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AN AUTONEWS 04-16-07 B 1 AUTONEWS 4/10/2007 3:43 PM Page 1 ENGINEERING INSIGHT APRIL 16, 2007 • 16A 110000 CCCoolCoolooooll ttthingsthingshhiinnggss hink there’s nothing new under the We know it when we see it. It can be high- sun? How about this collection of tech, low-tech or no-tech. Tinnovations — from headlights that Thousands of cool things can be found in see around a bend to a voice-recognition modern cars and trucks and in automotive system that handles explicit commands such factories. as “find Thai restaurant.” Here’s just a sampling — a mere 100 — in no How do we define cool? Well, put it this way: particular order. AN AUTONEWS 04-16-07 B 2 AUTONEWS 4/10/2007 3:44 PM Page 1 16B • APRIL 16, 2007 INSIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100 Cool things---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An end to 3 parallel-parking panic The Lexus LS 460 parks itself. As you cruise slowly through a parking lot, front-bumper Pop-up tweeters sensors search for open spots. Shift into 1 The optional Bang & Olufsen stereo in reverse, and the backup monitor displays the the Audi S8 makes you want to stay in the car targeted parking space. Confirm the parking long after that big engine shuts down. Bang & spot, release the brake and let go of the Olufsen specializes in high-glitz home steering wheel. The car automatically swings electronics equipment that sounds good and into the parking spot. looks spectacular. With the S8, the Danish company ventures into car audio. Slide into the driver’s seat, turn the key and, magically, a tweeter rises out of the dashboard on each side, right by the A-pillars. The tweeters are It makes the grade augmented by 12 other speakers, including a 2 Driving on a steep, unstable grade is a true test of an off-roader’s skill. Land subwoofer, and the whole system gets its Rover’s Gradient Release Control helps a driver’s confidence by holding the vehicle in power from a 1,100-watt amplifier. All that place on steep uphill or downhill inclines, even after the driver’s foot is off the brake. fancy optional gear comes at a price: about That allows the driver to be more poised when applying the accelerator — rather than $6,300. having to stab at it. GRC, developed by Continental Automotive Systems, makes its first appearance on the 2008 LR2. Deep tracks Thoroughly modern milling 4 The MyGIG system 6 Because mass-production cast cylinder that Chrysler offers on its heads are so expensive to mill, tolerances of Sebring sedan and several as much as plus or minus 1.2 mm have been other vehicles comes with accepted. But Linamar Corp.’s 5-Axis contour a 20-megabyte hard drive milling does a lot better than that. Combustion capable of holding MP3 chambers and intake and exhaust ports are songs, photos and machined to tolerances of plus or minus navigation system software. You’re so vein 0.004 mm. And the process costs a fraction of Chrysler says 1,600 MP3 5 Hitachi Ltd.’s door the estimated $2,500 per cylinder head for songs take up less than locks identify car owners custom milling. Engine horsepower and half the hard disc. There’s by the patterns of veins in efficiency rise, while noise, vibration and a Gracenote search engine their fingers. When used harshness decrease. Linamar’s system was to find song information for personal computer first used on the LS7 V-8 engine that powers from the most popular of security, the system scans the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6. 4 million CDs it has on file. finger veins on the palm side. But gripping a car’s door handle deforms those veins. So Hitachi scans veins behind the fingernails instead. Wireless 7 wonder Let’s say you have spent hours 9 programming Kenny G, Yanni, Barbra Streisand and Krokus into your iPod. Now you Compression want to take it in the car with you. No problem, if you own one of the makes impression 30 car brands that are Bluetooth- By changing the enabled. The wireless compression ratio of an communication system lets engine, fuel economy can electronic devices such as cell be increased and emissions reduced without affecting phones, music players and performance. FEV Engine Technology Co., of Auburn Hills, Mich., laptops communicate with each is a pioneer in variable compression ratio engines. The FEV other without plugs or cables. It Soooo cool system raises and lowers compression by pivoting the crankshaft also allows voice-activated 8 The Chrysler group calls it the Chill Zone, a cooled storage electronically. Several cars have performed well in durability devices to work seamlessly bin that is standard on several models. The bin, on the passenger tests. FEV has several development contracts. without the driver pressing any side of the instrument panel, can hold as many as four 12-ounce