YOKOHAMA, Japan--Mazda Motor Corp. aims to boost average fuel efficiency 30 percent in the next seven years with new and reworked engines.
The company will upgrade almost all its gasoline engines by 2015 and roll out a stop-start idle system, a gasoline rotary engine, and new diesel engines. Plans to trim 220 pounds from all new vehicles starting in 2011 will help Mazda achieve the goal.
Seita Kanai, Mazda's research and development chief, outlined the strategy here June 23.
He did not give an average fuel efficiency figure for Mazda's fleet, but the automaker already has improved fuel efficiency 30 percent since 2001, he said. More efficient engines will account for about two-thirds of the increased fuel efficiency.
(Source: Automotive News)
LOS ANGELES--Kia will get its first coupe when the replacement for the Spectra goes on sale next summer.
A version of the Koup Concept, shown at this year's New York auto show, will replace the compact Spectra, said Lee Hyun-soon, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors' research and development division. Lee said the Spectra name may change.
A sedan will go on sale by mid-2009, and the coupe will follow a couple of months later. The Spectra hatchback no longer will be sold in this country.
"We believe the coupe will sell better than the hatchback," Lee said here at a ceremony for the new Kia Motors America $130 million design center. The hatchback will be sold mainly in Europe as the cee'd, he said.
Kia aims to transform its bland looks and attract younger buyers. The U.S.-designed Koup Concept is much sleeker than the Spectra. U.S. stylists also designed the Soul--a boxy, five-seat subcompact that goes on sale next spring.
"The Soul and Spectra Coupe--that's our opportunity to pick up steam in the future with Gen Y," said Tom Loveless, vice president of sales at Kia Motors America. "We haven't done a lot in that arena."
The Spectra was Kia's best-seller through May at 35,826 units, up 18.6 percent from the same period last year.
(Source: Automotive News)
(Credit: Gizmag)As Crave learned recently, there are some impressive technologies out there to train the novice equestrian. And now we've discovered that there are systems available for the beasts themselves--specifically, those trained to race.
Kurt Systems, which Gizmag describes as a "Turkish racehorse and camel training equipment specialist," has created a mobile racehorse trainer that basically looks like a car with a slot carved right down the middle for the animal and its jockey. This bizarre vehicle, modded from a Ford F150 truck and powered by a Volvo diesel engine, "provides a moving enclosure in which a horse can walk, trot, or gallop in a controlled environment" up to 60 kilometers, or 37 miles, per hour.
There's enough space in the vehicle for a crew of three and various health-monitoring equipment, as well as a silicone saddle that can simulate the weight of a jockey. And for those concerned about the animal's rights, Kurt's general manager says the company's equipment is "horse-welfare sensitive." That, however, doesn't speak to everything else involved in the training process.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
When we took delivery of the 2008 Volvo S80, we immediately opened the boxes, pulled the various panels out, and tried to match up the bag of fasteners with the pictures in the assembly directions. Actually, new Volvos look nothing like flat-pack Ikea furniture, trading in their traditional boxy appearance for a modern, refined look. But safety remains paramount for Volvo, as evidenced by the large areas of glass around the cabin, affording an unobstructed view of the road.
Safety also makes its way into some innovative tech that we've been dying to test. Along with the BLIS blind-spot warning system we've seen before, Volvo includes lane-departure warning, collision warning, and a driver-alert system. We were also impressed by the comfortable cabin and the refined driving experience. With all-wheel drive and an adjustable suspension, the car is a sort of sporting dilettante.
(Credit: Terra Wind)
What could possibly be better than a million-dollar RV outfitted with state-of-art technology? One that goes in the water, of course.
As insane as it may seem, the Terra Wind Amphibious RV" has all the proper accoutrements for a luxury vehicle of its class, including an 6-foot swim deck, an 8-jet whirlpool, marble floors, wood paneling, leather furnishings, and a fully equipped home theater system featuring a 42-inch plasma TV, according to Uncrate. In the cockpit you'll find the instruments needed for the aquatic half of its persona to operate the submerged motors, rudder controls, bilge pumps, rudder control, and other standard yachting fare.
Surprisingly, the prices don't seem that much higher than land-only RVs in this category: from $850,000 to $1.2 million. Then again, there's not exactly a common range for this kind of thing. As for us, we'll wait for a seagoing version of the 5-star hotel on wheels.
DETROIT--General Motors will unveil a Cadillac CTS wagon this fall in an effort to compete with BMW's 3 series and Mercedes C-class wagons.
