Volkswagen knows that 73% of the people want to take the tiny soap and shampoo from hotel rooms. They also know that 60% of ice cream buyers prefer cones over cups. On an apparent quest to learn everything, Volkswagen's just-announced multi-faceted polling effort, known as It's what the people want, "...is a way of keeping in touch with what matters to people today," according to Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing for VW of America.
In addition to the web-based polling, VW has also taken their efforts to Times Square where consumers may participate in live-polling, via text SMS, with the ABC Supersign (pictured above). If music is more your style, VW is also encouraging people to visit pandora to influence the playlists of two Volkswagen radio stations. While we endorse any effort by an automaker to understand what the public really wants, this obsession to learn everything may have gone too far. We just can't seem to overlook the notion that while Volkswagen accepts the fact that 65% of the people want boxers, not briefs, they still haven't fully grasped the concept that we also want the new Scirocco on our shores. Where's that poll?
The latest gizmo from Japan's Takata will tell you where to go, but not like those verbally abusive digital keychains from the '90s. The Takata CSW steering wheel is designed to interface with sensors in your vehicle and display different messages on an LCD screen in the 12 o'clock position. There are already lights and sirens to let you know if your door is ajar or the washer fluid is low, but the CSW wheel's best trick is that it will talk to the Navigon 7100 navigation system, should you have one. It's an interesting cross-brand lashup that is pushing the envelope of aftermarket integration.
The screen in the wheel works in conjunction with the larger screen in the navigation unit to display instructions, though the improvement over just the Navigon would likely be sufficient. Both the wheel and the Navi can reportedly poll vehicle sensors, though we're not sure exactly how, so the systems would be more aware of what the driver is doing beyond merely position data. Both companies hope the wheel will reduce driver distraction, though we're not convinced that looking down to the wheel rim is any safer or more convenient than the slight gaze diversion to the customary upper center of the dashboard. We don't know of any manufacturer plans to OEM-issue these units, but the effort could portend a future convergence in the gadget galaxy.
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.
Westinghouse Digital had its PumpTop TV on display at CES. As described by the title, it's a flatscreen monitor that sits on top of a fuel pump. It gives the consumer something to do besides staring at passing vehicles while waiting around for the tank to fill. The unit is already in use at many gas stations throughout the United States. While the idea of being bombarded by even more advertising when out driving is not a pleasant thought, the TV network might be helpful in exposing folks to urgent news alerts such as bridge collapses, dust storms, or forest fires. In Southern California some pump televisions also display real-time traffic data in addition to weather, news and (of course) advertisements. While that can be useful info when trying to plan a route through clogged freeways, the downside of the PumpTop set is its poor screen visibility in extreme sunlight, which might explain why many stations equipped with the devices simply leave them turned off.
We've seen a lot of cool technology coming out of the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, but few gadgets are more useful or cool than this dual-view navigation screen from Delphi. When out of Park, the driver can only see navigation or radio controls on the nav screen, but a passenger riding shotgun can watch a movie. The driver can't even lean over to see the other view while driving, as Delphi employed special blocking technology to keep its invention from causing accidents. One screen with two simultaneous uses is good stuff. Check out Engadget's embedded YouTube clip of the technology in action after the jump.
Among the never-ending sea of house-sized LCD TVs, untold navigation devices and cutesy robots at CES are more than a few cars. While last year the theme among custom-car builders was overwhelming gaudiness, this year someone must have written a rule mandating at least a little class.
As we approached the Dolby booth we were a bit intimidated by what we assume is a life-size model of the Transformer Bumblee. Very impressive indeed.
Perhaps the most surprising automotive find at CES was a Chery CrossEastar (shown at right) at the Delphi booth. Seating for eight, luxury to rival at least the Big Three, and an expected bargain-basement price has us looking forward to seeing what the company finally sends us. In the opinion of a dad, aside from the potential quality problems, it's an attractive vehicle. Delphi had it at CES to show its global reach, since it supplies its technology products to the Chinese automaker.
