Ford Performance Vehicles Unveils GT-Based Concept

Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) took the wraps off its first-ever concept car at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne, and instantly it managed to grab a lot of attention. Based on theFord Falcon GT sedan, the new car has been christened the FPV Concept.

The car’s menacing looks is matched by its black-on-black color scheme, with a unique matte finish stripe package on the bonnet, rear wing and bodysides. Black framing has been utilised to enhance the rear light graphics treatment. The vehicle carries a unique black GT badging. The FPV Concept runs on special Dunlop SP Sportmaxx GT tyres inset with 19-inch lightweight one-piece forged alloy rims. The wheels are 8-inches wide at the front, and 9.5-inches wide at the rear. Under the car is a track-tuned suspension specification accompanied by a full stainless steel high-flow twin exhaust system finished with quad black exhaust tips.

The black theme has been carried over to the inside as well, with the interior being done in black leather trim throughout and an all-black dash treatment that includes the interior command centre. FPV claims that they have equipped the concept with the GT’s best options, including a reversing camera. The FPV Concept is powered by the supercharged Boss 5.0-liter V8 engine.-nitrobahn.com

2012 Honda Accord Euro Revealed At Australian International Motor Show

The 2012 Honda Accord Euro made its official debut at the ongoing 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne. The 2012 model year is an updated version of the second generation of the Accord Euro that debuted in the Australian market in 2008. It features an improved fuel economy and new design features.

The front grille is modified in the new Accord Euro. A two-bar design replaces the existing three-bar design. The car also features a redesigned front bumper, fog light surrounds and air intakes. The color of the tail lights is changed to ‘soft red’ and a chrome boot-lid strip is also added to the car.

The interior is also upgraded in the 2012 model year. The door handles, console, steering and other components are finished with a satin-plastic look. The other upgrades include a new foldaway key design, integrated Bluetooth in the steering wheel, USB input with iPod integration and Trailer Stability Assist as standard in all models.

The fuel efficiency of the Accord Euro is increased in the new model year. It now has a combined cycle fuel economy of 8.7 liters/100 km in the six-speed manual model and 8.5 liters/100 km in the five speed automatic one. The previous Euro had a fuel economy of 8.9 liters/100 km irrespective of the transmission.

Other features include automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers as standard in the entry model. The Luxury model features HID headlights, while the Luxury Navigation model features new bi-HID headlights with auto low/high beam and a cornering function that operates at speeds of up to 40 km/hr.

The entry level model with a six-speed manual transmission comes with a price tag of $30,340 and the range topping Luxury navigation five-speed automatic is offered for $43,140, excluding government and dealership charges.-nitrobahn.com

BMW ConnectedDrive Technology in 2012

With BMW ConnectedDrive, BMW already offers a unique portfolio of innovative functions and technologies for intelligent integration of driver, vehicle and outside world. These feature increased comfort, provide a new dimension in infotainment and significantly improve safety in BMW vehicles. BMW ConnectedDrive made its debut back in 1999 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA). Today this concept comprises an ever-growing number of mobility services and driver assistance systems, which combine the varied roles of personal assistant, protector and entertainer. In the second half of 2011, many more new functions are set to join the BMW ConnectedDrive portfolio.

BMW Live: Infotainment Services via the Customer's Mobile Phone

One of the latest attractive new services from BMW ConnectedDrive is BMW Live. Using any internet-capable mobile phone, and subject to data charges, it allows a limited number of the existing BMW Online services to be accessed via Bluetooth. All the available Online functions are transmitted by Bluetooth to the in-dash display. They can be operated easily and intuitively using the iDrive Controller, with the customer's mobile phone serving as the modem. From launch, BMW Live will provide free news via RSS feeds, weather information and the functions Google Local Search, Google Panoramio and Google Street View. To activate their favourite news feeds, customers simply input the relevant domain. The portal then automatically searches for the associated RSS feeds on the website. Headlines can be read aloud via BMW's text-to-speech function. The weather data, which includes both the current weather conditions and a four-day forecast, is presented on the monitor in clear, easily readable colour images.

The Google functions offered by BMW Live - Google Local Search, Panoramio and Street View - work similarly to the functions available in the current BMW Online system. The start page offers location selection, search box, categories and history. Addresses found using Google Local Search can be imported directly into the vehicle's navigation system. It is also possible, using the iDrive Controller, to select and display destination images from Google Panoramio and Street View, both while stationary and when on the move. The new BMW Live service from BMW ConnectedDrive is at present only available in the new BMW 1 Series. Customers can configure this service to their own individual requirements. Further BMW Live applications will shortly be made available worldwide (except in the USA, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan).

