Toshiba's New Automotive System

I've never pegged Toshiba to be in the automotive business, I've always equated their name with laptops or notebooks but it seems that Toshiba is making an intelligent automotive system that detects inattentive drivers.

With so many in-car gadgets today, most drivers don't always keep their eyes on the road. Toshiba's automotive system can detect the driver's face and eye movements using camera images. The system recognizes 8 areas which the drivers commonly look at like the side mirrors, left, right and center windshield, the dashboard, etc so that if a driver's face or eyes deflect from these 8 areas, the aumotive system will give out a warning. In the future, Toshiba hopes that it would also detect drowsy drivers.

Via: NMCNNIC

Battery Brain: How brainy is it?

I was tasked to do a promo post for this innovative gadget for your car: the Battery Brain. So what is the battery brain? Battery brain is a little electronic device which you place between your battery and battery cable. Basically, as what it says on their website, Battery brain monitors your battery power and when it detects that the power needed to start your car is falling below the required level, Battery Brain will isolate the battery from your electrical system so you can be assured that you will always have enough power to start your engine.

I did a bit of research and visited the different car forums that I’m frequenting. It seems that Battery Brain has been popular with car enthusiasts although reviews about it are mixed. While it does what it says it does which monitors your car power and disconnects it from the electrical system, it may have some glitches with some cars that run too hot or those with problems with their car electrical system in the first place.

Some swear that the device works and they’ve been using it for years which I actually believe considering that one of those who had a problem with Battery brain says that he still uses the device since it actually saves the battery power but he just turns it off when his car is running so as not to create glitches with his car electrical system which he has yet to have fixed.

As for an anti-theft system, the Battery Brain with remote can actually be a good idea. You just press the remote so that Battery Brain can disconnect your battery from the electrical system and your car can’t be started or hot-wired.

If you want to try out Battery Brain, try going to their .net website instead of the .com to get 25% discount on their products.

Drive a Luxury Car

I love cars. Ever since I first laid my eyes on a Corvette I've been in love with cars. That's why I love rent-a-cars since that's the only time I get to drive those luxury vehicles. I mean, sure, you can probably test drive newer cars with your local car dealer but with a rent-a-car, you're on your own and you have full control. Renting a car while I'm traveling is one of the few luxuries that I allow myself. Yes, I could scrimp on my hotel room but I would never ever scrimp on my rent a car. That's why I always try to look for enterprise coupon before I travel so that I could save on my rent a car but still splurge a little bit so that I could rent those luxury vehicles that Enterprise have.

You should try it sometime. Luxury cars make you feel really important.

The Mini E

The BMW Group has recently announced in a press release a new line of electric cars for their Mini line: the Mini E. The Mini E is a two seater electric powered car that runs on a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Those familiar with the Mini cars would love the familiar yet new design. The BMW Group will only product 500 of these Mini E cars by the end of 2008. Attached is the press release for more information.

Nice! Though don't jot it down on your Christmas wish list yet. Since production is only limited to five, BMW probably has filled up all their 500 orders. Nice looking car though. According to the specs on this baby, it has an acceleration of 0-100 km/h.

The Honda Insight

At the 2008 Paris International Auto Show, Honda will unveil the Honda Insight, a concept version of its new small hybrid vehicle. The Honda Insight borrowed the design of the Honda FCX Clarity.

Honda expects the insight to be the most affordable hybrid vehicle when it will go on sale next Spring. Contributing to the affordability of the Honda Insight is Honda's cost reduction in their Integrated Motor Assist components. This technology includes a function which can assist the driver in developing more fuel efficient driving habits.

The production Honda Insight will be a available as a four-door, five passenger hatchback.

2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5

Chrysler recently introduced at the 14th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise the limited Edition 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser Series 5 model. The PT Cruiser series 5 comes in two fuel-efficient engines. The standard 2.4 liter, 16 valve engine which produces 150 horsepower and 165 lb. of torque and comes with a four speed automatic transmission and a 2.4 liter engine with a 180 horsepower engine which can produce 210 lb. of torque.

The 2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 model features new design elements such as a brilliant black crystal pearl painted roof and hoop spoiler. There's also a new cross-hatched, lower and uppoer solid billet aluminum grilles which is individually milled and machined. For those like me, who's never really into wordey description, here's some photos for you to peruse.


