Smaller, cheaper electronics have been a boon for the auto industry, as car technology has boomed over the past few years. J.D. Power has been studying the tech trend, surveying over 19,000 potential car buyers to gauge interest in new tech like nav systems and infotainment systems. The powerful research company found that customers are now far more tech-savvy than they were in the past, and they're also very interested in adding new features to their next car purchase. That's great news for automakers, but unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), many aren't interested in paying for the new features.

J.D. Powers found that 67% of those surveyed were interested in a navigation system. But when the average price of $1,600 was revealed, the number dropped to only 20%. Luxury buyers were a bit more interested, though only 45% of those surveyed would still opt for the interactive LCD. Cheaper off-board navigation services like On-Star or Ford's SYNC direction service weren't very good alternatives, either. Only one-third of those who were interested in navigation would go the off-board route, even though the systems have proven to be very effective and easy-to-use. We're guessing that part of the allure of the LCD nav is that it makes the whole dash look more high-end.

Customers are also very interested in utilizing their MP3 players in the car. Nearly two-thirds wanted the ability to listen to their music players in the car, while 27% wanted "smart phone" music connectivity. Of those who already use their music devices in their car, over half use an auxiliary jack, and 20% use an FM transmitter. Hit the jump to pour over the J.D. Power press release.

[Source: J.D. Power]

When Hyundai's sparkling Genesis Coupe debuted earlier this year, we heard from many of you who were excited about the rear-drive model's performance prospects. More than a few we spoke with, however, expressed disappointment that it did not arrive in showrooms with an optional in-dash navigation unit, particularly since Hyundai was plainly targeting premium competitors like the Infiniti G37. Well, we've just returned from the company's HATCI facility (Hyundai-Kia American Technical Center, Inc.) in Ann Arbor, and we're happy to report that we've been given an in-depth look at a prototype of the company's next-generation system that will find its way into the Genesis Coupe beginning later this summer.

Fair Warning: The accompanying photographs are of a rough engineering prototype unit, but we thought our readers would appreciate the early look. As is typical of such mules, the instrument panel is more than a bit tired looking from having its "head unit swapped out more often than you change your underwear" (so says Dan Bedore, Hyundai's quick-witted P.R. manager).

Click on the jump to get the full skinny.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.

AT&T is starting to work with pockets of customers to test its CruiseCast satellite-based entertainment service before officially putting the TV/radio service on wide offer. When the whole clan is on the go, it may work to keep everyone calm and quiet, and when your Prevost motor coach is loaded up with everything else, you might as well go for the TV service, too. Truckers sticking DBS dishes on their rigs would likely be pleased with the CruiseCast system, especially since AT&T is using some new technology developments by RaySat that defeats the typical issues with line of sight obstacles and underpasses.

For comparison's sake, Sirius is cheaper and offers much more variety than AT&T's 20 music/talk radio stations, but their optional Backseat TV service only offers three television channels, and they are all geared for the kiddies. Conversely, AT&T's CruiseCast hardware must be professionally installed and will set you back $1,299, and the monthly payment is $28. Once the service is available for all customers in early June, they'll have 22 television channels to choose from. All that for the price of a used car and more than $300 bucks a year in subscription costs. Official press release posted after the jump.

[Source: Engadget]

At the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Ford announced that three new features would be included on the next iteration of the SYNC system: traffic data, GPS-guided directions and the ability to snag information from the web through the user's data/GPS/Bluetooth-enabled smartphone to display or read weather conditions, sports scores and other information through the stereo.

On May 26th, the upgrade will be made available to all current 2010 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners (you download the update to your PC, then transfer it to the SYNC system through a thumb drive) and all new 2010 models will be equipped with the upgrade from the factory. But as Ford CEO Alan Mulally promised, there's more on the way.

Ford and Microsoft plan to continually update SYNC, and according to Charlotte Fisher from Ford's Design and Technology team, "every six to eight to twelve months we'll be delivering new services." One of the possible features Ford could include on future iterations of SYNC is streaming internet radio, and Fisher confirmed that Ford is currently "talking with Pandora." Can you say XM-killer? Hit the jump to watch a video of the new system in action.

Monster Cable is nothing if not aggressive. The company rabidly peddles overpriced wiring products to purchasers incapable of analysis, and Monster Cable is just as obnoxious about suing everything in sight that uses "Monster" in its name. What kind of copyright infringement might Monster Mini Golf be foisting upon a company that charges way too much for wire that offers dubious, if any, performance advantage? While the issue with Monster Mini Golf has been settled, Monster Cable is now going after another totally unrelated business. While the company says it's over any issues with Monster Transmission of Florida, the shop says the story is not yet over. While Monster Cable seems bent on copyrighting the word "Monster," the businesses they're harassing are engaged in actual commerce, some even building class-leading products, you know, like the type Monster claims it makes (and charges for). We're off to stock up on lamp cord to hand out as part of an overpriced interconnect recovery package.

[Source: Engadget]

Here in New York, Volkswagen CEO Stefan Jacoby said the company might be shaking things "Up" again in the States. The on-again, off-again status of the Up! mini-car on these shores is apparently about to go on – again. While the Up! (likely to reintroduce the Lupo nameplate) won't see production until 2012 at the earliest, Jacoby is hinting that it could be on sale here when it debuts: "Up! could be in the future of the market here. In urban areas like New York, a car like Up! has a good chance."

