Car Blog

Upgrades to Ford’s full-motion virtual test track will help the automaker continue to develop and test active safety and driver aid technologies that warn drivers of imminent collision, drowsiness and other potentially dangerous scenarios behind the wheel.

The VIRtual Test Track EXperiment (VIRTTEX) simulator, which features a spherical dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement, now has upgraded image rendering technologies to provide a high-resolution, digitally projected 360-degree horizontal field-of-view to test and measure driver acceleration, braking and steering performance as well as overall driver reactions in varying conditions.

“VIRTTEX plays an integral role in helping us develop future safety and driver assist technology, making it essential to keep the simulator current with the latest technology,” said Mike Blommer, technical lead for the lab. “Coupled with improvements in the resolution and brightness of the projection technologies, as well as improved imagery capabilities, we will be able to boost our capabilities to conduct active safety studies.”

The 360-view helps the engineers evaluate driving performance with a complete view of every angle around the driver. Improved imagery creates the most realistic scenarios including other traffic, pedestrians and landmarks alongside the roadway. Read the rest of this entry »

Drivers of the all-new Ford Escape may be surprised to find out there is a plant inside the door.

As part of its overall effort to make vehicles more sustainable, Ford is making the material inside the door – known as the bolster – in part from kenaf.

Kenaf is a tropical plant that looks similar to bamboo and is related to cotton. The plant replaces oil-based materials inside the doors of the all-new Ford Escape.

The use of kenaf is anticipated to offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resin per year in North America; use of this eco-friendly material reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent. Weight savings translate into fuel savings for drivers.

“Kenaf and the other renewable materials in the Escape have made the vehicle more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient,” said Laura Sinclair, materials engineer for Escape. Read the rest of this entry »

Beat the Traffic will exhibit the latest version of its highly acclaimed Beat the Traffic app for the iPhone at the Macworld | iWorld 2012 Conference & Expo being held January 26-28 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Featuring a new design and new tools for helping motorists reach their destinations quickly and safely, Beat the Traffic 2.0 will join other new iPhone, iPad and iPod innovations on display at the Mobile Apps Showcase.

Since launching in 2009, Beat the Traffic for mobile has become one of the most popular apps in history with over 1.8 million downloads. It is consistently among the top 10 traffic apps in the iPhone App Store and steadily averages 4.5 stars in user reviews. In addition to positive reviews on NBC’s Today Show and in The Wall Street Journal Online, Fox News Tapped-In, O’Reilly’s “Best iPad Apps,” Lifehacker and others, Beat the Traffic has also garnered multiple nominations as the best mobile traffic tool on the market.

“Macworld is always a fun and exciting event – but this year, it’s a special opportunity for us to thank our fans face-to-face for their amazing support,” said Andre Gueziec, CEO of Beat the Traffic. “Our development team is looking forward to meeting current and new Beat the Traffic users, answering all their questions and letting them ‘test drive’ our most powerful Beat the Traffic app yet.” Read the rest of this entry »

AAA Auto Buying Tools app provides valuable market price information giving consumers buying confidence

Buying a new car is certainly stressful, but being armed with AAA’s new Auto Buying Tools app can make the process a lot easier.  Available on the Apple iPhone, AAA’s new Auto Buying Tools app gives consumers the ability to modify car details in real-time and refresh pricing data on the show room floor.

“This tool will give consumers the confidence and information they need to make an educated decision when buying a car,” says Marshall L. Doney, AAA National Vice President, Automotive, Financial Services and e-Business. “AAA wants to insure its members are prepared and knowledgeable about available member benefits when making such an important decision.”

With AAA’s Auto Buying Tools app, prospective buyers can build the car they want, including options and available incentives, while viewing market pricing, crash safety ratings, AAA reviews, images and much more.

Key features of the AAA Auto Buying Tools App:

• Search new cars by make/model, style and list price (MSRP)
• Build your ideal car, down to color and trim
• Features, specs, and crash safety ratings
• AAA vehicle reviews and car buying services*
• VIN number entry for quick, exact specifications
• Save searches and cars to favorites
• Share car details on Facebook, Twitter or email
• Compare two customized vehicles

* AAA Member Pricing and Reviews not available for some models or in certain areas.

AAA’s Auto Buying Tools app is the fifth from AAA and is available for free from the iTunes App Store.  Please visit AAA.com/mobile for further details.  The other AAA apps include:

• AAA Insurance app provides AAA’s recommended steps on what to do immediately after a traffic collision and helps you gather important information about the crash needed to submit an insurance claim.
• AAA TripTik Mobile is a GPS-based app with maps showing gas station locations and pricing along with points of interest, such as AAA-rated hotels, restaurants and attractions, near a user’s location or any user-specified location.
• AAA Discounts app, with more than a million downloads, also uses GPS technology to display nearby AAA Show Your Card & Save locations.
• AAA Roadside enables AAA members who require emergency road service to send their vehicle description, location and breakdown details directly to AAA.

Devices such as smartphones with mobile applications are valuable tools before a vehicle is in motion; however, they greatly increase motorist distractions when used while driving.  Distracted driving can have deadly consequences.  AAA urges motorists to minimize distractions behind the wheel by not using wireless devices, such as cell phones with mobile applications, while driving.

Ford announced it is the first automobile company to give drivers easy in-car access to the popular iHeartRadio app using voice control through Ford SYNC AppLink.

The new iHeartRadio, Clear Channel Radio’s industry-leading digital radio service, brings users a best-in-class customizable digital listening experience that combines the best of both worlds to deliver everything listeners want in one free, fully integrated service: more than 800 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created custom stations, which provide listeners more songs, better music intelligence, more user control and deeper social media integration.

The SYNC-enabled iHeartRadio smartphone app can be accessed using simple voice commands in the growing number of vehicles that now offer Ford SYNC with AppLink. Read the rest of this entry »

Audiovox Electronics  announced the launch of its Care Connection and Car Connection products, both location based service systems (LBS) that will utilize Sprint’s Nationwide Network in the U.S.A.

‘Car Connection’ is a new plug in On-Board Diagnostic (OBDII) device that will allow consumers to monitor, manage and maintain not only their own and other family drivers habits, but also vehicle performance and maintenance. It is a DIY solution that simply plugs into the vehicle’s OBDII port, a standard feature on all vehicles since 1996.

‘Care Connection’ is a wearable personal tracking system that features two way voice communication that will help the ‘sandwich generation’ secure, protect and locate the people that they value most- their young children, teen drivers and aging parents.   Both systems will utilize Sprint’s wireless network for connectivity.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Of the 5.4 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s, 6 out of 10 will wander and become lost at some point during the course of the disease.  Wandering poses immediate safety concerns and creates significant stress for caregivers.  The Alzheimer’s Association commends companies like Audiovox for providing families with quality safety services.” Read the rest of this entry »