Chrysler set production for the PT Cruiser only at 1,750 units which will retail for $22,700. Can't wait for this baby to hit the used cars for sale market though I'm not getting my hopes up. Speaking of which, if you're looking to rate some cars, head on over to www.auto123.com and rate your car and you can win a free vacation.

New 2009 Acura TL

Acura has just announced that their all new 2009 Acura TL will debut this fall. The 2009 Acura TL sports a completely redesigned exterior and a luxurious interior plus it is available in two models: the Front Wheel Drive and an All-Wheel Drive.

Acura's press release of the 2009 Acura TL is pretty sparse, there's not even a mention of what's under the hood but rumors have been going around in some auto blogs that the Front Wheel drive model will sport a 3.5L V6 Engine with 280 horsepower while the All Wheel drive has a 3.7L V6 engine that produces 310 horsepower.

The Super Handling All Wheel Drive on the other hand, in order to distinguish it from the two lesser TL models, will have a quad-exhaust and 18 inch wheels. Watch out for the 2009 Acura TL this fall.

Mosler MT900S

The Mosler MT900S is enough to make you drool just by looking at it. I mean, its red and white carbon fiber body is truly an eye candy for any car enthusiast. Underneath the Mosler MT900S' sleek interior is a 7.0-liter V8 engine with 550 horsepower which can propel the Mosler MT900S to 60 mph in three seconds. But according to autoblog.com, the Mosler MT900S is apparently not enough for one of its owners and he had to commission Nelson Racing Engines to build a twin-turbo 427ci V8 engine with up to 1800 horsepower on race fuel and around 1100 horsepower using 91 octane! That's a lot of horsepower and if he has money to build that kind of engine, he probably can afford the gas price that goes with it.

Now if only Advantage car rental has the Mosler MT900S on their fleet, they would probably get a LOT of customers though I doubt if you will ever see this on their 50% discount on Luxury and Convertible car rentals. Though someone should probably think of putting up a car rental business that has sports car for their fleet, imagine the car enthusiast customers that they would rake in---then again, imagine the premiums they would spend on insurance.

Via: Autoblog

Pimpstar LED Rims

Nice. Talk about REALLY pimping your ride. Apparently plain custom rims isn't enough anymore, you have to pump it up with more technology in order to really make people's head turn when you pass by. Pimpstar has come up with LED rims. Yes, LED!

Now this is the ultimate in cool. The Tires consists of colorful LED lights, microprocessor, and wireless modem so you can display virtually any IMAGE! YES! Any image! Be it a picture of your mom, girlfriend, favorite candidate (in case you've taken it upon yourself to campaign for them), favorite logo, etc. The possibilities are endless.

The software allows you to send the images individually so you have different images for all four tires or just one image for all four. The great thing is that you can even change image as you drive! Think about hitting on the girl in the porch at a traffic light with these babies. Ooohh, any guy could be a girl magnet. The Pimpstar LED lights even allow you to preload up to 6 images so they can change automatically at our chosen time intervals. These Rims don't run on batteries but makes use of your car electrical system so as long as your car is running, these babies are too.

Really, you can't get your car much more pimped up than this. Be sure you have a handy tyre fitting equipment when you install the Pimpstar LED Rims.

Shoprider Flagship 4 Wheel Scooter

Wow, if I were filthy rich I'd definitely go buy myself one of those mobility scooters like this Shoprider Flagship. Who needs Segway? Those are old school and besides, you ride it standing up so your precious little feet still get tired. With the Shoprider Flagship, you get to rest your legs plus you're also enclosed safely so no need for safety helmets. Price is outrageous though at $6,999.







SPECIFICATIONS:

Weight Capacity:	350 lb
Overall Length:	63"
Overall Width:	29"
Seat Depth:	18.5"
Seat Width:	22"
Per-Charge Range, Maximum:	50 mi
Maximum Speed:	7 mph
Turning Radius:	70"
Weight, without batteries:	214 lb
Weight, with batteries:	328 lb
Heaviest Piece Weight:	328 lb
Disassembly:	None
Front Wheel Diameter:	12"
Rear Wheel Diameter:	12"
Tire Type:	Pneumatic
Motor Type:	24V DC, 2 Horsepower
Battery Type:	(2) 12 Volt, 75 Amp
Battery Weight:	114 lb
Battery Charger:	Off-board
Goes In Reverse:	Yes
Freewheel Mode:	Yes

2009 Nissan GT-R Supercar

Nice! Nissan has announced that the deliveries for their 2009 Nissan GT-R Supercar is set to begin on July 7, 2008. This powerful 480 horsepower, twin turbo, 3.8 liter V6 engine monster has been coveted since it was first announced and the first batch of pre-orders that was taken last January has all been spoken for.

