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Tag: Automobile

  • CES 2020: Segway Takes The Next Step—By Eliminating The Need To Walk With Sitting Scooter

    CES 2020: Segway Takes The Next Step—By Eliminating The Need To Walk With Sitting Scooter

    Few things are as recognizable and iconic as Segway’s scooters. The self-balancing scooter is a mainstay of touring companies and police forces. At CES 2020, the company announced its newest addition, the S-Pod: a seated gyroscope-based scooter.

    The S-Pod looks like something straight out of science fiction, with Automobile comparing it to the hoverchairs in Pixar’s WALL-E. Unlike the scooters, the S-Pod uses a control knob, rather than leaning, to direct the chair. The control pad can be detached so the chair can be controlled remotely.

    According to Autombile, “the S-Pod has a top speed of nearly 25 mph and a range of 43.5 miles on a charge.” With a gyroscopic design that is designed to make it impossible to turn over, the applications are endless. Unfortunately, Segway doesn’t seem interested in making the S-Pod available to the average consumer, and “insists the S-Pod is meant to be used on closed campuses.”

    Steve Jobs famously questioned the market choice for the Segway when he was first introduced to the device. “You’re sure your market is upscale consumers for transportation,” Jobs asked.

    The S-Pod has tremendous potential to be a widely adopted transportation device—if Segway changes their target market for the device.

  • Mini Cooper: New Changes Attempt to Modernize

    The first generation of the new Mini Cooper was released in the United States in 2002, and, since then, the world has not looked back. Sales of Mini Coopers have nearly doubled over the past 12 years, even though the car has not seen much change in terms of aesthetic or performance. In 2014, customers should expect that trend to change.

    The 2014 Mini Cooper will be the third generation of the new Mini. For the first two generations, BMW depended upon the kitschy, retro appearance of the Mini to sell its product. While that strategy has worked quite well, BMW realizes that it must adapt to the changing climate of the automobile scene if it wants to keep up with the competition.

    Hence the new reboot apparent in the 2014 Mini Cooper. The first notable aspect of the 2014 edition is the increase in size. When the Mini was first released in the US in 2002, the size growth was one of the first things Mini aficionados noticed. Despite being bigger than the classic Mini, however, the mini-moniker was still apt and fitting. The 2014 Mini Cooper, though, pushes the boundaries of what it means to be called mini; The 2014 edition is 4.5 inches longer, 1.7 inches wider, and .03 taller, while the wheelbase extended 1.1 inches with the track growing 1.7 inches in the front and 1.3 inches in the rear. Overall, these dimensions have led to a total growth of 8 cubic feet in the interior and 3 cubic feet in the luggage compartment.

    The most noticeable change, however, comes in the Mini’s interior. The classic center-dash speedometer has been relocated to the more traditional location behind the steering wheel, removing part of the “British feel” of the vehicle. In the speedometer’s previous location, BMW has installed an 8.8 inch Mini Controller Dial. This dial’s features include providing feedback for any changes made by the driver in the car, as well as providing the driver with changes in the outside environment. The controller dial also allows the driver to connect to infotainment news by tethering to one’s smartphone.

    Perhaps the neatest component of the Mini Controller Dial, however, is that it works with a navigation system in order to assess the terrain before one traverses it. What this allows the Mini to do is adjust its driving performance to meet the challenges of the road, resulting in better-timed gear shifts and better overall engine performance and gas mileage.

    BMW is confident that the changes the company has made to the 2014 Mini Cooper will be cherished by the Mini community. In fact, the company expects such a drastic increase in product demand (with a sales target of 2 million by 2016) that it has decided to produce Mini’s outside of the UK for the first time in its history. Production of the 2014 Mini Cooper Hatch will take place VDL Nedcar in the Netherlands, a company which has previously produced several version of Mitsubishi vehicles.

    If one is impressed by the new changes exhibited by the 2014 Mini Cooper, the vehicle will roll off of production lines and into dealerships in March for the almost-mini-but-not-quite price of $20, 745 for the base model and $24, 395 for the Cooper S.

    Image via MINI USA

  • 2014 Mazda 3 Finalist for Car of the Year

    The auto industry has received much attention recently due to drastic innovations in technology and third-party competition, such as Tesla Motors. As such, the competition for car of the year has never been more highly contested. Just last month, the Cadillac CTS won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award. Fortunately for Cadillac’s competitors, Motor Trend is not the only organization to hand out car of the year awards.

    This January in Detroit, the 2014 North American Car of the Year award will be announced, and surprisingly, the finalists are the same as Motor Trend’s – the Cadillac CTS, the Corvette Stingray, and the 2014 Mazda 3. While many have clamored to get their hands on the Cadillac CTS and Stingray, the Mazda 3 has been a surprise in the auto world this year.

    Mazda, a Japanese automaker, has been pushing the innovation envelope lately by using new technologies to enhance the performance and experience for their consumers. Mazda has been so innovative, in fact, that the Mazda 3 won the 2013 Innovation Vehicle of the Year award handed out by the Motor Press Guild, North America’s largest auto media association. (The runner-up was the Stingray).

    The 2014 Mazda 3 showcases a slew of new, technological innovations. It boasts a cruise-control which can automatically control the speed of the car to ensure a safe distance between two vehicles, adaptive headlights which assist in providing the best light possible when turning or going around curves, automatic dimming and brightening of headlights while driving at night, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, reverse assist to warn of impending collisions, and forward obstruction warning with brake assist. And it does all of this while achieving 41 mpg on the highway.

