A new technology that could make its way to production cars is being tested in a handful of Ford police interceptors. The new tech is called “Surveillance Mode,” and it essentially gives police officers eyes in the back of their heads when they’re in their cars to prevent sudden sneak-ups coming from the rear.
It’s a fairly simple technology and it uses current rear cameras used for backing up to detect movement going on behind the car. When it detects a person moving in the camera’s view, the inside of the car makes a beeping noise and all the doors automatically lock and the windows automatically roll up to prevent any possibly sudden attacks.
The technology is obviously designed to keep police officers safer while they’re out on patrol, especially when they’re alone. Interestingly enough, the idea for this was thought up by Ford engineer Randy Freiburger who went on a ride-along with a police office in Los Angeles. The officer had to get out of the car to chase down a suspect on foot, leaving Freiburger alone in the car.
A screen in the rear-view mirror shows the video footage of the rear camera, and unlike in production cars when the camera is only enabled in reverse gear, this camera can stay on at all times and remain activated until the driver chooses to disable the feature when it isn’t needed.
The technology will come standard in all 2014 Ford police cars, and older models can have the system retrofitted for just a few hundred dollars. No word on whether or not this technology will make it to production cars at some point, but everyday drivers could certainly benefit from such a feature to prevent robberies and carjackings.
Honda has announced that its 2014 Fit Hybrid has beat out all other hybrid models in Japan with a mileage rating of 36.4 km/L, which works out to about 85MPG in the United States. The small car, among other things, features three driving modes that are automatically engaged depending on the environment in which the car is being driven.
The 2013 Honda Fit Hybrid is the first to utilize a SPORT HYBRID Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive, more easily referred to as an i-DCD. This is a one-motor system that the auto maker says is best suited for small cars, and works with the EV drive by “disengaging the engine and the motor”. It falls within the company’s Earth Dreams Technology category, which aims at achieving high gas mileage.
Inside, there’s an inline 4-cylinder 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine, as well as the i-DCD’s 7-speed DCT integrated high-output motor. In addition, there’s also an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) with a lithium-ion battery built into it. Further expanding on the system to achieve a high gas mileage rating is the braking system.
Braking is done via an electric servo brake system, which is said to increase electrical regenerative efficiency. There’s also an all-electric compressor to lessen the load on the engine. All of this, when combined, results in a system that Honda says results in a fuel economy in excess of 35-percent better than the IMA hybrid system that is currently being used.
As mentioned, there are three driving modes, each of which is triggered automatically, comprised of EV Drive Mode (motor-only), the Hybrid Drive Mode (engine and motor driving), and the Engine Drive Mode (engine-only). Sales, said Honda, will start in Japan in September.
Police on patrol live and breathe situational awareness. Even in the safety of their patrol cars, cops can’t let their guards down. Now, a new feature developed by Ford and InterMotive Inc. lets officers know when pedestrians are approaching from behind — and puts the vehicle in lockdown. This car will cover your six.
Ford‘s advanced MyFord Touch infotainment systems are the focus of a new class-action lawsuit that’s been filed, noting that they’re defective and don’t work as advertised. The lawsuit also states that Ford knew that the infotainment system had issues, but sent them out to the public anyway without telling customers.
The MyFord Touch dashboard infotainment system was introduced in Ford and Lincoln vehicles a couple of years ago, and many drivers have reported dealing with glitches and freezing menus. Ford has issued several firmware updates to the system in the past and are even bringing back physical controls due to driver demand, but it seems that isn’t stopping a particular group.
The group behind the lawsuit is Center for Defensive Driving, which is a non-profit organization that offers free educational presentations on defensive driving to the public (and they also happen to be partially funded by Ford, which is a little ironic). It seems that they’re fed up with Ford’s infotainment offerings, despite the company’s attempts at fixing it.
Of course, Ford is well aware of these issues. Last year, the car maker reported that for every 1,000 vehicles, approximately 400 of them experienced issues with the MyFord Touch system — a rather disappointing ratio that isn’t quite the majority of their vehicles, but makes up almost half of them.
