM CT

2007 Hyundai Veracruz

Hyundai has announced that its 2007 version of Veracruz will make its North American debut at next years Detroit International Auto Show.

A 3.8-liter V6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission powers the 2007 Veracruz. The customer can also opt for an all-wheel drive.

The safety features include an ESC i.e. Electronic Stability Control, Standard side Airbags and Side-Curtain Airbags for all three passenger rows.

The Veracruz is build as a direct competitor for the Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano and the Lexus RX350.

Courtsey : Top Speed........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 22, 2006, 9:30 PM CT

2006 Gumpert Apollo

It seldom happens that you drive a performance based car which gives you a soothing experience. this is the kind of balance all super car manufacturers try to strike , which is a tough ask in it self. Apollo has done it with flawless precision by developing a super car that not only flies but soothes.

The 2006 Gumpert Apollo is the new Sports car from Apollo that produces 650 horsepower with a Topspeed of 360 km/h. This car does 0 to 100 km in just 3 seconds. It has a bi-turbo engine that weighs only 195 kg thus perfectly complimenting this light weighted car.

The aerodynamics of this super sports car are just about perfect with the dimensions in the order l x w x h being 4.46 x 2 x 1.24 in meters. The taut yet flexible suspension of this car offers the driver an extraordinary high level of comfort despite being a total speed wagon.

As always, low weight is the top priority for cars of this segment and Apollo does not disappoint us. It has used carbon-fiber extensively for the interiors.

This car reminds me of the TS07 from Technical Studio, The color scheme is exactly the same.Image : Clabedan


Courtsey : Autopark........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 9:14 PM CT

Audi Q7 Gets a 5 Star Security Rating

The Audi Q7 has been tested as on of the safest car on road by the US National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Audi Q7 got a 5 Star Rating for driver and passenger protection frontal crash tests and it also received the same rating in the side impact tests done for the front and rear passenger protection.

Audi of America's Executive Vice President Johan de Nysschen commented that Audi has always demonstrated a strong commitment to passenger security and will continue doing the same.

Well done Audi Q7..............

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 8:37 PM CT

Bugatti EB 16/4 Veyron Study

At the end of 2003 the first 21st-century Bugatti, a blend of traditional craftsmanship and ultra-modern industrial production, will leave the factory - the Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron, a production car of exceptionally unusual design that will be based on the design study of the same name displayed by BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S. at the 72nd Geneva Motor Show in 2002.

At the time of writing, in the spring of 2002, the 736 kW (1001 bhp) Bugatti EB 16·4 Veyron, although exhibited as a design study, has already reached a degree of driveline and body development that is close to series production status. The first theoretical performance figures are also available: the new 16-cylinder sports car should reach a top speed of 406 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h in under 14 seconds.

The study exhibited at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show incorporates a large number of technological highlights. As on Formula 1 and Le Mans racing cars, the load-bearing chassis of the EB 16·4 is reinforced with carbon fibre for maximum strength and rigidity as well as minimum weight. This principle also ensures optimum passive safety for the car's occupants. The outer skin of the body is of mixed aluminium and carbon-fibre construction. The W16 turbocharged engine, which has dry sump lubrication and four continuously variable camshafts, surpasses the power output of even the latest Formula 1 engines. Power is transmitted to the wheels through a new type of sequential-shift seven-speed gearbox with twin clutches.........

Posted by: Jim         Source

September 27, 2006, 8:25 PM CT

Airbags, Antilock Brakes Not Likely To Reduce Accidents

Scientists have determined that airbags and antilock braking systems do not reduce the likelihood of accidents or injuries because they may encourage more aggressive driving, thwarting the potential benefits of such safety features.

The behavior responsible for this seeming paradox is called the offset hypotheses, which predicts that consumers adapt to innovations meant to improve safety by becoming less vigilant about safety, said Fred Mannering, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University.

"When antilock brakes were first introduced, insurance companies noticed that the accident rates for those cars increased," he said. "We decided to see whether the offset hypothesis could explain this phenomenon".

The scientists analyzed motor vehicle data from the state of Washington over a five-year period beginning in 1992.

"We used that time period because that's when airbags started getting introduced very rapidly, and we wanted to track the same drivers over that time frame to see whether the new safety features reduced their accident and injury rate," Mannering said. "Our findings suggest that the offset hypothesis is occurring and that it is sufficient to counter the modest technological benefits of airbags and antilock brakes".

A research paper detailing the study's findings was published earlier this year in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. The paper was authored by Clifford Winston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; Vikram Maheshri, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley; and Mannering.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 9:21 PM CT

Intelligent Aircraft Flying

The U.S. military depends on small, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform such tasks as serving as "eyes in the sky" for battalion commanders planning maneuvers. While some of these UAVs can be easily carried in a backpack and launched by hand, they typically require a team of trained operators on the ground, and they perform only short-term tasks individually rather than sustained missions in coordinated groups.

MIT researchers, in collaboration with Boeing's advanced research and development arm, Phantom Works, are working to change that.

They have developed a multiple-UAV test platform that could lay the groundwork for an intelligent airborne fleet that requires little human supervision, covers a wide area, and automatically maintains the "health" of its vehicles (for example, vehicles anticipate when they need refueling, and new vehicles launch to replace lost, damaged, or grounded ones).

Aeronautics and Astronautics Professor Jonathan How, who heads the research team, believes it is the first platform to publicly demonstrate sustained, coordinated, autonomous flight with multiple UAVs.

At the Boeing Tech Expo at Hanscom Air Force Base in May, students on the team conducted more than 60 flights on demand with two UAVs. In the MIT Aerospace Controls Laboratory, the research team regularly conducts flights using three to five UAVs, which have achieved complex tasks such according tosistent surveillance of a defined area.........

