Auto Trends

As amazing as the water/land capabilities of the new sQuba concept, it actually comes complete with another amazing device which is something we start to see gradually within the next couple of years. We are talking about the new Ibeo technology for emergency automatic response emergency execution driving.

This new technology developed in Germany uses lasers to decipher certain road conditions and then react accordingly to keep both the driver and the other drivers on the road safe. This Ibeo assisted driving, as we will call it functions on several levels, from the very mundane daily conveniences, to a full-on emergency situation.

On the side of convenience, the laser technology will allow the driver who has found themselves stuck in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam, to keep the steering wheel straight, while the car monitors the motion of the traffic and will do all the “stop and go” for you.

In the slight emergency of a car in front stopping too quickly for the driver behind to take proper action, the sensors would have already sensed this vehicle long before the driver noticed the situation and slowed the vehicle enough to avoid a minor accident.

On a more serious note, the Ibeo laser sensors (Shown in the pictures below) can also monitor the chance of a severe accident. It can decide when it should use airbags, and what the proper action should be to minimize injury as much as possible. In the case of mobile pedestrians around the car, it will take a slightly different precaution and monitor their movement to asses any danger.

If a pedestrian is moving towards the vehicle and is heading straight for a collision path, the computer will first attempt to stop in time to avoid an accident. If it is unable to avoid the person, it will engage its airbags inside the vehicle to protect both the driver and passengers.

Where it gets really amazing, is it will then engage an outside airbag situated within the outside bumper, which is strategically located to knock the pedestrian out of the way, thus hopefully avoiding the possibility of certain death or serious injury.

Laser technology placed within the bumper enables any vehicle, such as the sQuba to drive on its own, as was featured in the movie I, Robot, starring Will Smith. The problem with this, is whether or not a consumer would want a computer to take over their daily driving chores.

Everyday we experience technology and computers breaking down on a continuous basis. How full proof would such a system be? It is human to prefer to have control over our own lives, rather than have it in the hands of someone (or something) else.

This is the reason we can drive ourselves 10 mph over the speed limit through traffic, but if we are the passenger to such a person, we grip the dashboard and pump the pretend brake on the passenger side floorboard.

Would you trust a computer to get you to and from work on a daily basis with the way technology is today?

Okay, so its not a “Bug”, but it sure has the quirky personality of one! The sQuba concept car was featured at the Geneva Auto Show this past week and really turned some heads. What made this vehicle so special you ask? Well, it was a lifelong childhood dream for Frank M. Rinderknecht, the Founder and CEO of Rinspeed Inc.

Frank always wanted to design a vehicle that could travel the open seas as well as the open road… and he has at last succeeded in his quest. This sQuba has been tried and tested and is actually capable of entering the water and traveling around like a tugboat.

But what makes this car truly amazing, is that after you are finished scooting around on top of the water, you can put on a diving mask and submerge it completely under the water while you do some fishy sight seeing.

Everything that you wouldn’t want to get wet on this marvel is completely waterproof for a depth of up to 10 meters. The entire body and interior is completely resistant to sea water, so this concept is actually capable of ‘real world’ usage. No “swimming pools only” for this James Bond apprentice.

Did you say the interior is water proof? Why yes we did, which should have given you the hint that you just might be getting a little wet on this underwater jaunt… or I should rather say a lot wet!

Every sQuba comes as a convertible, to make it as safe as possible. An underwater car is actually quite a giant liability waiting to happen, so he made sure that if anything went wrong, the passengers could just float up to the surface.

The sQuba is amazingly capable on both land and water. It has three Lithium-Ion electric motors to run all the multiple propulsion devices. One of the rear-end located motors is used solely for land cruising, and it is quite capable of pulling the sQuba to an impressive 77 mph with zero emission.

Once in the water, the other two electric motors kick in. On top of the water, the sQuba is capable of speeds of up to 3 mph using two twin-screw propeller drives.

Submerged, the sQuba uses a combination of the twin screws and two Seabob jet drives that get their suction through maneuverable louvers on the car’s fenders. While completely under the water, this marvel can negotiate the 10 meter depths at a respectable 1.5 mph.

All we want to know is… how much is it, and does it come with a harpoon option?

While minivan’s are said to be on a downward curve in comparison with the sports touring SUV’s, they are still a force to reckon with in some areas. For our final segment of the BrandIntel Consumer Voice Awards, we asked Alan Dean and Vince Bucciachio what consumers are saying about which sports tourer and minivan is the best buy for 2008. You just might be in for a surprise, because guess what? The Honda Odyssey does not take center stage this year… and neither does the Mazda CX-9.

