Mercedes-Benz new fuel cell research vehicle is built on its B-class platform.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)Instead of big, new vehicle launches at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz focused heavily on technology. The company brought out its next generation fuel cell vehicle, a car that lets passenger and driver view different content on the same screen, and an iPhone app that works with the company's new telematics service, Mbrace.
The 2011 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell is a fuel cell research vehicle, continuing the company's look into using hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity to drive a car. The new model is based on the Mercedes-Benz B-class, a small vehicle with practical interior space. The fuel cells, lithium ion battery, and hydrogen tanks sit below the floorboards.
Mercedes-Benz owners can use this iPhone app to unlock their doors.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)The hydrogen tanks store 3.7 kilograms of hydrogen compressed at 10,000 psi, while the lithium ion battery produces 35 kilowatts. This vehicle's range is 248 miles, getting the equivalent of 86.6 mpg. The electric motor drives the wheels with 136 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, getting the F-Cell to 60 mph in 11.3 seconds.
For its production cars, Mercedes-Benz introduced its new Mbrace service, powered by Hughes Telematics. Similar to competing services such as Onstar, Mbrace provides crash notification to the nearest authorities, concierge services for navigation, and emergency roadside assistance. Mbrace also offers traffic and weather features, but most of these are concierge-based, so you will have to talk to a real operator.
Mbrace includes a smart phone app, current available for the Blackberry and iPhone, that lets you lock and unlock your car from almost anywhere in the world. The app uses a graphic of a Mercedes-Benz key, with button areas matching the lock and unlock functions of the physical key. The app also has a car location feature, which can guide you to your car if you forgot where you parked it.
And finally, Mercedes-Benz will offer an optional split-view technology for the LCDs in its S- and CL-class cars. This technology lets the passenger watch a movie, while the driver uses the car's navigation. Check out Brian Cooley's video, in which he shows how it works.
The Porsche Boxster Spyder borrows design elements from a bygone era.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
Sport car companies enjoy the luxury of pushing design to the extreme, putting issues such as passenger comfort and cargo area aside. At the Los Angeles Auto Show we found a selection of new car designs that are as beautiful as they are impractical. Porsche showed up with a convertible that makes it more difficult to lower the top than in its other models. Lotus' newest car may be more accessible than its previous models, but you will still need the moves of a break-dancer to get inside. And the second generation of the Spyker C8 Aileron takes car design into the world of art.
Check out all these cars, and a special eco convertible, in our slideshow.
The Sienna's Dual View display seems a bit wide for single source viewing, but dual source may be OK.
(Credit: Toyota)
Maybe they should call it a Van-za...
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)This week the 2011 Toyota Sienna debuted at the LA Auto Show and while the minivan's new Venza-esque aesthetic, 3.5- and 2.7-liter power trains, and available all-wheel drive are, well, kind of interesting, we're most intrigued by the new Dual View rear seat entertainment system.
Folding down from its hiding place in the Sienna's ceiling, the Dual View display appears to be a superwide 16.4-inch display. However, it is actually two smaller displays seamlessly butted against each other in one frame.
When watching a single source, the Dual View displays a single image. Choose two video sources (such as a DVD and the RCA inputs) and the two Dual View system switches to a split screen mode, displaying the two images side-by-side.
The rest of the Sienna's cabin tech package consists of the same DVD-based navigation system that Toyota's been using since forever, Bluetooth connectivity for calls and audio streaming, USB and iPod compatibility, and an 180-degree Panorama Camera rear monitor.
Check out our photos of the 2011 Sienna from the floor of the 2009 LA Auto Show.
The Honda P-NUT was the strangest thing on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
In a time when most automakers limit their new production, Honda showed the most creative flair at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show with its Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) concept. The P-NUT explores new ideas for small city cars, using a 1+2 layout, with rear seats that can fold up, turning the car into a delivery cart. Honda has some interesting ideas for how the driver would interact with the car, and specifies a head-up display for the broad windshield.
Don't expect the P-NUT to ever hit production; it is pure concept. Honda merely suggests some ideas that would work for its powerplant, from a traditional internal combustion engine to an electric drive unit.
Saab's new model doesn't look very happy at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
A week before the Los Angeles Auto Show, GM's deal to sell Saab to Koenigsegg fell through, making the Swedish carmaker's future uncertain. But the company's plans for a future that might never come are evident in the 2011 9-5 sedan. This car incorporates much of the jet fighter design Saab used in its Aero-X concept from a few years ago. The pillars and roof of the 9-5 have a more angular design than previous Saabs, yet still maintain the Saab identity.
Saab also modernized the technology in the 9-5, going to a hard-drive-based navigation system and a USB port for audio sources. The driver will see information projected on the windshield through the car's Pilot HUD feature.
Motivating the 9-5 is a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 making 300 horsepower, putting power to all wheels through Saab's XWD system. An electronic limited slip differential helps keep power going to the right wheels when cornering. Saab also incorporated an adaptive suspension in the car to minimize body roll.
The company says it will start selling the 9-5 in late 2010, but Saab's currently tenuous situation might mean the 9-5 never sees production.
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Josh P. Miller/CNET)
When Ford launched the revised Mustang last year, we were pretty bummed to learn that there wasn't a new power plant to go along with the improved aesthetic. At the 2009 LA Auto Show, this inequity has been rectified with a new 3.7-liter Duratec V-6 that boosts engine output to 305 horsepower while raising fuel economy to an estimated 30 mpg on the highway. For the first time ever, a V-6 Mustang is nothing to be ashamed of.
