Category: Technology & New Features

Based on the results of a priceline.com Internet survey, about 47% of people renting a car through priceline.com would consider renting a hybrid vehicle if it were offered by the rental agency. They would be willing to pay varying prices - from zero to $9 per day extra. Interestingly, 53% were not interested at all.

Jeep freshens its Grand Cherokee for 2008, adding family-friendly features.

Blessing or a curse? The Chrysler Group and SIRIUS bring live TV to the back seat. Will kids find more to fight about, or parents find road trips less stressful?

Blessing or a curse? The Chrysler Group and SIRIUS bring live TV to the back seat. Will kids find more to fight about, or parents find road trips less stressful?

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When Ford announced earlier this year that it had gotten beyond its embarrassing lack of wireless connectivity with a partnership with Microsoft, the usual jokes abounded. “Oh no!” so many automotive journalists moaned. “Now even my car’s going to get viruses.” I myself thought this would replace carjackers with carhackers. I’ll admit, I was one of the many who thought Ford and Microsoft, and their new hands-free, voice-activated initiative called Sync, had a better chance of being a bust, than a breakthrough. Then I got a closeup look at Sync at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
It’s user interface or UI, is sophisticated and intuitive, and [...]

On Monday, February 19, 2007 XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio made the long expected announcement that they were merging. While this is not yet a done deal because of potential regulatory hurdles it is good news for folks who have become addicted to satellite radio.

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BMW was one of the more fascinating exhibitors at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month, mainly because of it’s schizophrenic display. In one section, lined up in all their Teutonic beauty, were the M models. Few cars go faster and with more muscular style than BMW’s Motorsport line. And in another section of the booth, BMW’s breakthrough Hydrogen 7 – truly a great advancement in alternative drivetrains. So, in one moment, you’re looking at nothing but raw speed – MPG be damned – and the next, you’re contemplating hydrogen fuel stations and water vapor emissions. Only BMW could make both ends of the spectrum look so [...]

Ford gets modern with new voice activated interface for cell phones and iPods. Ford and Microsoft team up to offer Sync system on 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models exclusive through 2008.

Ford has given us a glimpse of the cadence of future features that American car buyers can expect to see from the Company in the coming years. In Ford's case, they conducted the research and have been closely evaluating what their competition is doing. Derrick Kuzak, Ford's new head of worldwide product development, states that, "Ford will offer a new feature when it appears that two of our major competitors have offered or appear to be ready to offer a new feature."

To reduce that risk, many states have either implemented or are planning to implement laws the prohibit the use of cellular hand-held phones in all types of moving vehicles.