Autoblog

Not surprisingly, young car buyers want their new cars filled with as much technology as possible. Specifically, navigation systems and in-car telematics like Ford's SYNC and General Motors' OnStar are highly desirable among 16-24 year-old car buyers. As it turns out, though, it is that same demographic that is least willing to pay for these features. So, what's the solution? Advertising. As we've noted before, the chances seem good that at some point in the not-too-distant future, our navigation screens will show us local spots with preference given to those establishments that have paid for placement.

Not everyone is likely to be happy about this trend. Besides the irritation of a constant barrage of advertisements, there is also a danger in letting your car know too much about you. If your vehicle were to track your movements, or even purchases made from inside your vehicle, that information could be made available to other organizations. Those concerned that "Big Brother" is watching them may not want features like this keeping their eyes on our driving habits. On the flip side, this knowledge could make for advertisements in which we're truly interested. And, would it be so bad if your car alerted you to an upcoming speed trap? Just so long as it's not installed in a certain Plymouth Fury from '58...

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

While Ford has enjoyed a year of exclusivity with its SYNC-branded version of Microsoft's in-car connectivity technology, the Redmond-based company has been itching to expand the availability of its in-car gadget integration system to other marques. According to the AP, the first post-Ford carmakers to use the platform in the U.S. will be sister companies Hyundai and Kia.

According to the report, the Korean automakers will have the right to offer the technology on its cars in November, but probably won't do so. The AP report quotes Velle Kolde, senior product manager for Microsoft Auto, saying the two companies are busy developing their own custom applications and don't plan to be ready until after that date.

There is no word yet on what the new system will be named, its cost or what vehicles it will be offered on. Currently the only automaker offering Microsoft's system in the U.S. is Ford. Fiat has rights to sell it internationally and calls its version Blue&Me.

UPDATE: Ford reminded us that only its version of Microsoft Auto's technology is called SYNC, so other brands will have to come up with and market their own names for it.

[Source: Associated Press]

Back in December, Hughes Telematics announced it would be providing technology for use in Mercedes vehicles, and they also worked out a deal with Chrysler the prior January. Hughes says its telematics system will one day be standard on all Chrysler products, and that the company hopes to expand beyond Mercedes and Chrysler, as well. "Hughes is talking to every OEM except General Motors," we were told.

To show off what's in store for future car buyers, Hughes brought a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee to CES in Las Vegas this year packed full of its in-development technology, and we got a chance to check it out. Its system offers much of what Ford and GM can already do, but with promises of more, more, more. Kevin Link, Hughes' vice president said, "We are Ford's SYNC and OnStar plus."

So, yeah, there's nav and voice-controlled iPod integration. But there's also remote diagnostics, the ability to start your car with your mobile phone, remote emissions testing and GPS tracking. And you're right. That's a nice list of features, but where's the good stuff? That list is after the jump.

That little red box contains a lot of electronic goodies that, until now, were only available as options on newer vehicles. Plug that plastic rectangle into your car's diagnostics port and CarShield puts you in touch with your car like never before.

Like most simple telematic systems, it contains cellular capabilities, GPS and Bluetooth. Those technologies allow car owners to open locked car doors with a Bluetooth mobile phone and track where there car is, has been or is going. Got a teen driver? If the little brat ventures outside your pre-determined boundaries, the CarShield will send you a text message to let you know.

Perhaps more useful to the general population, though, are CarShields diagnostic features. It monitors your car's health, and alerts you via text message if your battery is getting weak, if your tires are low or, in some cars, if you need an oil change.

Mercedes is introducing a feature called Search and Send to that will allow you to send Google and Yahoo! driving directions directly to your car's navigation system. How it works: you get driving directions from either source, and then hit a button labeled Send to Car. If you have a Tele-Aid subscription, when you get in your new Mercedes you can hit the "i" button, and the car will download the directions. Voila and giddyup.

You can even send directions from your PDA, or have someone else send directions to you while you're in the car. However, the unique identifier that gets the directions to your specific car and no one else's isn't spelled out. It also isn't clear if this is only for new cars, or if your 2005 CLK and your woeful sense of direction can ever benefit. The release says it will start off on the S, CL, and new C-Class, and be phased in across the range over time. It doesn't become available until September 5, but you can see a video of it here.

[Source: Foursprung]

BMW has announced it will offer a free four-year subscription of its BMW Assist service to the North American market starting with its 2007 models. It will cost the automaker $80 million in subscription payments, but that's well worth it, according to BMW spokespeople, who say that keeping owners signed onto a service that provides so many safety and convenience benefits is just a "BMW thing to do."

The device is an internal cell phone that relays car diagnostics or emergency information, like an airbag deployment, to a call center in Texas. The system rivals General Motors' OnStar, which has tiered subscriptions that allow owners to specify everything from emergency assitance to a virtual concierge.

[Source: Automotive News]

 

If you think that the kid with the most toys wins, you might be interested to know that the Lexus LS 460 has been named the king of high-tech by the Telematics Research Group. TRG says that the LS will have more technology features than any other vehicle offered for sale in the North American market when it rolls off the production line for the 2007 model year. Special gadgets include the vehicle's 30GB hard drive for navigation and music, parking aid cameras, a 19-speaker sound system capable of reading MP3 and other media formats, Bluetooth, voice-activated navigation and other goodies.

[Sources: Telematics Research Group; Lexus]

According to the Telematics Research Group (TRG), the crafty engineers at BMW are the most technologically savvy bunch selling cars in North America-- at least as far as telematics go. The upscale Bavarian marque headed the TRG Automotive Technology Index thanks to its range of available "key telematics, infotainment and driver assist technology." Composed of 30 different metrics in six categories, BMW edged Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac to take the top spot, with Infiniti and Lexus rounding out the top five.

Advances in driver assist technology like lane-departure warning systems and adaptive cruise control have largely been introduced in brand flagships like BMW's 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz's S-Class, with features trickling down to the rest of the lineup as time goes on.

That said, innovations like BMW's all-in-one metallic porkpie hat (otherwise known as iDrive) have had their share of detractors and glitches, with not everyone warming to the influx of electronics in their vehicles. Obviously, however, that hasn't deterred the brand from moving forward with various technological initiatives.

[Source: DrivingToday.com; AutoReview.ru]

While the notion of drivers that want to access the Information Superhighway while motoring on the interstate highway concerns us greatly, we're reasonably sure that we're outnumbered. In fact, its likely only a matter of time before Bill Gates and friends are hanging out in our center console, jockeying for space with HVAC systems and cupholders brandishing venti Frappucchinos.

Oh, you've seen in car computers before. Most stabs at putting the computers in a four-wheeled environment have started with ultra-posh showcars, resulting in hyper expensive technological tour de forces. But that's not the case with PC Magazine, which inexplicably went and turned a humble 1998 Toyota Corolla into a mobile office.

Of course, with a scanner at the ready (visor resident, no less), a laptop hiding underneath the driver's seat, printer armrest, rudimentary heads-up display and apaper-shredder in the glovebox, there's probably more money in added silicon horsepower in here than there is Toyota horsepower, but that doesn't seem to bother the PCM folks. 

Be afraid, children... be very afraid.

(Top-tip, J!)

[Source: PC Magazine]