Autoblog

NHTSA delays backup camera rules... again

Chris Tutor — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has again delayed adoption of rear visibility rules that would require backup cameras in all passenger vehicles sold in the US. It's the fourth delay in a string of setbacks dating to 2007. That's the year Congress passed legislation intended to improve rear visibility in new vehicles.

NHTSA legislation had previously required automakers outfit at least 10 percent of their cars with backup cameras by 2012, 40 percent by 2013 and 100 percent by 2014. Those deadlines will likely be changed now. Delays have been blamed largely on automakers' arguments that the new requirements will be too costly. Estimates suggest that MSRPs on vehicles already outfitted with display screens would need to increase an estimated $58-88, while models without would see price bumps of between $159 and $203.

The agency estimates that the new regulations could have cost the industry between $700 million and $1.6 billion by 2014. According to The Detroit News, "NHTSA uses a statistical figure of $6.1 million as the value of a human life and says under a best-case scenario, the proposal will cost between $11.8 million and $19.7 million per life saved."

The government agency has not yet announced if or when a new deadline will be set.

NHTSA delays backup camera rules... again originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Move to mandate rearview cameras could boost car prices by $200

Jeffrey N. Ross — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

It looks like we don't have much longer to wait to find out if rearview cameras will become the next safety device to become standard on new cars. Ray LaHood and the US Department of Transportation could put this legislation to the vote by the end of the month to require all new vehicles in 2014 to be equipped with cameras in an effort to make cars safer. LaHood delayed this vote back in February.

According to The Detroit News, adding such a camera would cost up to $203 to install on vehicles without an appropriate display screen and up to $88 for cars that already have a useable display. This relatively small cost could help reduce the number of people backed over each year, which accounts for around 300 deaths (including 100 children under the age of five) and injure close to 16,000 people annually.

If passed, backup cameras would join features such as airbags, electronic stability control and tire pressure monitoring systems as recently added standard safety equipment.

Move to mandate rearview cameras could boost car prices by $200 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 GMC Acadia priced from $34,875*

George Kennedy — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Technology, Crossover, GMC, Saturn

For those who are interested in the reworked 2013 GMC Acadia, we now know how much you can look forward to forking over. Base MSRP for the 2013 version of the full-size, three-row crossover has been set at $34,875 (*not including a $825 destination charge). If you are interested in the range-topping Denali trim, be prepared to pay $46,770.

The 2013 Acadia will come standard with a backup camera, leather-wrapped steering wheel, USB port and recycled visuals from the now-dead Saturn Outlook.

Upping to the Denali trim gets you a head-up display, blind spot monitoring system and GMC's new Rear Cross Traffic Alert system. According to GMC, most trims will also receive IntelliLink connectivity as standard equipment. The Acadia will also get the industry's first front-center airbag, an innovation it shares with other Lambda-based crossovers like the refreshed 2013 Buick Enclave. The idea behind the new tube-shaped airbag is that it can provide a buffer between driver and front seat passenger in the event of an impact, or better hold the driver in place if he or she is alone.

The Acadia will continue to be powered by GM's ubiquitous direct-injected 3.6-liter V6, making 288 horsepower and 279 pound feet of torque. With standard front-wheel drive, the Acadia returns 17 miles per gallon city and 24 highway. Opting for all-wheel-drive docks just one mile per gallon from both ratings. For more information on the updated 2013 Acadia, check out the press release below.

Continue reading 2013 GMC Acadia priced from $34,875*

2013 GMC Acadia priced from $34,875* originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW phasing out rearview cameras thanks to quake shortages?

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen

It struck back on March 11th, 2011, but the earthquake in Japan continues to cause havoc all around the world in some unique ways. Rumor has it that if you were hoping to purchase a Volkswagen with a rearview camera, you're going to have to wait a while. According to AskaVWSalesGuy.com, Volkswagen has put a halt on backup camera installation on most vehicles in its lineup.

Affected models and trims include the CC Lux Plus, Lux Limited and VR6, all Touareg models and the Tiguan SEL with Premium Nav. Per the in-the-know VW sales guy, Volkswagen is on the hunt for a new supplier. We asked Volkswagen for comment and were told that the matter was being investigated.

VW phasing out rearview cameras thanks to quake shortages? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA to delay backup camera regulations

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Congress for more time to finalize new regualtions that would require automakers to install backup cameras in all cars by 2014. NHTSA announced the legislation in December, saying the move could save the lives of more than 100 people a year, mostly young children.