    While many assume that the below $20k Mazda 3 stands no chance against its more luxury-class competitors, it already has one car of the year award under its belt. On Monday, the Mazda 3 was named Car of the Year by AutoGuide.com, with the editorial director Colum Wood stating, “Combining attractive styling inside and out, with impressive features in versatile packaging, the 2014 Mazda3 is also efficient and fun to drive. It’s not that the Mazda3 is a great compact car; it’s simply a great car, period.”

    Jim O’Sullivan, the president and CEO of Mazda, also voiced his opinion on how Mazda is not holding back any punches from its high-end competition: “We truly put our best foot forward with the all-new 2014 Mazda3, not only to be competitive within its class but to be the vehicle that consumers have asked for. Never one to shy away from dynamic handling, this all-new Mazda3 also is value-minded, safety-oriented and technology-driven. Our best-selling vehicle worldwide should feature the best of what Mazda has to offer as well as give hints as to what’s to come not just for the model lineup but for the brand as a whole.”

    Now that the three finalists have been announced, the cars will undergo one more round of voting before the winner is announced at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. If the fuel-efficient, technology-laden 2014 Mazda 3 appeals to you, you can pick up the base model sedan starting at $16,945.

    [Image via Mazda]

  • Escape Recall: The Seventh Since July 2012

    Escape Recall: The Seventh Since July 2012

    It may be time to escape if you’re an Escape owner. And you may want to do it with another car.

    Ford is recalling the Escape again for the seventh time since July 2012. This time the SUV is being recalled to fix oil and fuel leaks that could lead to the engine catching fire. (They may need Katniss to solve this problem.)

    Only the redesigned 2013 model year Escape is being recalled for it’s potential risk of an engine fire. More than 161,000 of the hot-selling SUVs have been recalled and 12,000 of those have fuel lines that may have been incorrectly installed. Ford says the oil leaks can cause the cylinder heads of the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines to overheat and crack.

    The incorrectly installed fuel lines can leak gas after becoming chafed, though many of these were fixed during previous recalls.

    So far only 13 fires have been reported from the Escape, and thankfully there have been no injuries. Reports of engine fires were first recorded in late August, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ford then began an investigation, during which they were able to duplicate cracking of the cylinder heads. They also found leaks in the fuel line, which they were able to fix.

    Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said, “We’re committed to providing our customers with top-quality vehicles and are equally committed to addressing potential issues and responding quickly for our customers.”

    Auto safety advocates would disagree with Ms. Felker’s statement. They believe that seven recalls is quite a high number for a new vehicle model and may mean there are problems with the quality of the Escape.

    Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, thinks this is just more bad news for the Escape and Ford. Kane said, “Anytime you have more than a handful of recalls, it is troublesome. It’s another black eye for Ford on this vehicle.”

    None of these recalls seem to bother consumers though, the Escape has been purchased by more than 250,000 people in the U.S. alone this year.

    The 2013 Escape was first recalled in July 2012 because carpet padding was interfering with the brake pedals. It has also been recalled for fuel lines that can crack, coolant leaks, and child safety locks.

    So if you own an Escape, maybe leave it alone until you can take it to a dealer in January, when the recall will start. Then they can fix the problems for free.

    [Image via YouTube.]

  • Smart Cars Eliminate Waiting At Traffic Lights

    Have you ever sat at a four-way intersection and wondered if you could zip in and out of oncoming traffic to get across? If you have, you’re a dangerous person and I never want to be in a car with you. Good thing smart cars are here to do all the zipping and weaving for us.

    The Atlantic recently spoke to Peter Stone, a computer scientist at the University of Texas. He is one of the biggest proponents of the introduction of the truly smart car. While we do have smart cars now that offer capabilities that one expects of their smart phone; we don’t really have a car that can drive itself.

    This is where Stone comes in. He and his partner, Kurt Dresner, decided to begin researching the idea of an autonomous automobile. One of the things they addressed was what smart cars would do when faced with an intersection. As you are all painfully aware, drivers currently have to sit at a red light even when nobody is coming in the other direction. Smart cars would eliminate this.

    Under our new smart car overlords, traffic would constantly flow thanks to the computers on board the cars that can detect other cars and swerve in and out to avoid collisions. This would lead to a beautiful ballet of cars all in motion avoiding even the slightest scrape.

    The scientists have provided a simulation of what the future of intersections would look like. Intersections right now scare me enough as it is, this animation absolutely terrifies me. I’m not scared of getting into a collision, it’s just how close the cars are to each other. I jump whenever a car pulls up beside me because I think it’s going to hit me. Good thing smart cars won’t have manual input where I’ll freak out and swerve into somebody.

    Do you like the idea of a driverless car? Does that simulation freak you out? Let us know in the comments.

  • Hello Retro: The Datsun Is Back!

    Hello retro! After nearly 30 years they’re back, but not in America or anywhere close. Nissan has announced that they will be breathing new life into an 70′ and 80’s classic, the Datsun. I’m sure this isn’t exciting for a lot of folks, but there’s definitely still some of these gems on the road and i’ve met their owners. Guess what? They love these beasts.

    Essentially they were off brand Nissan vehicles, but they truly had a charm all their own. Like Nissan brand vehicles from the same era, they had a reputation for trouble free mechanicals and high-milage lifespans. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of Datsun owners were on the losing end of many a car joke, but like all the great rice-burners, they had a market.

    Nissan is hoping to successfully market the new Datsun in developing markets like Russia, Indonesia, and China. They want to offer an affordable compact car that consumers in those areas can afford and at the same time, not hurt the Nissan brand. So Datsun is the perfect solution. Nissan says they will offer the cars for around $6000. No mention of what models will be offered or if they will liken themselves to their predecessors.

    We’ll have to wait and see what they come up with. I doubt it will be anything as cool as the previous Datsun models, but i’m gonna find out more either way. Keep your eyes out for some of these classics on the road. There’s not too many, but there’s definitely a few.