And why wouldn't the Nissan 2009 Nissan GT-R supercar not be coveted? With it's sleek styling that uses advanced aerodynamics, body that utilizes steel, carbon fiber and die-cast aluminum, it would definitely turn any body's head. For those lucky ones that was able to bag this baby, get your garage ready.

And for those International buyers that just couldn't wait for the 2009 Nissan GT-R Supercar to arrive on their shores, you better contact an Auto Transportation Worldwide service so you can have this baby at your doorstep come August.

The Audi A5

If you cross a sedan and a coupe, you'd probably get something like the Audi A5. Since I'm mostly into cars for their looks (hey, I'm a girl, so don't blame me), I'll just give you a run down of the Audi A5 in terms of its design.

The Audi A5 has a sporty yet sedan-like look. It isn't small as it can accommodate two adults in the backseat. This vehicle would make you do a double take because if it weren't for the four circles in the front, you could easily mistake it for a BMW. The Audi A5 includes an 18-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, foglights, tri-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power front seats, leather upholstery,10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, and a panoramic tilt-up sunroof.

You can find a full review of the Audi A5 over at netcars.co.uk. The site is like a one stop-shop for all of your automotive needs. It has a used cars search engine wherein you can buy car or look for cheap car insurance. They also have a sell my car page and you can display up to 6 photos of your car. Not too shabby. Of course, they cater more to UK audience so this site is more beneficial to UK residents.

But like I said, since this is a one-stop automotive website, it does more than list used cars; they also have different car news and reviews.

HJC AC-12 Carbon Fiber Helmet

I have to say, though I know motorcycles can be dangerous, there's really something about motorcycle riders that makes me think they're oh so cool. Maybe it's just the leather jackets or their cool looking
motorcycle helmets but whenever I see a guy disembarking a Honda or Harley motorcycle, I always do a double take.

And speaking of cool-looking helmets, the HJC AC-12 carbon helmet is one of the cool looking helmets I've seen in a while. It has a very streamlined and sharp design and of course, it's not so bad as a motorcycle safety gear since carbon fiber helmets are one of the toughest gear around.

According to some online reviews, the HJC ac-12 is one of the lightest motorcycle helmets around. However, I’ve also read up on some customer reviews and some customers have complained that there’s chipping of the clear coat when the AC-12 is dropped. This does doesn’t say a lot about the helmet’s quality though some might argue that it’s only natural as carbon fiber helmets naturally bend when dropped to give more protection to the user.

Anyways, you can find the hjc ac-12 carbon helmet over at bikerhiway.com if you’re interested as well as some other motorcycle helmet brands and other motorcycle safety gear.

2008 Audi R8

I've previously blogged about how the Audi R8 was used on Iron Man movie. I naturally got curious about it. I never thought Audi could make a sports car. I wanted to see if the Audi R8 is worthy to be Iron Man's car.

Well, I have to admit, the 2008 Audi R8 is pretty cool to look at, however, I still prefer my sports car to be sleek and low, more like the Corvette sports car. As for the car tech inside the 2008 Audi R8, it's pretty disappointing. The Audi R8 is around the $100,000 price point and I expected that the car would come fully loaded, however, according to CNET's take on the R8, things such as navigation system, Bluetooth integration, six disc changer are all optional and there's no connection for MP3.

As for the engine and handling, CNET's test drive gave the Audi R8 the thumbs up for its advanced suspension and handling of turns.

Maybe under the hood, the Audi R8 is a true sports car, however, as for the looks and in-car technology, it's pretty disappointing, nothing compared to any of the cars on the best sports car list over at Ridelust.com.

But alas, we can't expect Ferrari or Lotus to jump on the Iron Man marketing propaganda, their sports car already speaks for itself so Audi got hold of the gig and now has a good exposure.

