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Well, we know three things: it's a Toyota; it's a hybrid; and it's green.
(Credit: Toyota)The 2010 car show season is set to kick off in January at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, affectionately and more commonly known as the Detroit auto show. Toyota is going to be there and, being Toyota, you can bet its booth will be stuffed to the gill with hybrids. We've just received a pair of teaser images for an unnamed Toyota hybrid concept.
The ultra-swept headlamps and rounded nose point toward a concept that's like no current Toyota offering.
(Credit: Toyota)The concept should be a new model and not simply a hybrid version of a currently selling vehicle. There's not much that we can tell from the pictures beside that it's a green Toyota hybrid. I'm guessing based on the steep angle of the A-pillar that this is going to be a tiny car. Perhaps a new subcompact hybrid that slots in below the Prius.
We'll keep our eyes peeled for more information as it comes available. In the meantime, give us your best guess as to what Toyota's got up its sleeve in the comments.
(Credit:
CNET)
As 2009 rolls to a close, we look back at the cars we've reviewed over the last year to see which one should earn our Tech Car of the Year award. From our survey of the 100 or so cars we've reviewed, we're pleased to see that the adoption of cabin tech by automakers is becoming more prevalent and ever more sophisticated, with features such as hard-drive-based navigation with traffic reporting becoming common.
Among the cars we've seen, we picked out five that show the most innovative technology. These cars use technology to enhance the cabin and driving experience, and push the automotive technology envelope. Please vote for the car you think should be the 2009 Tech Car of the Year, and discuss it in the comments. The Car Tech staff jury members will place their own votes, and we will announce the winner on January 11, just before the Detroit auto show. Voting closes on January 4, 2010.
Nominees
(Credit:
CNET)
Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system, along with an active suspension system, makes the Q5 handle like a car, maintaining grip and composure during high-speed cornering. A new navigation system, powered by a Nvidia graphics chip, extensively renders urban areas in 3D.
(Credit:
CNET)
BMW spared no technology in its effort to make the X5 SUV worthy of an M badge. The result? The heaviest vehicle we've ever rotated through a turn. Throw in a navigation system with satellite imagery in the maps, and we've got a tech leader.
(Credit:
CNET)
Toyota may have turned the Prius into the iconic hybrid, but Ford's Fusion Hybrid is just a better all-around car. The hybrid system gives this midsize sedan excellent mileage, while letting it run under electric power at speeds up to 47 mph. Ford's cabin tech is anchored by Sync and Sirius Travel Link, and gets pushed up a step further with the driver-configurable ecology-oriented instrument cluster.
(Credit:
CNET)
The new Prius might have made this list of nominees, if it weren't for the all-new Lexus HS250h. This car uses Toyota's hybrid system to get excellent mileage while showing that a luxury car doesn't have to be a full-size sedan. It makes use of a number of driver aid technologies, and incorporates Lexus' newest cabin tech suite.
(Credit:
CNET)
Lincoln's new flagship sedan was a contender last year, and makes the list this year because of significant improvements. Along with its excellent Sync, Sirius Travel Link, and THX audio features, Lincoln gave it a high-tech engine in the form of the twin turbo direct injection V-6. Add to this adaptive cruise control and an automatic parking system that actually works, and the MKS shows up as a tech heavyweight.
I'm still running through notes I made when visiting the 52nd Annual International Auto Show here in my current residence of San Francisco, California regarding cars and topics to feature here in this blog. I'm still rolling-rolling-rolling like Limp Bizkit (did I spell that right?) and about to get all environmental with a video about one of the several hybrids I saw at the 2009 IAS, the 2010 Lexus RX450h.
The RX450h isn't Lexus's first foray into the mid-sized hybrid game and really it isn't all that different cosmetically from the outgoing RX400h. Likewise, based on much of what I've read about the RX450h that it isn't all that better for the environment or fuel economy than it's gas guzzling Lexus counterparts. But it ain't all bad - it's as plush and fashionable as one might expect a Lexo to be, and just the fact that Lexus has been making a concerted effort to jump on the hybrid bandwagon in the end is probably a good thing.
Not so long ago, large, numerate brains got together to create a mathematical formula for choosing the right wife.
Not content with satisfying the need for perfection in human relationships, mathematicians have now dedicated themselves to creating equations for the perfect relationship with the physical world.
Yes, according to the Telegraph, a British math professor has created a formula for successfully slipping your car into a parking spot.
You might think this a trivial pursuit. You'd be right. However, Vauxhall Motors, which participated in this useful experience, claims that 15 percent of hardy Brits say that the the biggest challenge of their holiday period is finding a fine place to park their car.
Please don't be square-rooted to the spot this Holiday Season, unless you're very good at math.
(Credit: Cc David Hilowitz/Flickr)So in drove professor Robin Blackburn of the University of London's Royal Holloway College to inscribe a few symbols and square roots in order to solve a real human problem.
The formula involves knowing such simple numbers as the radius of your car's curb-to-curb turning circle and the distance from the center of the front wheel to the front of your car.
Frankly, if you don't have these numbers stored at the very front of your brain, just behind seven pictures of Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses, then you have no business being on the road.
Professor Blackburn is merely putting all your most intimate numbers together for you. As he told the Telegraph: "Everyone has had the experience of ignoring a space because you're not sure if you can fit in or not. This formula solves that problem."
Indeed it does. Save for one small issue. You see, a U.K. government survey showed that almost 7 million Brits have math skills that are below the level of an average 11-year-old.
