Auto Trends

Anxiety, originally uploaded by LostInLifeAgain

If you live in California, chances are you’ve heard of the Cool Cars Initiative. If you don’t, you will be hearing about it over the next couple years. To get you up to speed, Cool Cars is a regulation, enforcing all cars sold in California to received a solar glazing on the windows, blocking the heat and thus keeping an automobile’s interiors cooler.

While this sounds like a pretty “cool” idea initially, it is certainly not without its flaws. To begin with, solar glazed glass does not exactly have a perfect track record. While the California Air Resources Board will tell you everything has been thoroughly tested, others will say that we could be in for some interesting times as far as cell phone and GPS signals are concerned.

The other problem, is even though this is a California regulation, it will most likely become national, considering the difficulty of retooling the manufacturing process just for one state. So in effect this would effect us all to some degree. Let’s look at exactly what this could mean.

The Positive and Negative Effects of Cool Cars
On a positive note, with the solar glazing in place, vehicles are estimated to reduce up to 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gases. In addition, the new layer will not be noticeable, impede the drivers view, or make the glass thicker. In other words, you won’t even know its there.

Okay, but nothing good comes without the expense of something bad. To begin with, the glazing on the windows may reduce the ability of certain devices to function properly. Theses devices are assumed to be cell phones, GPS devices, criminal ankle bracelets, etc. Now, the Board has already disputed these claims, stating that there tests show no problems, although these tests were neither extensive, or conducted in mountainous areas.

Besides telling consumers the glaze is well tested, they have also offered a few additional solutions to ease consumers minds. For one, only the windshield will be coated up through 2015, allowing signal to make its way through the side and rear windows.

Two, for such items as GPS, toll tag responders, and garage door openers, there will be a non-glazed section of the windshield where the driver can literally cram all these devices within that specified area. Three, the Board claims the GPS ankle bracelets will be unaffected according to initial tests, but some feel there should be more tests done.

Sources say there could be more of this type of (not so well planned) solutions to automobile greenhouses gases coming down the pike. Let’s hope they’re wrong…

Source: LA Times

We’ve had front seat airbags in consumer vehicles ever since the Oldsmobile Toronado hit the showroom floor in 1973. Some of the earlier systems would actually be found to do more harm than good, and would not truly become a popular safety feature until 1988 when Chrysler made them standard fare in all their vehicles. By 1998, gas inflated airbags were mandatory in every car built and/or sold in the USA.

Time went on, and soon side airbags were introduced to protect passengers from the event of a serious side collision. Today, there are airbags that have been designed to protect just about every aspect of a passenger, including their precious knees.

Up until until now, however, all these features have neglected one obvious portion of just about every vehicle… The rear seat passenger.

Ford Rear Seat Airbags
Ford has announced this week that they intend to become the first auto maker to design an airbag specifically for the rear passengers. Visions of bags shooting out from the rear portion of the front seats come to mind, but this is not exactly how these will be designed. In fact, there will be very little bag to inflate period.

The Ford airbags will be a very small tubular sized air cushion sewn into the seat belt strap portion that runs across the front of the chest (as shown in above photo). As a collision occurs, the bags will inflate, creating a buffer zone across the chest and neck, offering more cushion and spreading the force of the belt related impact to more area of the chest.

The end result will be less chance of injury occurring from the narrow seat belt pushing into the chest cavity and the side of the neck. The bags have yet to be tested and approved for use in vehicles, but by most expert opinions, there should be no problems getting them passed. We will likely see these towards the tail end of 2010 on the Ford Explorer.

[Photo via ABC News]

Chrysler Building, originally uploaded by Mr Yankee

Chrysler in in the midst of spreading the news of their new 5-year plan. Let’s take a look at a few of its highlights and rumors:

Well, we have a few deaths and births of the Chrysler line to announce. As far as mid-sized pickups go, the Dodge Dakota will definitely be buried for the 2011 model year. It will be replaced by a unibody-based midsize truck that has yet to be announced.

The Dodge Caravan will stay on the boards through 2014, along with the Dodge RAM pickup truck Line. The RAM will be getting a major overhauling in 2012, featuring improvements to its fuel economy and emissions output. We’ve also will see a new commercial-grade van coming out for 2012, using a Fiat platform.

2011 will not see any Dodge Vipers in production, but there will be 500 introduced for 2012. Unfortunately, after this the model will be indefinitely laid to rest. Rumors tell us Fiat/Chrysler will have an all new (possibly Alpha inspired?) sports car ready to unleash later that summer.

Chrysler promises to be doing a total revamp on processes, focusing on overall quality, structure and strategy. They plan on designing vehicles with an all-American look, with only the inside portion being undoubtedly Fiat.

Chrysler reported today, that unlike what some experts have pointed to, Chrysler is sitting in a respectable position. They are “not burning through cash” and actually had $5.7 billion dollars on hand just two short months ago.

Chrysler has eluded to taking their focus away from older buyers, but not necessarily because they are going to focus on younger buyers, but because older buyers aren’t buying “mature” vehicles anymore. The new product line will be fresh, youthful, economical, clean burning, and will focus on fewer models. They will strive to deliver a much more powerful message.

The fuel efficient Pentastar V6 will be taking over a lot of the vehicles in the upcoming lineup. Expect power levels to be around 280 horsepower. 2010 should also see a diesel introduced for the Jeep Wrangler. Not only that, but it will feature stop/start technology, shutting the engine down at stoplights to help conserve fuel.

Look for Jeeps new slogan coming to advertisements near you:

i live. i ride. i am. Jeep

The Wrangler will most likely be the only true off-road Jeep made by Chrysler. The remaining will adopt Fiat car platforms, and focus on highway worthiness. In addition, the Chrysler badge will be making a change to retro-modern styling, spreading its “wings” once again.

Chrysler appears to have an intelligent plan on the table. Let’s see how they put it to use!