Drive a Hummer

Let's face it everybody wants to own a Hummer. It's one cool car. However, Hummers can be expensive and it's not exactly your typical family four-door sedan. So, what can you do in order to drive a Hummer, aside from going to your local dealer and test-driving one? Well, you can contact a rent a car service and drive one.

Sure, renting Hummers can also blow your budget compared with just renting ordinary cars, but come on, it's a Hummer! So next time you’re on vacation and a car rental is within your travel budget, spend a bit more and experience driving a Hummer!

Hummer H3 Specifications:

Engine: Vortec 3500 3.5L cylinder
Horsepower: 220/164 @5600
Torque: 225/305 @ 2800
Front Chasis: independent SLA torsion bar, 46-mm mono-tube gas-charged shocks, 36-mm tubular stabilizer bar
Rear Chasis: “Hotchkiss” design multileaf, semi-elliptical single-stage leaf spring, 46-mm mono-tube gas-charged shocks, 25-mm rear solid diameter stabilizer bar

More at specs at H3 Source.

Tesla Roadster

Now this is one gorgeous electric car. I've always been put off by electric cars because their design is just so blah. Most of them are compact and looks budget cars. This is not something I can say for the Tesla Roadster.

Yes, the Tesla Roadster is an electric car and no, it's not a concept car because it will roll out in the market starting next week. Before you reach for your check, be warned that this car will set you back $109,000 for the standard model and the fully loaded version will set you back $124,000.

The Tesla Roadster is equipped with a 6,831 cell lithium ion battery which weighs about 1,000 pounds. The battery can be fully charged at 3.5 hours and can go on a 225 mile journey on a single charge. The Tesla roadster can go from 0-60 mph in four seconds and can reach speeds of 125 mph.

Even if you have the dough to spend, it will take around 15 months before your order is delivered as the first 600 Tesla Roadsters for 2008 has all been sold. Orders are now being taken for 2009 models. If you don't have the dough to spend, then lets you and I just drool over the pics below.

Sell Your Used Cars Online

The internet has made it easy to find used cars. There's eBay and craigslist and a ton of other websites wherein you can find cars, however, none of them can make finding used cars as easy as justgoodcars.com.

The site is really very simple and has a nice design. It's not "cluttered" like other websites that sell used cars. The quick search function is the most prominent because from my point of view, it's the highlight as it's the one that makes finding cars so easy. When you select the make of your car, the bottom drop down menu already has a set of models selected. This is a great tool for those looking for something very specific but those just "shopping around" may find the site hard to use.

You can also sell used cars for free, no hidden charges. A cool site which you should check out.

Jeep Renegade shows up at the Auto China 2008

The Jeep Renegade which was first shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and which I failed to report about, was seen at the Auto China 2008. This cool looking car is an electric car powered by two lithium ion batteries which is located at each axle to create a 4x4 feel. According to Chrysler, the Jeep Renegade can go from 0-60 mph at 8.5 seconds. Not exactly fast but nevertheless, this is one cool car.

Automotive Websites

I rarely get to write about automotive news so if you’re still looking for other automotive resources, here are two which I recommend:

If sports cars are all you breathe and live by, you might want to try hanging out at DPCcars.com. This site is a sports car fanatic’s dream. They have videos of the juiciest looking sports car as well as the latest automotive news. Although most of their videos can be found in YouTube, it’s still nice to see all these videos under one site instead of searching and sorting through them on YouTube.

And if you like pimping your cars, try visiting discountpartcenter.com. This website has every part you need to fix your car or just to boost its performance. From wheels and tires to suspensions and breaks, you name it and they have it on a discount.

Kia Unveils Koup Concept at New York Auto Show

Kia's concept cars are really gorgeous, take this Koup Concept of theirs and their previous Kia Kee Sports Concept Car. So why is it that their designs never make it to their real cars?

This new Koup Concept car of theirs which was unveiled at the New York Auto Show screams high tech and sporty. Most notable about the Kia Koup Concept car is the greenhouse-integrated panoramic view glass. The glass panels extend from the windshield through the roof.

The Kia Koup Concept is powered by a 2.0 liter Theta II turbocharged engine which produces 290 horsepower. It also has a GDI twin scroll turbocharger had produces torque of 289 lb-ft.

No word if this will ever make it to production.