Many places in the US might have larger parking areas, but US math skills are not exactly proportionate. The National Assessment of Educational Progress suggests that only 4 out of 10 fourth- and eighth-graders are, well, any good at math at all. And only 42 percent of high school graduates left prepared for college-level math.
Professor Blackburn's formula is not simple. So I fear a new onset of holiday season accidents as willing but unable parkers attempt to enact his mathematical genius, only to plow into the silver Volvo in the adjacent parking space.
Pandora prepares to invade the dashboard. Porsche embraces lithium batteries--but not the way you think. Honda's CR-Z has a leak, and it's not transmission fluid! Ending the stigma of an in-car breathalyzer. And we go parking in a car that does it all by itself--and really well.
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EPISODE 148
SHOW NOTES• Pandora prepares to enter the dashboard--via SYNC?
• Tasty Honda CR-Z brochure leaked (Temple of VTEC)
• CNET drives the 2010 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost
I've been showing lots of love to the many fabulous new sports cars I scoped at the recently held 2009 International Auto Show, but it's not as if those were the only types of cars on display at San Francisco's Moscone Center. So I thought it was time "now for something completely different" like Monty Python's Flying Circus. But this car isn't British (although I'm a sucker for a Jaguar of any vintage). Instead I thought we'd share a pint with the 2010 VW New Beetle that made its presence felt at the International Auto Show as only a Beetle can.
Supposedly the newest "New" Beetle, being designed in California, is to be more modern on the outside as well as under the hood. While in my opinion the body style of the "New" Beetle has never been all that similar to its historic '70s predecessor, the newest Beetle does seem to be looking more current millennium than ever. Supposedly there are going to be a series of spinoffs bearing the Beetle name, including a convertible and even a minivan. Apparently VW has some nontraditionalist intentions with this supposed throwback to a cult classic. Only time will tell if this ends up working to VW's advantage, or if the buying public who had been drawn to the obvious personality of a Beetle will thumb their noses at such a blatant attempt at streamlining one of the most famous makes in automotive history.
I've been taking a lot of inspiration for my blog posts lately from the many beautiful and bad-ass cars I saw earlier this month at the 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco. Likewise, I've been focusing on the several sports cars that really tickled my fancy at said car show, and I've been posting up Web video covering their attributes in great detail amid scenic backdrops and general fanfare. Today I'm going to talk about yet another newly unleashed sports car, the 2010 BMW Z4, but the video posted here is more of a hit-and-run affair for those of you who possessing a short attention span. So without further ado let's begin...
The official name of this car is the 2010 BMW Z4 sDrive 35i, and it sure looks pretty on the road, eh? BMW has gone out of its way to reimagine the Z4 as more of an everyday, multiseason hardtop convertible, but it's still small and punchy enough to be thought of a sports vehicle as well. One could opt for the 3.0-liter version to pinch a few pennies, but if you've got the money for a Beamer, then why are you so worried about gas mileage? Go for the twin-turbo, 300 HP version and really kick up some dust when you take this toy out for a spin. You can scope how the superconvenient retractable roof works at the 0:51 mark.
There were a lot of impressive European sports cars on display at last week's International Auto Show in San Francisco. I've been giving Porsche and Lamborghini a lot of lip service lately in this blog, so I thought it was time to show a little love for the rather remarkable new Lotus--the 2010 Lotus Evora.
Like many of its European contemporaries, the 2010 Lotus Evora is a small, lightweight midengine sports car notable for sleek design and performance capability. What's strange is while Lotus isn't quite the household name that Lambo or Porsche is, the Evora is actually more expensive than comparable makes from these two sports-car powerhouses, which on paper doesn't seem like that great of a selling strategy. Despite this, Lotus has put together a sporty four-seater (yes, really) that is more utilitarian than one may expect from a sports vehicle and doesn't seem entirely ridiculous to drive to work every day...assuming you have the type of job that allows you to afford a Lotus.
One of the few European sports cars at the 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco that people were allowed to get behind the wheel of was the 2010 Porsche Boxster S. I had to get in on the act, and I must tell you that all I wanted to do was punch the gas pedal and go for a joyride. And for those of us who may never get such an opportunity, here's a video of the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder in action on the roadway. Boy, what a sweet view it is.
This new Boxster model is a few hundred pounds lighter than its predecessors to optimize its performance, yet it retains its midengine design and high-end sports car sensibility. But, alas, this video is not about the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder's statistics--it's all about its aesthetics. As you can tell, this Porsche is poetry in motion against a backdrop of green and mountainous highways. The swiftness of the Boxster Spyder can easily be felt merely by watching a video clip of this car in action, and you'll only wish that you were behind the wheel feeling the wind rushing against your face in this fine automobile. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Last week I got to attend the 52nd Annual International Auto Show in San Francisco. I actually got to sit behind the wheel of many fine automobiles, but one of the several cars that were off limits was the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of sitting (let alone driving) in a Lambo, so I've got to live vicariously through Web videos like this to get a taste of what it's like to drive the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. And just as you might expect, this car appears to kick ass even on the Welsh country roads within this review from Fifth Gear.
This video gives us the view both outside and inside this SuperVeloce Murcielago cruising at high speed along the twists and turns of the Welsh countryside. As is noted within the official title of this sports car, the 2010 Murcielago boasts 670 horses driving its 12-cylinder engine that tops out at over 200 mph and it's nearly $500K price tag correlates accordingly. Specs aside, this car looks and sounds pretty kick-ass to me. According to the commentary, Lamborghini will be phasing the Murcielago SuperVeloce out of production in the near future. 'Tis a damn shame, my friends, as the Murcielago SV is a world-class sports car to be reckoned with.