We're sure there were tons more we didn't see, but Ford and GM kept us busy this year. Check out our gallery of 60 high-res images for more cars we spotted CES.
Prior to his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner held a discussion with a group of us flacks to answer all of our questions clearly and completely without equivocation. OK just kidding, he did hedge on a number of questions as would be expected of any major executive, especially one heading up the largest automaker in the world (for now). A range of issues were discussed, including alternative fuels, hybrids and the fate of the Zeta platform beyond the Pontiac G8 and the Camaro.
Wagoner reiterated that nothing had changed on the status of the Volt and that it was still on track. He expressed appreciation that the EPA had denied the California waiver request for its greenhouse gas rules so that carmakers could focus on meeting one national set of CAFE standards. Also related to fuel economy, he declined to comment on the status of some vehicles planned off of the Zeta platform, aside from the fact that they were still considering options including models with smaller engines. You can listen to the whole discussion here as an mp3.
Click for a high res gallery of the Provoq from the keynote
3:45pm: At about 4:30pm Las Vegas time GM Chairman Rick Wagoner will be taking the stage here at the Sands convention center to deliver the first keynote by a car company executive in the 41 year history of the Consumer Electronics Show. Once the speech starts we'll be bringing you full coverage right here so just keep refreshing the page for updates.
4:06pm We're now in the ballroom setup with front row seats.
Your photographer for today's festivities will be our own Chris Tutor.
As Ford, Lincoln and Mercury roll out their 2009 models, customers who opt for Ford's advanced GPS get six months of Sirius Travel Link service. Larry Pesce, senior VP of media services for Sirius (seen above) demonstrated Travel Link for us at CES on Monday night. We got to see how the system provides drivers and passengers with information about traffic, weather, entertainment, fuel prices and sports.
It's a slick system, that, at least in the demo we saw, responds quickly to touches of the screen and was impressive with how smoothly it worked.
Follow the jump to read more about how each feature of Travel Link works, as well as the company's official press release.
We had the opportunity to sit in a dark maroon Ford Flex at the Dolby booth for a demonstration of their 7.1 Surround Sound system they've developed with the Blue Oval, and the first thing I notice is the super-nice croc-print leather seats beneath me. Michael Becker, Dolby's Global Marketing Director, says something like, "Oh, yeah. This is Funkmaster Flex's Flex." So don't look for the sweet, lizard-like leather on the production version.
But we weren't actually at the Dolby booth to ogle celeb-designed cars, we were there to listen to them.
Becker says one of the premium audio options in the upcoming non-Funkmasterized Flex will be the Sony system we heard with 12 speakers and 7.1 surround sound. With 375 watts it's an awesome-sounding system, especially for what is essentially a station wagon. We can assure you, your parents' Vista Cruiser never sounded this good.
Which brings up the question, "Why put such a high-end sound system in a family car?" So Dolby's Becker demonstrated. If you want to retain some of the premium sound, but still keep the kids asleep in back, use the touch-screen fader to move the sound up front. In most cars, that would have produced sound a little better than a pocket-sized transistor radio. But the Flex's system retains Dolby 5.1 for the front system or the rear if the fader is moved towards the back. This means the sound is still far ahead of that Vista Cruiser, and probably better than what you're driving now.
We can't wait to see how this sounds with real-world noise outside instead of within the crowds of CES-goers. Speaking of which, Becker said the Flex had attracted major attention from show-goers, with one even way overestimating the list price above $100k. It's nice, but not that nice. As if to demonstrate what he meant, while in the car demonstrating the sound system, we had to lock the doors to keep out the curious, even with the car roped off. Possibly a very good sign for Ford's Flex.
Gallery: CES 2008: Dolby surrounds Ford's Flex in sound
Click on the Cadillac Provoq concept for a high-res image gallery
Following the introductions of the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Flextreme during 2007 auto show season, Cadillac is bringing forth a third design based on the E-Flex architecture. The Cadillac Provoq concept is intended to help give the brand an image of premium sustainability by updating the fuel cell E-Flex powertrain that was shown in a Chevy Volt at the Shanghai Motor Show last year. The Provoq is a luxury crossover design that's considerably larger than the Volt.