Jacoby, among others, thinks that fuel efficiency will remain a big draw into the future, so cars like the Up! make a lot of sense for VW, returning an anticipated 50 mpg. And that's just in conventional internal-combustion engine configuration. Throw in some of VW's alternative-fuel technology, and that number could go up significantly. "We are looking at second-generation biofuels, electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and nanotechnology," Jacoby said. That doesn't mean VW thinks the end of the ICE is nigh. When the U.S. market starts to rebound at the end of 2009, Jacoby anticipates a total market of 13 million to 14 million vehicles, the vast majority ICEs.

We've already speculated that the Up! will be produced in India, and that we'll most likely get the roomier Space Up! microvan model rather than the smaller three-door hatch version. We're also hearing that the original Beetle-like rear-engine, rear-drive configuration will be swapped to front/front for production. Engine options are said to range from a 600cc turbo to a 1.2-liter three-cylinder, in gas and diesel forms. Mileage could be as high as 80 miles-per-gallon. If it has any of the driving dynamics that Volkswagen is known for, we can see this being a worthy rival for the Honda Fit and Fiat 500 in the fun little econo car class.



[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd.]

In the near future, Ford vehicles may fire back a retort if you get cheesed off enough to yell at the car. According to the details of a patent filing, Ford is working on an Emotive Advisory System (EAS) that simulates emotions when interacting with occupants, and may also use an avatar to express itself.

The EAS also uses sensors to detect the emotional state of occupants and generate responses based on that data. We all tend to forge some kind of bond with our cars, but it's a little too fantastical and hilarious to imagine rocking down the blacktop in a new Taurus SHO and having the car say "You don't need to drive like a jerk just because you're mad at me."



[Source: swdelaw]

The uncertain future of the alternative-powered and alternative-fueled vehicle is being decided by a confluence of old and new technology, big business and start-ups, marketing, vested interests, and public perception. It is no surprise, then, that when it comes to government regulation, we are bound to end up with some conflicting decisions. A company in California that converts regular hybrids to plug-in hybrids has found itself smack in the middle of one of those conflicts.

Last year, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) cut its mandated amount of electric vehicle sales in California by 70%. Some thought that might leave an exploitable opening for plug-in hybrids to gain serious market share. A number of start-ups have been established that install additional batteries into cars like the Toyota Prius, rendering them all electric below 34 mph, and allowing them to be recharged in 4 hours from a standard 3-prong outlet. The retrofit turns the 40+ mpg Prius into a 100+ mpg dromedary.

A new CARB proposal would require those start-ups to put their cars through smog tests that run about $25,000 per car, and to warranty their conversions for 10 years or 150,000 miles. The smog test issue has to do with a pollutant buildup issue in the catalytic converter and the gas vapor canister on cars that do a lot of cold starts and that might not use their internal combustion engines for more than three days. The warranty terms are the same as those mandated for any company that sells hybrids in California.

The start-ups say the pollutant issue has already been tested and solved by battery provider A123 systems, and it was approved in Massachusetts, a state that follows the same emissions standards as California. As for the warranty, the start-ups say they aren't altering the Prius, they are adding aftermarket batteries, so it doesn't make sense to force them to match the Prius' warranty. Besides that, the batteries they install are not expected to last ten years, so the warranty would be pointless anyway. The new regulations are expected to come into force next week anyway. Hat tip to reader Daniel

[Source: East Bay Express]

When the conversation turns to classic V8 engines from a bygone era, the discussion often starts and ends with the small block Chevy that was introduced way back in 1955 and continues to terrorize the overhead-cam masses from Ford all the way to Ferrari. Bentley would like to remind you that it, too, has an iconic engine born back in the '50s that still deserves to be feted, and it still has pushrods. And celebrated it shall be at the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation lecture on January 22nd. This year will mark the 6¾-liter Bentley V8 engine's 50th anniversary, with the motor having seen its first installation in the 1959 Bentley S2. The mill was enlarged back in 1968 to its current displacement and has seen the addition of turbochargers and intercoolers on the way to its current position under the hoods of the 530-horsepower Bentley Brooklands coupe, Arnage and Azure convertible models for 2009. Congrats on the achievement, Bentley Boys.


[Source: Bentley]

That's the way it goes with fashion: it's on the runway in Paris in March and in a bucket at Big Lots by September. Mercedes-Benz' in-house tuning arm, AMG, has decided to turn with the popular tide and call time on horsepower brinkmanship, with the division boss saying, "We are going to use other ways to extract better performance, including weight saving, engine optimization and alternative technologies."

What's the new fashion? Getting the most out of the least. AMG is going to do that by losing weight, installing tech like the SL63 AMG's wet clutch gearbox on the coming E63 AMG, and possibly re-engineering Mercedes' diesel, hybrid, and four-cylinder engines for AMG duty.

Not too long ago, imagining an A-Class AMG would have been beyond comprehension, but this is the future. We just hope everyone has thought through the consequences: with the reins being pulled on increasingly powerful motors, this is going to put a lot of horses out of work. And that makes the possibility of an equine industry bailout something we can't rule out...

[Source: Autocar]