We've already taken a look at how the Duratec achieves such power and economy through a combination of weight and friction reduction, along with a new variable valve timing system. Spinning the crank to the tune of 305 horsepower means that the Mustang is now more powerful than the Chevrolet Camaro (304 horsepower). Of course, a one pony gap isn't much to write home about, but bragging rights are bragging rights.
Along with the new heart, the Mustang receives a few aero tweaks to the front end and undercarriage that will likely be invisible to all but the most diehard 'Stang lovers. Revised spring rates and a new thicker rear anitroll bar also help the Mustang V-6 to handle slightly better, but an optional Performance Package adds the suspension and stability control programming of the Mustang GT, bringing the V-6 model dangerously close to the V-8 in terms of performance--at least, until the new GT is revealed at the Detroit Show in January.
Check out our gallery of the 2011 Mustang V-6 at the 2009 LA Auto Show.
Infiniti chose an alternate location to show off its M56 during the Los Angeles Auto Show.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
Infiniti didn't make it to the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, but the company was near by, showing its 2011 Infiniti M56 in Beverly Hills. The update to Infiniti's top model is an attempt to stay competitive with luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, while maintaining a performance focus. As such, the M56 gets a revised interior with some nice woodwork, new running gear, and a raft of driver-aid technologies.
Along with blind-spot detection and lane departure warning, Infiniti adds lane drift prevention, which keeps the car from crossing a lane line by braking the offside wheels a little. This technology can prevent a sleepy driver from going off the road, or a distracted driver from changing lanes into an occupied lane. We've tested this technology previously and found it easily overcome, so it won't prevent a driver making an emergency lane change.
The car also has an adaptive cruise control option, an around-view camera that makes maneuvering through tight parking garages easier, and a new technology called Eco pedal. This last feature pushes back slightly on the gas pedal for heavy-footed drivers as a means of training people to drive more economically. This feature can be easily turned off.
The new power train in the M56 includes a seven-speed automatic transmission and a direct injection 5.6-liter V-8, producing 420 horsepower. This engine is more powerful yet more economical than the outgoing 4.5-liter V-8. The M model is also available as an M37, with a 3.7-liter V-6.
Audi/VW's TDI technology grabs a Green Car of the Year twofer.
(Credit: CNET)For the second year in a row, the Green Car of the Year award has been handed to a clean diesel vehicle. This time around, it's the 2010 Audi A3 TDI and its 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo-diesel engine that's beaten its way to the top of a field populated mostly with gas-electric hybrids from Toyota, Mercury, and Honda.
Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, which sponsors the award, cites the A3's EPA-estimated 42 highway mpg, five-seater hatchback functionality, and fun driving experience seasoned with healthy portions of low-end torque as the reasons for its success.
The Green Car of the Year is awarded annually at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Previous winners of the award include the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
The Hyundai Sonata midsized sedan will be powered by a variety of four-cylinder engines.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)Debuting at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is the first vehicle to feature Hyundai's "Fluidic Sculpture" design language--"Fluidic Sculpture" obviously being market-speak for bulbous and swoopy.
The Sonata will debut with a 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection engine and a pair of six-speed transmissions, one automatic and one manual. However by the end of 2010, a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and a Hybrid Blue Drive model are set to join the lineup. However, the Sonata will not get a V6. This is a four-banger only party. The 2.4-liter launch engine will output 198 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, while delivering 23 city/35 highway mpg. A performance oriented SE model boosts the horsepower to and even 200-ponies and adds uprated suspension components.
Cabin tech packages include a DVD/MP3-compatible Dimension audio premium audio system with a 6.5-inch touchscreen navigation system that is optional on the GLS and SE trims. Stepping up to the luxury-oriented Limited trim adds HD Radio and makes a navigation-free version of the Dimension audio system a standard feature, as well as opening up the option to choose a 400-watt Infinity audio system with touchscreen navigation. Regardless of trim, choosing the premium audio option also nets a touchscreen navigation system. The nav system's data is stored on 8GB of flash memory, so we expect that it's a similar system to the one found in the Genesis Coupe.
XM satellite radio is standard (with three months of service included), as well as access to XM NavTraffic and XM Data Services when equipped with navigation. Also standard are Bluetooth handsfree connectivity and iPod/USB connectivity.
If Hyundai's Elantra Touring and Genesis coupe and sedan are any indication of the direction the Korean automaker is heading, we may find the new Sonata stealing a few Camry and Accord sales when it debuts in 2010. However, until we can get some wheel time with the midsized sedan, you can check out our gallery of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata.
The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe debuts at the LA Auto Show.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
The CTS has proven to be one of Cadillac's most versatile cars, and a favorite of the company's designers. The CTS Sedan launched with an extreme example of Cadillac's modern Art and Science design language, giving it a very individual look. Since then, Cadillac has added a Sport Wagon version and the high performance CTS-V. Cadillac further modifies the body with the CTS Coupe, taking the design to even more extreme lengths.
At once shorter and flatter than the CTS Sedan, the Coupe looks almost like a hatchback with the high rise of the trunk lid. Inside seating is in a 2+2 arrangement. Although the front of the car is the same as the CTS Sedan, the sides and rear are new. Along with taking off the rear doors, Cadillac made other design changes, such as taking off the door handles, replacing them with electronic touchpads, and changing the configuration of the exhaust tips.
Inside, the Coupe has the same cabin tech as the Sedan, with hard drive-based navigation with live traffic, onboard music storage, iPod integration, Bose stereo system, and Bluetooth.
