Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft’s Sync, a voice-activated communications and entertainment system available exclusively on new Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles, will receive several major upgrades as part of its 2.0 release.

According to The Detroit News, the second-generation version of the Bluetooth-wired system was unwrapped at CES last night and will include new features such as traffic updates for selected routes, turn-by-turn directions, weather for specific areas, and personalized news, including sports scores, stock listings, and entertainment highlights. First introduced in the 2008 Ford Taurus, the upgraded Sync will be available free of charge for three years on all 2010 Ford models.

Stay tuned for more on this and other hot Microsoft tech as we continue to bring you the latest straight from the CES floor. You can also learn more about Ford Sync here.

For PCMag’s full CES coverage, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2235882,00.asp.

Scion fans with a taste for car tech will want to check out the xB Release Series 6.0, a limited production version that features an array of navigation, entertainment, media tools, and other options centered around a 5.8-inch touch screen Audio Visual Navigation (AVN) head unit—although so far (for mysterious reasons) the company has chosen only to release a couple of vague, black-and-white photos of it.

The AVN head unit features flash memory, voice recognition, MSN Direct, and Bluetooth connectivity. It also comes with an SD card reader, iPod connector, and a USB port. It’s satellite and HD Radio ready, and can play DVDs and iPod videos whenever the transmission is in park. The owner can also customize the display and choose from over 32,000 colors.

Now that we (almost) have a new President, all we need is a new presidential limo. The previous Commander-in-chief-mobile, which wheeled the Bush clan around, will retire along with the outgoing administration. Taking its place will be a brand-new Cadillac stretch, which CNN refers to as “part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank.”

As expected, this Caddy is aptly armored, protecting its valued occupant-elect with 8-inch-thick doors and ballistic glass windows. Secret Service agent Joe Funk (whose name is probably not Joe Funk), President Bill Clinton’s former driver, says that the incoming President will be totally isolated from the outside world once inside the vehicle.

“At the same time, I think he will be surprised at the communication capabilities, how the phones, the satellites, the Internet — everything is at his fingertips,” Funk said. “So at one end, you are totally removed from society. The other side of the coin is that he can have any communications worldwide at a moment’s touch.”

But don’t expect this behemoth to get good mileage. Though the official specs are most likely classified, this bunker on wheels is expected to weigh more than a full-size SUV. The car is also a Cadillac in name only: According to Funk, the vehicle is totally modified and the only original parts remaining are the hop caps and the Cadillac insignia on the steering wheel. The limo is said to be ready for the Inauguration on January 20. Until then check out the video after the jump for more.

Diversity can be key to small business sales figures, but this is certainly a new one: the Green Station, a biofuel refueling stop in Santa Cruz, Calif., has now opened a ZENN electric car dealership on the premises, according to AutoblogGreen.

Station co-owner Bill LeBon said in the report that NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) like the ZENN can be the “perfect car to do 90 percent of your driving in.” The problem with NEVs like the ZENN is top speed and range—they’re usually limited to just 25 mph. Not only are they illegal to drive on the highway, but they also present a problem even within city limits on roads with 30 mph and 40 mph speed limits.

At any rate, LeBon believes that by beginning to sell ZENN cars now, he’ll be prepared to offer the $30,000, more practical cityZENN EV as soon as it’s available. The current target date for that car is the fall of 2009; ZAP and other electric car manufacturers are waiting on the development of a capacitator that can help bump the top speed to 80 mph and greatly reduce charging time.

Whenever an automaker develops a new model, it tests it on both private tracks and public roads. The latter case exposes the company to spy photographers, who can have a field day while snapping blurry shots of heavily disguised (or not-so-heavily-disguised) prototypes, as company engineers are caught unawares—much to the chagrin of the automaker in question. Now car companies have a new enemy: Google.

Since Google deployed Street View a few years ago, the company’s mapping teams have caught all manner of questionable things happening in various photos—many of which become viral hits on the Internet once discovered. Recently Garage419, while looking for places to drive in Colorado, found photographs of several facelifted Porsche prototypes under testing.

The photos included mildly refreshed Boxsters, Caymans, and even a 911 Carrera. It’s tough to make out many details, but regardless, it looks like automakers have to be even more careful than before. (Via Autoblog)