According to The Detroit News, NHTSA has informed Congress that it wants more time to finalize the rules, which were supposed to be ready today, since the public comment period has only been closed for a little while.

According to NHTSA, backup cameras could help prevent nearly 300 fatal backover-related accidents a year (of that total, around 100 are children younger than five and another third are elderly people).

NHTSA estimates that once the new regulations will cost the auto industry between $1.9 and $2.7 billion annually, once they go into effect. The cost per vehicle would be just shy of $159-$203 for cars without a pre-existing navigation screen, and $53-$88 for cars with a screen.

Interestingly, NHTSA estimates the industry-wide expense of the measure at between $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion, and it reportedly acknowledges that its own cost-benefit analysis standards indicate that the price tag of the regulation will far outstrip the cost associated with lives saved by the law. That is, NHTSA uses a working figure of the "comprehensive cost for a statistical life" at $6.1 million, but the costs per life saved by the backup camera legislation would likely tally somewhere between $11.3 to $72.2 million.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Damon Lavrinc/Autoblog/AOL]

Report: NHTSA to delay backup camera regulations originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Check Your Rear: NHTSA compiles backup death statistics

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Technology has brought about a great deal of advancements in new vehicles over the last few years. There are some electric nanny aids that many of us do without, but there are others, like rear backup cameras and warning systems, that proponents suggest could save lives. How many? If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's new findings are any indication, quite a few. In 2007 alone, 221 people were killed when vehicles backed up over them, and 99 of those were children under the age of 14. A total of 14,000 (including 2,000 children) were injured in the same manner.

This new data has been made available by NHTSA in accordance with legislation that was passed last year that will mandate a reduction in vehicle blind spots via additional mirrors, cameras or sensors, as well as brake interlock systems that won't allow cars to shift out of park without the application of the brakes. For a summary of vehicle safety data, click here for the NHTSA's most recent set of reports.

[Source: AP via Google]

Check Your Rear: NHTSA compiles backup death statistics originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009

Dan Roth — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Ford, First Drives

We've all done it; you're halfway through a lane change and suddenly a horn sounds and snaps you to reality. Whether you failed to check your blind spot adequately, or just plain oblivious, Ford's introducing a two features to help you out. The Blind Spot Mirror and Cross Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitoring System will arrive in 2009, and one offers a low-tech solution, while the other appears to be a Volvo feature trickling down.

Elegantly simple, the Blind Spot Mirror cleverly integrates a convex mirror into the regular mirror glass, much like the generations-old side-reducing mirrors available in other markets with a concave area to aid in viewing blind spots. The Cross-Traffic alert system uses radar to monitor traffic perpendicular to the back end when reversing. During forward travel, the radar system is used to detect and warn of vehicles traveling in your blind spot. The radar tricks sound to us like Ford leveraging Volvo's BLIS system, that monitors blind spots and lights a pilot LED when there's a vehicle there, and we worry that it will make drivers even less attentive, but then, we realize nobody is paying attention now, so if this rig raises awareness, road safety should improve. Ford's planning on bundling these new safety features along with reverse sensing and rearview cameras to create a more comprehensive portfolio of electronic safety aids in response to customers indicating a desire for better mirrors and safety systems. Press release after the jump

[Source:Ford]

Continue reading Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009

Ford to offer new blind spot and hazard detection in 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2007: Magna finds helpful use of LCDs in your car

Chris Tutor — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, CES, Safety

With all the, uh, creative uses of automotive LCDs at CES, we were were starting to think there might not be any useful purpose for the things. But automotive supplier Magna has found at least two good uses for them with their ReversAid camera system. In one variation, putting the car in reverse activates the rearview camera with the image appearing in an LCD screen behind the glass in your rearview mirror. Drivers don't have to look at awkward spots on their dashboards, or between the gauges to see what's behind them. It's a pretty cool application and much more useful than stuffing an LCD in the fender well.

The second version of the ReversAid puts the LCD in a slideout panel attached to the rearview mirror. Again, selecting reverse gear activates the camera and the panel automatically slides from behind the mirror.

Magna says the two products are already available as factory options in some cars now, and should begin showing up in several other automakers' cars soon. It's also available in aftermarket from Hitchcam.

CES 2007: Magna finds helpful use of LCDs in your car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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