For the Minivan Segment, the Overall Bread-Winner is the — Dodge Grand Caravan

Consumer Comments: What’s that you say, another American car beating out several top selling imports? Yes indeed, Dodge is on fire this year and their redesigned Caravan appears to be a winner. Last year if you’d dropped into a consumer forum discussing the Dodge Grand Caravan you might have heard words such as “boring” and “standard”, but while styling alone does not make a minivan, the redesigned Caravan does more than just create a slight facelift to win back the hearts of its old customers.

Consumers love the “feel of the new Swivel ‘n Go seating system”, which allows the captain chairs to spin clear around to face the third seat passengers. Consumers like the overall comfortability of the Caravan, it’s smooth ride, roominess, and conveniences such as a three-zone video entertainment system which allows front, middle and rear-seat passengers to view and listen to separate entertainment sources (Sirius Backseat Television).

Share of Consumer Discussion — 45% of all discussion (that is close to half folks)

Sentiment — High

Consumers Like — Seating, Value, Comfort, Interior Roominess, and Overall Ride

Consumers Dislike — Exterior Styling, Quality, and Engine (which lags in comparison to some of its competition with its 175 to 251 horsepower rating)

Most Significant Rival is the — Chrysler Town & Country

Consumer Comments: There is a notable trend with the minivan today, and that is the consumer is much more impressed with their comfort than their pure brawn. Once again we find that the runner-up of this class is not a real performer (175 to 251 horsepower), but more of a luxury tourer. The Town & Country is basically the twin sister of the Grand Caravan, albeit slightly more blocky and less refined on the outside. And while consumers are still not real fond of its “brick-like shape”, they do like the fact that it translates into a lot more room and comfort to speak of.

The overall most popular and liked vehicles among consumers in the Minivan segment:

10^th Place— Chevrolet Uplander 9% popularity, high sentiment

9^th Place— Nissan Quest 3% popularity, medium sentiment

8^th Place— Mercury Montery 1% popularity, high sentiment

7^th Place— Buick Terraza 1% popularity, medium-low sentiment

6^th Place— Toyota Sienna 1% popularity, very high sentiment

5^th Place— Kia Sedona 1% popularity, high sentiment

4^th Place— Hyundai Entourage 1% popularity, medium sentiment

3^rd Place— Honda Odyssey 16% popularity, medium sentiment

2^nd Place— Chrysler T&C 20% popularity, low sentiment

1^st Place— Dodge Grand Caravan 45% popularity, high sentiment

For the Mid-Size Sports Tourer Segment, the Overall Bread-Winner is the — Nissan Rogue

Consumer Comments: It would be easy to pass over the success rate of the all new Nissan Rouge as being out of its newness alone, but there are just far too many keys that lead to its appeal to pass it over without a real glance at what it has to offer its consumer. Receiving one of the highest sentiment scores of all the segments, what most consumers seem to like about the new Rogue is its standard Nissan Xtronic CVTâ„¢ (transmission), which they say “makes the vehicle very smooth and fun to drive.” On the negative side, some performance enthusiasts claim the CVT takes away from the performance feel of a “clunkier” transmission and some also complained about its poor rear visibility… but nothing’s perfect!

Share of Consumer Discussion — 13%

Sentiment — Very, Very High

Consumers Like — Appeal, Comfort, Fun, Suspension, Transmission, and overall Value

Consumers Dislike — Poor Visibility in Spots

Most Significant Rival is the — Subaru Forester

Consumer Comments: Subaru has gained a wealth of happy consumers due to the quality build of their Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive systems and this is one of the most talked about features of the 2008 Forester. Consumers also like the latest styling additions to the Forester, specifically the new STI-style front bumper, and the 6-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels. Add in the zippy finesse of its turbo-charged 2.5-liter, 230 horsepower version and it is easy to see why the Forester captures the hearts of so many of its buyers.

The overall most popular and liked vehicles among consumers in the Sports Tourer segment:

10^th Place— Ford Edge 9% popularity, medium-low sentiment

9^th Place— Ford Freestyle 1% popularity, medium-high sentiment

8^th Place— Cadillac SRX 3% popularity, very high sentiment

7^th Place— Saturn Outlook 4% popularity, high sentiment

6^th Place— Infinity FX35/45 5% popularity, very very high sentiment

5^th Place— Mazda Mazda5 6% popularity, very high sentiment

4^th Place— Volvo XC70 6% popularity, very high sentiment

3^rd Place— Mazda CX-7 7% popularity, very high sentiment

2^nd Place— Subaru Forester 8% popularity, high sentiment

1^st Place— Nissan Rogue 14% popularity, very very high sentiment