We’ve spoken with Ford on the matter, but they said that the company does “not comment on pending litigation.” As for what the Center for Defensive Driving hopes to get out of the lawsuit, a monetary reward will most likely take place, but no figure has been estimated yet. However, CDD President Chris Knox said that Ford should discontinue the MyFord Touch system instead of trying to improve it.
Mercedes-Benz’s 2014 S-Class wouldn’t be complete without a ridiculously powerful AMG version, and the tech-saturated new luxobarge has delivered on that with the S 63 AMG. Caressing up to 585 HP out of the AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine, the new übersedan can get to 62mph in just 4.0s and barrel on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph, while transporting passengers in a leather-clad interior that has more LCD displays than your local Best Buy.
The original S-Class is no slouch, but the three AMG variants headed to the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September crank things up considerably. The two regular cars do 0-62mph in 4.4s and are available in either short- or long-wheelbase versions, with up to 900Nm of torque apiece. Then there’s the S 63 AMD 4MATIC long-wheelbase, which uses all-wheel drive tuned for performance to cut 0.4s from the acceleration by pushing a third of the torque to the front and the rest to the rear wheels.
The 4MATIC also gets AMG Ride Control sports air suspension, with continuous damping adjustment. The other models get Mercedes’ Magic Body Control, which uses things like road scanning cameras to adjust in real-time to suit driving conditions. All three have comfort and sport modes, which adjust steering feel, suspension, and more.
Despite the added extras over the previous AMG version of the S-Class, Mercedes claims the 2014 car has actually lost weight. 100kg has been cut, thanks to new forged light-alloy wheels, swapping the traditional starter battery for a li-ion power pack (saving 20kg), and using new composite brakes. The whole outer skin of the car is now aluminum, and the spare wheel sits in a carbon-fiber bucket, saving 4kg along.
On the outside, there are a few cues to show other drivers you’ve spent massive amounts on a slab of German madness. Larger air dams on the front apron, high-gloss black grill inserts and side air-intakes, and a silver chrome front splitter keep the front looking interesting, while there’s two chromed twin tailpipes at the back.
Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG detail:
Even the noise has been fettled, with those four exhausts having special flaps inside that keep the sound muted when you’re in comfort mode, but let things roar more impressively when you’re in sport or manual modes. The latter shut off the ECO start/stop system and makes for more aggressive gear-changes from the 7-speed transition, while in comfort mode the S 63 AMG defaults to pulling off in second gear and smooths changes in a more leisurely manner.
Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG interior:
Inside, there’s gobfuls of leather, including a perforated leather AMG wheel with aluminum paddles. The LCD TFT driver display gets AMG logos and new virtual dial shapes, and there are special AMG sports seats with memory and heating for those in the front. An IWC clock is embedded in the dashboard.
AMG’s logo is splashed just about everywhere possible – the door sills, mats, pedals, and more – and then there’s a 10-speaker audio system with 3D surround sound, LED lighting throughout, and massage chairs. The safety features make the S 63 AMG almost as clever as Google’s self-driving cars, with the new Mercedes tracking other traffic, pedestrians, and other potential hazards, and able to pilot itself down highways and more.
Unsurprisingly, taking a manufacturer’s flagship four-door and throwing insane performance at it doesn’t do anything to make it more affordable. The S 63 AMG short-wheelbase will start at €149,880.50 ($196k) including tax when it hits forecourts in September, while the S 63 AMG 4MATIC long-wheelbase will start from €152,617.50 ($200k).
The 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed was jam-packed with all sorts of racing events, including the infamous hill climb that saw two cars crash. However, those weren’t the only accidents to happen over the week. Lamborghini’s latest concept, called the Parcour, was demoed on the track and actually ended up crashing, damaging the rear end of the car.
The Parcour is an off-road vehicle of sorts that sports the supercar styling you see on many exotic cars, combined with larger wheels and higher road clearance that you see on SUVs. The car looks a little weird at first, but it seems to work for the most part, except for when the car loses control and slams into some hay bales, causing damage to a multi-million dollar prototype.