Posted by: Kevin      Permalink         Source

September 26, 2006, 8:57 PM CT

Cars Of The Future

They looked incongruous as they pulled past the Chevrolets and Toyotas in East lot--an antique Stanley Steamer, a yellow-striped city bus, a motorcycle with a passenger seat made from a diner's counter stool, a tanker with a bucolic scene painted on the side and dozens more. In they rolled, horns honking amid the occasional deep "ooooh-gah" of the steam car's Klaxon.

The AltWheels caravan of 46 environmentally friendly vehicles had arrived at MIT's Stata Center amphitheater.

AltWheels--the second New England event of its kind--is an all-volunteer, multiday, multivenue event designed to raise public awareness of commercially available vehicles that provide alternatives to the gasoline-powered automobile.

"Even though the price of fuel dropped 20 cents, there's a need for this," MIT Chancellor Phillip L. Clay told the crowd of drivers, inventors and curious onlookers. "With Ford and others, MIT works hard with industry to advance fuel and energy research. This caravan represents the work of many at MIT".

John Heywood, director of the MIT Sloan Automotive Laboratory, said he's been involved in the automotive field "a long time, but it's never been this lively and exciting".

As the Hood blimp circled overhead, a crowd milled around the vehicles--some ordinary in appearance, others that seemed out of place on a city street. There was the Moonbeam, which Maine inventor Jory Squibb called "an experiment in resource-stingy transportation." A tiny three-wheeled contraption built from secondhand motorcycle parts, the Moonbeam gets up to 100 mpg, and Squibb uses it for 90 percent of his travel needs. Retired electrical engineer David K. Nergaard drove his circa-1890 Stanley Steamer, a steam-powered vehicle that attracted a covey of MIT students who peered at its parts as they puzzled out its principles.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 24, 2006, 10:30 AM CT

Bentley Azure Convertible 2006

The luxurious four-seater Bentley Azure, which goes on sale in Spring 2006, is the latest in a portfolio of wonderfully desirable 'dropheads' stretching back a number of decades and reaffirms Bentley's reputation as creator of the world's most elegant convertibles.

Bentley first hinted that a new Bentley Azure might be in the pipeline when it unveiled the glamorous Arnage Drophead Coupé show car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2005. The show car stimulated such interest among Bentley aficionados that the decision was quickly taken to continue its extensive development programme in time for delivery of the first customer cars in Spring 2006. Last month, Bentley announced that the production version of the show car would carry the evocative Azure name. Like its iconic predecessor, which was in production from 1995 to 2002, the new Azure becomes the flagship of the Bentley model range.

The design of the new Bentley Azure is, first and foremost, unmistakeably Bentley. It shares its face with the current Arnage range and its platform ensures it seats four adults in supreme comfort. But it is also unmistakeably unique. The entire cabin and rear section of the car are newly designed, with a stunning bespoke interior; the objective being to create an opulent and inviting seating area that reflects its status as a car that is at home in Palm Springs or the Riviera. The complex folding roof on the convertible is operated hydraulically at the touch of a switch: the impressive, three-layer fabric assembly being elegantly stowed beneath the hide-trimmed tonneau in under 30 seconds.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 24, 2006, 10:24 AM CT

2007 BMW X5

ts predecessor paved the way for a brand-new type of vehicle. Now the new 2007 BMW X5 raises the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) driving experience to an even higher standard. Powerful eight and six-cylinder engines, unique suspension, enhanced BMW xDrive all-wheel-drive technology, as well as a weight-optimized bodyshell with extreme torsional stiffness all interact to ensure excellent agility and dynamic performance.

The new 2007 BMW X5 is the only vehicle in its segment available with both Active Steering, developed by BMW, and AdaptiveDrive (a combination of Active Roll Stabilization and Electronic Damping Control). It is also the first SAV fitted with runflat tires as standard equipment.

The powerful elegance of the exterior design, just like the flexible and elegant interior, clearly underlines the dynamic character of the new 2007 BMW X5.

The new 2007 BMW X5 will be available in the U.S. with either a 4.8-liter V8 capable of 350 horsepower or a 3.0-liter inline-six with 260 horsepower.

The all-new X5 has all the attributes that made the original Sports Activity Vehicle such an innovative concept, and elevates them to new standards.

The interior of the original X5 was one of its hallmarks. The interior in the new BMW X5 combines the most sophisticated materials with numerous innovative options, thus a first-class ambience.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source

September 13, 2006, 4:45 AM CT

High-tech to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions

As part of a six-year study, scientists at the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University have helped test and develop an animal-detection system that may give motorists the upper hand in avoiding crashes with wildlife across the nation.

The system, by Sensor Technologies & Systems of Scottsdale, Ariz., reliably detected elk on U.S. Highway 191 in Yellowstone National Park. How effective the system is in reducing animal-vehicle collisions will be reviewed over the next two years.

The testing and development of the system was just one part of a 271-page report summarizing all the available information on animal-detection systems in the world: data from more than 30 study sites and 15 different animal-detection technologies in place across United States and Europe. One Swiss study showed collisions with large animals were reduced 82 percent in locations with animal-detection systems.

Animal detection systems use passive or active infrared signals, lasers, microwaves, or seismic sensors to activate warning signs that urge drivers to slow down, be more alert, or both, when large animals are on, or near, the road ahead.

"This is a very promising technology that can make U.S. roadways safer. Our results urge us to fine tune this technology so that it can be used across the country," said Marcel Huijser, the study's lead investigator at the WTI.........

Posted by: Jim      Permalink         Source