Collision Warning System and No Passing Info Display

BMW ConnectedDrive uses a single tiny multifunction camera, mounted on the rear-view mirror, to implement a number of different driver assistance systems. In the new BMW 1 Series, BMW is now the first premium manufacturer to use such a camera also for monitoring traffic ahead. The image recognition system continuously scans the traffic and gives an audible warning if it identifies a potential collision risk. If the driver is too close to preceding vehicles, the system produces an acute audible warning and a visual signal appears in the instrument cluster. At speeds upwards of 30 mph (50 km/h), the brake system is primed and the activation threshold of the hydraulic Brake Assist system is lowered. These measures, which are activated simultaneously with the visual and audible warnings, are designed to help the driver to react effectively in an emergency. There is no automatic braking intervention. The sensitivity of the automatic Collision Warning system can be individually configured by the driver using the iDrive Controller.

The camera system also continuously monitors speed restriction signs and other traffic signs, and relays this information to the driver. For the first time, this BMW ConnectedDrive function can now also display no-overtaking information. The system automatically detects the beginning and end of an overtaking prohibition and informs the driver by displaying a no-overtaking symbol in the central instrument cluster. The rear-view mirror camera also detects warnings relating to current conditions which appear, for example, on variable-message overhead traffic signs, and can identify traffic signs that apply just to trucks or in wet weather. All this data is temporarily stored in the system so that if the driver stops for a short break, the last-displayed limits and prohibitions are immediately reactivated when he sets off again.

Hands-Free Tailgate Opener

BMW ConnectedDrive can always be counted on to come up with pioneering technology, and one of its latest intelligent solutions in the field of driver comfort and convenience is no exception. Hands-free foot-activated tailgate opening is a first in the premium class. Customers standing behind the car can open the boot or tailgate with a short movement of their foot under the centre of the rear bumper, without using their hands. The tailgate (or boot) is then automatically opened and raised, either by spring force or, depending on specification, by the tailgate lift.

The vehicle is fitted with sensors placed at different heights in the rear bumper trim, which are able to identify a person standing behind the vehicle. The sensors can identify the foot "command" by monitoring the area of the leg between the shin and the tip of the foot. They then send a signal containing special algorithms to the on-board computer. Access is only authorized, however, if the system simultaneously identifies the Comfort Access control unit (the key), which the person must be carrying with them. The bootlid or tailgate is then unlocked and raised automatically, without hand contact. Key authorization provides the safeguard which ensures correct operation at all times. It means that the system cannot be confused by objects underneath the car or, say, by animals running in and out under the bumper.

Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI) Shortens Journey Times

The BMW ConnectedDrive Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI) system specially developed for BMW navigation systems launches a new era in real-time traffic information for motorists. The real-time information, which is taken into account when calculating routes and diversions, is relayed to the vehicle with unrivalled reliability and precision. The system is mobile phone-based, using the vehicle's built-in SIM card, and has the advantage over radio-based traffic information of being faster and offering more extensive coverage. This means that much more data can be used to analyse the traffic situation, and that this data can be updated more frequently. RTTI covers motorways and main roads, as well as main and secondary roads in urban areas. If congestion is reported on a BMW driver's present route, the system is therefore equipped to provide precise details of an alternative route. With a wealth of detailed information at its disposal, the navigation system is always able to work out the quickest route to the driver's intended destination under the prevailing conditions.

The system monitors the dynamic network connections of mobile phones in vehicles in the area to generate anonymous mobile location data. The number and speed of location changes within the mobile phone network allows an accurate picture to be obtained of current traffic flows. Further real-time data, capable of providing information about traffic jams and congestion, is also obtained from truck fleets and taxis whose navigation systems are linked to a control centre. Data is also obtained from local authority traffic management systems, which provide precise information about traffic density on urban roads. Coloured markings on the in-car map display indicate how freely traffic is flowing on the various roads. The information is updated at three-minute intervals. Through RTTI, with its extensive data about the intricate road networks of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, BMW Connected Drive is moving steadily forward with the intelligent integration of driver, vehicle and outside world.