The Parcour seen in the video below is just one of the two models that have been built, and while the company is downplaying the severity of the damage (saying that it would just need minor repairs and would be back on the road in no time), the car needed to be put on flatbed truck and towed away.
The Parcour was originally unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, and it sports a 550-horsepower, mid-mounted V10 engine that can get the car off-roading pretty easily. The tires don’t look to be anything off-road worthy, but it probably doesn’t take long to switch the wheels and tires out for something a bit more rigid and rugged.
Of course, the crowd’s reaction is pretty priceless. You hear them cringing knowing that an expensive prototype is about to run right into a stack of hay bales, but then they start clapping immediately, either for a genuine sigh of relief that the crash wasn’t worse, or a sarcastic applause of “good job, driver!”.
Technology in the car is becoming more and more ubiquitous, thanks to car makers putting in touchscreen controls, navigation systems, and mobile internet to provide real-time information to drivers. Nissan wants to get in on the fun and has put SiriusXM to the task of implementing a telematics system inside Nissan vehicles, and the company has partnered up with AT&T to make that happen.
AT&T will be there to give the SiriusXM system mobile data for driver information. The always-connected system will be similar to General Motor’s OnStar in the sense that it will provide assistance for emergencies and roadside problems, and can even be used to track a stolen vehicle. Plus, we wouldn’t be surprised if they threw in some more bells and whistles on top of that.
In fact, AT&T mentioned that “additional services” would be coming as well, although both SiriusXM and AT&T are staying pretty mum as far as what Nissan owners can expect. There’s not even an official name for the in-car telematics system yet, but we’re guessing Nissan will put their own little spin for marketing purposes.
The in-car technology will be coming to North America, though, but it’s not yet said when consumers should expect the technology to reach new Nissan cars. As for whether or not the new in-car system technology will boost Nissan sales, that’s pretty likely, as many drivers don’t mind plopping down a few more dollars for an always-connected roadside assistant.
It can’t be easy to build a car, but the factory where Teslas are born makes it looks like a piece of cake. The folks over at Wired took a look behind the scenes to watch rolls of aluminum transform into fully functional electric cars, and it’s a sight to behold.
Automatic license plate readers are the most widespread location tracking technology you’ve probably never heard of. Mounted on patrol cars or stationary objects like bridges, they snap photos of every passing car, recording their plate numbers, times, and locations. At first the captured plate data was used just to check against lists of cars law enforcement hoped to locate for various reasons (to act on arrest warrants, find stolen cars, etc.). But increasingly, all of this data is being fed into massive databases that contain the location information of many millions of innocent Americans stretching back for months or even years.
We’ve been hearing and seeing a lot about Tesla‘s Model S sedan, which is an all-electric car that looks to break all stereotypes about the greener technology, with CEO Elon Musk proving that electric cars don’t need to be small compact go-karts. However, we’ve never seen the inside of the Tesla factory where they make the Model S, until now.
Wired was able to get a look inside the Tesla factory floor and see how the Model S is made. Of course, robots are a big part of the production line, with a whopping 160 robots lining the factory to complete certain tasks like cutting metal, welding it together, and shaping components.
However, Tesla also has a huge army of human workers as well. In fact, they have 3,000 of them to do the more skillful and detailed work that robots just don’t have the capabilities to perform. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the factory is that the car starts with all raw materials, meaning that the Model S starts out as a roll of sheet metal, and almost all of the parts needed are made in-house.
From there, robots cut the sheet metal into panels and presses carve out and shape exterior car parts, like the hood, doors, trunk lid, fenders, etc. Once the body shell is put together, it’s taken to the painting department where robots prep, primer, and paint the body shell. From there, it goes to general assembly, where workers play a more important role, like installing the interior and engine.
In the end, it takes anywhere from 3-5 days to make a Tesla Model S, and while the company relies a lot on automation and using robots (even for installing the interior car seats), Tesla’s 3,000 employees make sure that the finer details are complete and a Model S is ready to hit the road.
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