With updated Cadillac styling cues on a 180-inch long CUV body, it's stretched 10 inches longer than a Volt to allow comfortable seating for five passengers. The Provoq is built around GM's fifth-generation fuel cell stack combined with a 9kWh lithium ion battery pack. The electrical energy is used to power a 70kW AC motor driving the front wheels and a pair of 40kW hub motors at each rear corner. Like the other E-Flex vehicles, the Provoq has plug-in capability and the battery has enough capacity for about twenty miles of driving range. Combined with the 6kg of compressed hydrogen gas stored in its two tanks, the Provoq has a total range of about 300 miles. Clay Dean's Cadillac design team incorporated some of the aerodynamic lessons learned by the Volt crew, including thermostatically controlled slats in the grille to minimize drag when cooling air flow isn't needed. Check out AutoblogGreen for more details on the Provoq concept. UPDATE:More high-res pics added to gallery, now 23 total.
Click the photo for a high-res gallery of Graham Rahal's donuts
Some of the loudest action at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today was actually out in the parking lot. For fans of Formula One, the BMW Pit Lane park in the Gold Lot outside the Convention Center is as close as many will get to an F1 car in the US now that the Grand Prix at Indianapolis is history. BMW has one of their 2007 cars with driver Graham Rahal at the wheel. The course that's set up is a straightaway with a circle at each where Graham gets to demonstrate that traditional driving skill known as the donut. Aside from the ear piercing shriek of an F1 engine, perhaps the most impressive feat here was the way Rahal was able to keep the car off the guard-rails in this confined space. Very cool! Follow the jump for a video of the demonstration.
To bring you every GPS device on display at CES, we'd need to start GPSblog. Instead we're gonna hit the ones we think stand out from the crowd, like the Navigon 7100 you see here.
While the thing to do these days for GPS manufacturers is to cram everything they can into that black box on your dash, Navigon is taking a simpler approach. No MP3, no video capability, no Bluetooth. The 7100 gives directions like a good GPS box should.
It's not a low-end device, though. Navigon helps you get where you're going efficiently and safely. Imagine speeding down the interstate and your nav system says "take next exit." If you're stuck in the center lane, which way do you go? Navigon tells you which lane you need to be in, and on the screen shows representations of the overhead exit signs you'll be seeing.
The 7100 will keep you out of trouble, too. In the upper left corner of its screen is displayed the speed at which you should be driving if you want to avoid the cops. It'll keep you out of trouble when searching for a place to eat, too. Navigon has exclusive rights to use Zagat data to help you make decisions on restaurants while on the road.
The 7100 potentially saves you money as well, with a lifetime subscription to traffic data. No more paying monthly fees to know how congested your route is because the price of traffic info is covered in the $500 street price.
It's a good looking device, too, as you can see from our gallery of high-res photos. The company's full press release is available after the jump.
Gallery: CES 2008: Navigon takes GPS back to the basics
Well, sorta. The not-at-all unattractive Indy Car driver is at CES with one of her sponsors, GoDaddy. We figured Indy Cars are fully within our beat and raced over to get a couple of shots of Ms. Patrick.
And, whatdya know? Once she saw the Autoblog press badge she went nuts, grabbed a t-shirt and a Sharpie and went to town. We were able to stop her before covering the t-shirt in loving missives expressing her adoration of Autoblog, and refused to give her our autographs, too. We just can't go handing those out to everyone ya know.
OK, truth. She grudgingly signed our shirt after about a gazillion others and then even more grudgingly did the Autoblog thing. But the not-at-all unattractive bit is true.
3:45pm: At about 4:30pm Las Vegas time GM Chairman Rick Wagoner will be taking the stage here at the Sands convention center to deliver the first keynote by a car company executive in the 41 year history of the Consumer Electronics Show. Once the speech starts we'll be bringing you full coverage right here so just keep refreshing the page for updates.
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_thumbnail.jpg "Lamborghini Reventon unboxed in Las Vegas")