buttons. beverage cans. A vent at one end of the bin pushes cold air around the cans when the air conditioner is on. AN AUTONEWS 04-16-07 B 4 AUTONEWS 4/10/2007 3:45 PM Page 1 16D • APRIL 16, 2007 INSIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100 Cool things---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Threefold improvement 10 The new BMW 3-series convertible solves a huge problem common to cars with folding metal hardtops: lack of trunk space. When the top is down on cars such as the Mercedes- Benz SLK, Mazda Miata or Pontiac G6, little cargo room remains. But BMW’s roof, from German supplier Edscha Convertible Roof Systems, folds flat upon itself in three layers, leaving ample room for a suitcase or other large items. Back-seat TV 12 If the kids are bored with the 11 same old DVDs they play in the rear of the minivan, help is on the way. Chrysler rolled out Sirius Back Seat TV at the New York See that sign? auto show this month. The system will be offered first on the 2008 Chrysler Town Slow down! & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan Toyota is developing a minivans. It operates with a SiriusConnect system that uses a SC-V1 Audio/Video Tuner that will be camera to recognize a connected to back-of-the-headrest school-zone sign. If you monitors. Rear-seat occupants can watch are speeding, it then TV while the car is moving. Front seat automatically slows the occupants also can also watch on their car to no more than the MyGIG hard-drive screen when the vehicle legal limit. is stationary with the transmission in Park. Chrysler and Sirius will offer a menu of channels with an emphasis on kids. 14 Active all- wheel torque BorgWarner Where’s that Less friction, runs great engineers have 15 matched an all- cupholder? 13 Engines lose about 6 percent of their wheel-drive system While driving at night, steaming fuel’s energy to friction as parts rub against each to modern safety Starbucks cup in your hand, how other. The Nissan 350Z’s engine cuts friction 25 controls, including many times have you searched percent and thus boosts fuel efficiency about 3 electronic stability blindly for the cupholder? The Dodge percent. It uses a hydrogen-free, diamondlike carbon control, to create an electronically controlled torque unit Caliber features illuminated coating plus special engine oil for piston rings, valve that actively manages traction. The system improves cupholder rings that glow bluish lifters and other parts. The coating and oil bind better performance and stability at high speeds and on slippery green, helping you make a perfect to create a smoother film between parts. surfaces. It was first used on the Porsche 911 Turbo, landing every time. introduced in March 2006. We move the automotive world! With precision drive train components SEISSENSCHMIDT will Corporation meet your chassis demands for innovation and reliability. As a global development partner to the automotive industry, 3%)33%.3#(-)$4#ORPORATION we design and produce performance critical components in 3OUTH53 0OSTAL"OX our state of the art forging and machining facilities. From (ARRISVILLE -ICHIGAN 53! blank forgings to ready-to-fit components, SEISSENSCHMIDT 0HONE has the experience to meet your most demanding application. &AX USCHAFFLUETZEL SEISSENSCHMIDTCOM Innovative solutions. Engineered for the future. WWWSEISSENSCHMIDTCOM A TRUSTED PARTNER TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AN AUTONEWS 04-16-07 B 6 AUTONEWS 4/10/2007 3:46 PM Page 1 16F • APRIL 16, 2007 INSIGHT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100 Cool things---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Battery of the future Lithium ion batteries hold four times the power of the nickel- metal batteries they will replace in hybrid vehicles. Look for Toyota to introduce lithium ion batteries in the 2009 Prius. Fast-delivery piezo 16 Diesel engines with piezo injectors run much smoother and quieter than diesels with old-fashioned, spring-loaded, electromechanical injectors. Siemens VDO and Bosch Automotive have the first piezo injectors in production. Siemens’ are in the new Ford Super Duty pickup’s 6.4-liter twin- turbo engine. Bosch’s piezo injectors Fuel-efficient are in diesels in the Jeep Grand 18 Cherokee and Mercedes-Benz E320. pocket rocket Siemens also has gasoline piezo In a world of high fuel prices, the injectors on the new BMW 335i. 1.4-liter Volkswagen Golf GT may be the performance car of the future. Zero to 60 mph takes 7.6 seconds, and fuel economy is about 50 mpg. VW has equipped the hatchback with a supercharger for off-the-line acceleration and a turbocharger for extra passing power. Listen up 19 Voice recognition is coming of age. In some Acura vehicles you can operate the air conditioner, radio, phone and navigation system without taking your eyes off the road.