Tag: AUTO

Like the eight-track before it, the cassette tape is riding off into the sunset -- just not in a car. According to The New York Times, no 2011 model vehicles manufactured or sold in the U.S. will feature a cassette player as a standard feature or as part of an extra package. The Lexus SC 430 will go down in history as the last car packaged with a factory tape deck. The deck won't be placed in a ...

It won't be able to help the U.S. drivers who are taking long trips this holiday season, but a new in-car device available in Denmark prevents drivers from dozing off by testing their awareness and monitoring their vehicle's movements. The Anti Sleep Pilot sits on the dash, and monitors the car's speed and direction, while intermittently asking the driver to tap its surface in order to combat ...

We not only want our cars to get us to our destinations, but to get us there safely, too. According to DVICE, German researchers have developed an in-car, eye-tracking system that monitors facial features, and delivers an audible warning whenever the driver appears sleepy. Dubbed Eyetracker, the system uses two cameras to monitor the pupils' positions, and then watches for changes in a person's ...

Everyone wants a new SUV. But who wants to waste all that time and energy actually test driving one -- especially if it means having to spend time away from your computer? Well, if you happen to be interested in buying one of Mitsubishi's new Outlander Sport SUVs, you may never have to. Beginning November 1st, customers interested in taking the new Outlander for a spin will be able to do so ...

A guy named Craig Henderson recently drove from Canada to Mexico in a car that got a Guinness World record-breaking 119.1 miles-per-gallon. More impressive, though, is the fact that he never once had to stop to refuel. That's right, Henderson made it all the way from Blaine, Washington to Chulla Vista, Mexico on just one tank of gas, and consumed just 12.4 gallons of diesel along the 1,384-mile ...

Next year, Volkswagen's most recognizable, dome-shaped classic will be getting a redesign. According to Autoblog Green, VW plans to debut a Beetle with a hybrid powertrain and a new exterior design at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The car's specs should be similar to the New Compact Coupe (NCC) that VW revealed last year. That vehicle carried a 1.4-liter TSI inline-four cylinder engine, a ...

A researcher at Yale University has developed a car-safety system that uses touch, rather than sight, to warn drivers of potential danger. According to Tech News Daily, John Morrell lined a car seat with a bunch of cell-phone vibration motors that warn drivers of approaching vehicles. The motors continuously (and lightly) vibrate as the driver cruises down the road. When another car ...

Judging by past experiments, Volkswagen believes autonomous features are the future of the automotive industry. According to Engadget, the auto manufacturer's 2011 Phaeton has a dash-mounted camera that reads street signs and adjusts to lessen glare from oncoming headlights. Once a street sign has been read, the information (e.g., traffic information, speed limit) is displayed on the car's ...

The era of a grease monkeys spending their days on their backs, underneath a car, are long gone. Now, mechanics spend just as much time staring at a computer -- sifting through online manuals and searching for specialized tools. According to USA Today, independent auto-repair shops are struggling because proprietors can't afford the automakers' online manuals, which can cost as much as $11,000 ...

Using little more than book knowledge, experience from previous projects, and a healthy shot of elbow grease, a Kenyan kid has constructed a nifty (and perhaps just a little scary) box that attaches to your car to provide a number of unique remote-control features that you're not going to find on your average OnStar setup. The flagship function seems to be the real-time lockout, which can call ...

Modern conveniences and technology allow us to do many things while driving. We can navigate our way along unfamiliar highways, avoiding traffic and finding random points of interest. We can save fuel by motoring along on steam. We can even juice the stereo in our car to the point that it turns all components and passengers into something resembling tapioca pudding. But none of these ...