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The PUMA speeds along the floor of the New York auto show.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Buzzing around the floor of the 2009 New York auto show, is the PUMA--the result of a collaboration between Segway and GM. We had a chance to ride in the vehicle, an electric-powered two seater. PUMA stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, and works on similar principles as the Segway Personal Transporter. Where on the Personal Transporter, you lean forward to make it go, the PUMA's steering column has to be pushed, which causes the entire cab to slide to the front and move weight forward, making the PUMA go.
Push the steering wheel forward, and the whole cabin shifts.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)The driver of the PUMA cautioned us to keep our legs loose--as the cabin shifted--and then we were off. The vehicle picked up a good amount of speed until the driver pulled back on the wheel, shifting our weight again and slowing it down. It was hard to believe we were traveling on two wheels, as it felt very balanced. (There are auxiliary wheels, with two on the rear for safety and two in front to support the PUMA when it is stopped.)
Turning was very smooth: as the driver turned the little wheel, power diverted to the outside wheel, letting the PUMA turn almost on a dime. Coming to a stop felt like the end of a roller coaster ride, as the PUMA leaned forward sharply and the cabin shifted again. A Segway representative came over and lifted up a safety bar.
Toyota showed off the i-Real at the 2007 Tokyo auto show.
(Credit: CNET)The PUMA is supposed to go up to 35 mph, with a range of 35 miles. A Segway representative told us that, after a full day of demonstration rides, the battery was only half-drained. The PUMA weighs 400 pounds, but is a very early model, with a second generation due to come out in the fall. GM initially approached Segway about the collaboration 18 months ago, but the PUMA on display was developed and built at the Segway plant in only 90 days.
GM isn't the first car company to develop a personal mobility vehicle. Japanese car companies have been at it for a long time. During the 2007 Tokyo auto show, we saw examples from both Toyota and Suzuki.
At the 2009 New York auto show, Land Rover rolled out updates to its top-of-the-line vehicles, showing a new direction for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, and renaming the LR3 as the LR4. All vehicles share a new 5-liter V-8 engine, with a supercharged version available in the Range Rovers, and new cabin tech, which integrates the navigation and audio control. iPod integration is finally available, at long last, and Land Rover will make HD radio available.
The Liv Inizio is a new electric sports car with Tesla-like specifications.
(Credit: EV Innovations)Note: This story was corrected to fix a typo in the company name after it initially published.
The Liv Inizio, an all-electric sports car with specs similar to the Tesla Roadster, is making its debut at the 2009 New York auto show. This new electric car is made by EV Innovations, formerly called Hybrid Technologies, which showed off the Liv Wise, a Toyota Yaris converted to an electric power train, at last year's New York auto show.
EV Innovations claims a 200-mile range for the Liv Inizio and a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 5 seconds. Top speed: 150 mph. About 15 inches longer than the Tesla Roadster and 6 inches wider, the Liv Inizio still manages to come in 300 pounds lighter. It uses a lithium ion battery pack to power its midmounted motor, and it has a recharge time of about 8 hours. A touch-screen LCD in the cabin displays trip information such as remaining range.
With corporate headquarters in Las Vegas and development done in North Carolina, EV Innovations uses its own battery management technology to offer electric conversions of existing cars, such as the Toyota Yaris, Smart ForTwo, PT Cruiser, and Mini Cooper, and original cars and two-wheelers.
Italian automotive designer Franco Sbarro runs a performance shop in Switzerland, and is known for bringing innovative concepts to the Geneva auto show. This year, Mr. Sbarro shows up with a compact roadster, using hubless wheels and an innovative touch-screen interface by Delphi.
The 1-2-3 seater Rinspeed iChange concept car
(Credit: Rinspeed)Swiss automaker Rinspeed will debut at the 2009 Geneva auto show an electric concept car that changes shape to conform to the number of passengers on board.
The iChange is a lightweight, 4,280mm (approximately 14 feet) EV sports car with a teardrop-like silhouette designed to maximize fuel efficiency for the single passenger. But with the push of a button, the sloped rear of the car pops up to accommodate two additional passengers, if needed.
The concept sports car forgoes doors, opting for a very ADA-unfriendly clamshell roof. Rinspeed is obviously assuming that in the future, women will no longer wear skirts.
... Read more
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)
Honda generated a lot of excitement last year when it announced the 2010 Insight, a new dedicated hybrid. Could it unseat Toyota's Prius from the hybrid throne? But Toyota wasn't about to let this upstart go unchallenged, announcing an update to the current generation Prius, which has been in production since 2004. We got to see both production vehicles at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, and set them against each other in a series of photos. Will the Insight bring fresh thinking to the hybrid space? Will Toyota sit on its laurels, or give the Prius the update it so urgently needs?
See photos of the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2010 Toyota Prius at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)
McLaren ends its SLR line with a special model named after a British racing legend. The SLR Stirling Moss features supercar performance and looks that, except for the carbon fiber, are right at home on a 1950s racetrack. When the limited production run starts on the SLR Stirling Moss, McLaren will stop building the current SLR line, and currently has no plans to bring it back. But the model is going out on a fine note, as this carbon fiber body has an extremely seductive side line and incredible power under the hood. Think less than 3.5 seconds to hit 60 mph. Think a top speed of 218 mph. And that's all in an open top car.
See photos of Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
New Jensen touch-screen multimedia system
(Credit:
Audiovox/Jensen)
The VM9423 touch-screen multimedia system is the first of six new Jensen models that will launch during the first half of 2009. This top-of-the-line system has a built-in HD Radio tuner, integrated iPod connectivity, and iTunes tagging. The VM9423 is GPS navigation, backup camera, Bluetooth, and Sirius/XM satellite radio ready--all of which require additional modules to add their respective functions. We cringe thinking about the mess ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Audiovox, FLO TV mobile video partnership announced
Audiovox and Media FLO partner to bring FLO Live Mobile TV to the car.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)At its press conference today, Audiovox/Jensen announced a partnership with mobile media provider MediaFLO USA to bring live mobile TV to Audiovox's mobile audio/video offerings.
MediaFLO's FLO TV service currently allows users to watch ten mobile television channels on certain Verizon and AT&T Wireless handsets for $15 per ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
CES 2009 is finally here, and with it comes a torrent of new car-related electronics, as well as updates of old favorites. From car audio to fuel savers to driver safety, the range of products at CES will cover the gamut.
Here's a sample of what you can expect to see over the next week.