Cadillac intends to start production in 2009 for global sale. GM has shown a CTS coupe concept to be produced next year.
Cadillac also plans to replace its current SRX crossover with a production version of the Provoq concept crossover as a 2010 model. The current SRX has suffered disappointing sales. Sources familiar with GM's plans say the re-engineered and restyled SRX will look similar to the Provoq, a hydrogen fuel cell concept.
When the Provoq was shown in January, Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor told Automotive News that a production version could do something the current SRX has failed to do: draw in female buyers. Taylor predicted a production Provoq could sell 60,000 to 70,000 units annually. Last year, Cadillac sold 22,543 units of the SRX in the United States.
The current SRX is built on the Sigma architecture, also used for the CTS and STS. The next-generation SRX will be on a new architecture that is a blend of two GM front-wheel-drive architectures, Theta and Epsilon, and will likely be powered by a V-6 engine. In size it would be between the Saturn Vue and GM's Lambda-based crossovers such as the Buick Enclave.
(Source: Automotive News)
Click here to read articles on hands-free calling.
One feature we look for in every car we review at CNET Car Tech is Bluetooth hands-free cell phone integration. In addition, we've looked at a number of car stereos with Bluetooth and other in-car hands-free devices. The need for hands-free cell phone integration has just become much more important for millions of drivers in California and Washington, as new laws make it illegal to hold a phone and talk while driving. There is some question as to whether merely talking on a phone or holding up to your ear is the most important distraction. Personally, I want all the drivers around me to have both hands on the wheel, or be able to get that way fast when the need arises. I don't think people are prone to just dropping the phone, even when faced with an impending accident.
If you want to see some of your options for hands-free devices or cars with Bluetooth built in, take a look at the CNET hands-free calling center.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
Ever since the Garmin Nuvi 880 was announced at CES 2008, we've been excited to get out hands on this portable navigation system. Given the good track record of the other Nuvi series devices, we expected more of the same, solid feature list and good performance. However, we were most looking forward to taking its speech recognition capabilities out for a test drive. To be honest, we were a little weary since we've tried other such-equipped GPS devices, including the Magellan Maestro 4250 and the TomTom GO 930, and while they worked, there weren't the most accurate and the capabilities were limited. This isn't so with the Nuvi 880. We were blown away at the accuracy of the speech recognition; the range of features you can use it with; and its overall ease of use. This, in combination with the navigation offerings, sleek design, and solid performance, makes it worthy of our Editors' Choice award. The only downfall is that you're going to pay for these features. The Garmin Nuvi 880 has a price tag of $ 1,071.41, but you can probably find it for a bit less online.
(Credit: Evento)This may be the closest thing we've seen to the "Bus Ball" coming to life. Even its name is similar: The "Buzzball."
Evento, a New Zealand company with a passion for the absurd, is living up to its reputation once again with this spherical contraption. "At the heart of the Buzzball is a dual motor configuration, enabling the pilot to control the motion and direction of travel via left and right control triggers, which provides power to the driving wheels," its Web site says. The result, according to Slippery Brick, is a "one-man roller coaster."
If you're given to motion sickness, as are we, you might want to stay as far away from this thing as possible, especially if it advances beyond its prototype stage. If you simply must satisfy your inner calling to experience a human hamster wheel, the stationery "Vitusphere" might be a better bet.
Dash Express
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)Today, Dash Navigation set free a wireless software update that brings a number of new features and fixes to its Dash Express GPS device. The June08 update will be delivered over the air to Dash owners, so there's no need to connect to a PC or purchase software DVDs; you'll simply receive a notification when you next start your device. But what exactly are you getting? In short, smarter routing options and hopefully, better performance. Here's the breakdown of features:
FasterFind: This should let the Dash Express get a faster GPS fix by using over-the-air GPS satellite position information powered by SiRFInstantFix technology. FasterFind will also help to pick up your position faster, even when you're driving through heavily wooded areas or in urban canyons with skyscrapers, which often cause portable navigation systems to lose a GPS fix.
MyRoute: For frequently visited locations, Dash will "learn" your preferred route and then add this as your first option, dubbed MyRoute, when you're setting out to the same destination. The system will calculate the estimated time of arrival of that route based on the traffic data. You can then compare it with the other suggested routes and see if MyRoute is still your best option.
Search along route: This feature allows for enhanced and optimized points of interest searches along your route. Results are shown by distance from your present location and the direction off the route.
The June08 update ... Read more
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