Connected Driving: The Future

The BMW concept vehicle BMW Vision ConnectedDrive provides an early insight into ways in which vehicles of the future will become an even more integral part of a connected lifestyle. This two-seater roadster displayed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show communicates with driver and passenger, with the outside world, and with the internet, and incorporates a large number of innovative functions and ideas. BMW ConnectedDrive is evolving all the time: BMW engineers are already working on ingenious, purpose-designed solutions for filtering and pre-sorting data.
The focus is on supplying the right information at the right time. In future, being "online" virtually anytime, anywhere will become the norm. Connectivity will be permanently available, without first having to active an internet connection. Online data will be available anytime, anywhere, courtesy of a worldwide data cloud. And increasingly, intelligent connectivity with the outside world will also help to prevent accidents with other vehicles and road users.-cardotcom.com

2012 Holden Colorado Crew Cab at Australian International Motor Show 2011

The 2012 Holden Colorado Crew Cab has been previewed at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in the form of a new show car design that was developed and built in Australia.

The all-new Colorado will become Holden’s entrant in the invigorated and highly competitive light commercial vehicle segment, following the release of new or updated versions of the Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50.

The unveiling of the Crew Cab show car follows a similar unveiling of a Chevrolet-badged four-door Colorado in Buenos Aires last month and the  world premiere of the expanded-cab Colorado in Bangkok in March.

The Holden Colorado Crew Cab show car gives us our best idea yet of what to expect from the production model, as it is finished with a locally styled front fascia, bonnet, bumpers and tailgate. Features unlikely to reach showrooms include the various LED assemblies (headlights, taillights and lower front daytime running lights) and the 20-inch satin-finish alloy wheels.

Like the other Colorado show cars before it, the The Holden Crew Cab is powered by a 2.8-litre diesel engine. (The current-generation Holden Colorado diesel is powered by a 120kW/360Nm 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine.) Holden says this is just “one of a number of engines” that will be offered in the new ute.

Holden is yet to reveal the new engine’s performance data, although expect it to sit somewhere between the current engine’s output and the 147kW/470Nm to be offered by the all-new Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50’s 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel.

The show car’s interior is trimmed in full blue leather with white highlights and leather stitching, although most production models will get a less luxurious cloth upholstery design.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said the Colorado concept on display in Melbourne would give showgoers a pretty good insight into the final design of next year’s production model.

“Although this is a show vehicle, the fundamental design and proportions are true to form for the production version of the Colorado hitting Holden showrooms next year,” Mr Devereux said.
“Without doubt the new Colorado will be the biggest and toughest member of the Holden family – equally at home as a workhorse or active lifestyle vehicle.
“And as our centrepiece for the Melbourne Show, it also demonstrates the capability of the Holden Design Studio, which is an industry leader in stunning global show vehicles.”

Full pricing and specification details will be revealed closer to the Australian launch of the 2012 Holden Colorado in the first quarter of next year.-caradvice.com.au

Easy Access: Hyundai Working On Four-Door Veloster?

All it takes is one unique characteristic to set one apart from the crowd, and for the Hyundai Veloster, the distinguishing trait that makes it different in its class is its third door. But that could soon change, as an Australian automotive source reports rumors are swirling there might a four-door Veloster in the works.

Even before the official launch of the Veloster takes place later this year, someone with close ties with the automaker has been spreading word of a more traditional Veloster. Eunjoo Shin, Manager for the Overseas Product Planning, has slipped out that a ‘more conventional four-door configuration’ Veloster could be in the cards for some global markets.

Other Hyundai reps stayed tight-lipped about the project, neither confirming nor denying the four-door.

The Veloster, first seen in all its glory at the 2007 Los Angeles show as a concept, has finally made it to production after being debuted once again the 2011 Detroit Auto show. The Veloster is thought to be the Tiburon’s replacement, but is significantly different than the outgoing coupe. One long door on the driver side, and a forward-hinged third door with a recessed handle on the passenger side of the vehicle make it stand apart from other hatchbacks in the segment.

Rumors have also suggested there will be a turbo option for the Veloster’s new Gamma 1.6-liter inline-four soon, but with information such as pricing in the U.S. not even officially announced, who knows when we may see a turbo-charged or four-door Veloster arrive in the States.

Should the Veloster be offered in a four-door version in the U.S.? Or is its 3-door configuration the defining characteristic that makes it unique?-wot.motortrend.com