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The days for lawful texting while driving are numbered, with several government and academic studies exposing the extreme dangers of this popular distraction. Ahead of a Department of Transportation-led safety conference in Washington, D.C., next week, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) has announced its support for banning text messaging using a hand-held device or calling using a hand-held device while driving a motor vehicle. The AAM is an 11-member industry group consisting of BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Several AAM members are developing solutions to facilitate text-based communication, all offer Bluetooth connectivity to allow hands-free phone operation. There is general consensus on the problem and the risks, with some studies equating texting to drunk driving, or worse. However, the debate continues on how to reduce those risks, through legislation and/or technology. (Read “ Cell Phones Quadruple Chance of Crash .”) AAM has come forward with the strong statement: …"texting on a hand-held device while driving is challenging the ability...
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It's the week ending September 18, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. ...
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Mercedes-Benz released its own Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motorshow this week. The five-seat, four-door BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS hatchback promises a total range of about 370 miles, of which about 60 can be traveled solely using electricity. The E-CELL PLUS is part of a trio of BlueZERO concept vehicles , each with its own drive system. Mercedes-Benz feels it won't be just one technology that paves the way to sustainable mobility in the future, so the company is presenting several alternatives. The first in the trio -- the BlueZERO E-CELL -- was released in Detroit at the beginning of the year. Propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric drive, this pure electric vehicle is projected to be able to travel more than 120 miles on a single battery charge and will be completely free of tailpipe emissions. The third vehicle will be the Hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered BlueZERO F-CELL, promising a range of nearly 250 miles on electric power and also without creating tailpipe emissions. The E-CELL PLUS revealed at Frankfurt operates in a similar fashion to the highly anticipated Chevy Volt EREV: The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is stored in the...
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Planning for SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) 2009 is in the works for its November 3rd opening in Las Vegas. Ford will be the featured automaker, but accessories for nearly every make and model of car, truck and SUV will be on display for those who covet anything having to do with automotive customization. Mercedes-Benz kicked off its sponsorship of Fashion Week in New York September 10th with a super model that some may consider the ultimate fashion accessory: the 2010 Limited SL63 AMG Edition IWC. The IWC reference comes from Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhauser, who has created a limited edition "Grosser Ingenieur" (Great Engineer) watch that will be featured at Fashion Week in connection to the car and delivered as a gift with purchase to the few and lucky buyers. Two hundred SL63 AMG Edition IWC roadsters will be built, with only 63 available to U.S. customers. The matte-finish Magno Cashmere White paint is the first of its kind on a Mercedes-Benz model. The roadster's interior features Tobago Brown Nappa leather and carbon fiber touches on the center console and door panels. Each Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG roadster is powered by a 6.3-liter, 518-horsepower...
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It's the week ending September 11, 2009 and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Big news is General Motors' announcement of a 60-day money-back guarantee , that will allow eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles that will allow customers to return their vehicle to their dealer between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle. Sneak Peeks from the upcoming Frankfurt Auto show are everywhere to be found! AutoBlogGreen has news and photos of the Mercedes-Benz S 500 plug-in electric Hybrid set to Debut in Frankfurt next week. The luxury PHEV features a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and a 44 kW/60 hp electric motor that promise the S 500 Hybrid races from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, while also offering more than 70 miles per gallon. Race on, Treehuggers! MotorTrend's Frankfurt preview is live now, with first looks at more than a dozen of the cars set to be revealed next week. They've got everything from the Audi R8 Spyder, Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, Lexus LF-Ch and BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concepts. The...
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The latest study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ) shows that bigger is better for safety , with new crash tests showing that small cars take the brunt of the impact when struck by larger vehicles. This laboratory scenario plays out in the real world, as well. IIHS cites the death rate per million 1-3-year-old minis in single-vehicle crashes during 2007 was 35 compared with 11 per million for very large cars. Even in midsize cars, the death rate in single-vehicle crashes was 17 percent lower than in minicars. The lower death rate is because many objects that vehicles hit aren't solid, and vehicles that are big and heavy have a better chance of moving or deforming the objects they strike. This dissipates some of the energy of the impact. Some proponents of mini and small cars claim they're as safe as bigger, heavier cars. But the claims don't hold up. For example, there's a claim that the addition of safety features to the smallest cars in recent years reduces injury risk, and this is true as far as it goes. Airbags, advanced belts, electronic stability control, and other features are helping. They've been added to cars of all sizes, though...
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In its latest physics experiment, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ) tested the impact of size on vehicle crashworthiness in a frontal collision. By analyzing the results from midsized cars careening into mini and micro cars, the IIHS has confirmed what Cosmopolitan readers have long known: size matters. The Honda Fit , Smart ForTwo , and Toyota Yaris are good performers in the Institute's frontal offset barrier test, but all three are poor performers in the frontal collisions with midsize cars. The structure of the Honda Accord held up well in the crash test into the Fit , and all except one measure of injury likelihood recorded on the driver dummy's head, neck, chest, and both legs were good. In contrast, a number of injury measures on the dummy in the Fit were less than good. Further, intrusion into the Fit's occupant compartment was extensive. Overall, the Fit was rated poor in the front-to-front crash, despite its good crashworthiness rating based on the Institute's frontal offset test into a deformable barrier—representing a head-on with a same-sized vehicle. On the other hand, the Accord earns good ratings for performance in both tests. The ForTwo...
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With all the muckraking surround federal aid to the Detroit 3, the media hasn’t dug deep into how foreign transplant factories have been subsidized with state funds. Good Jobs First reports that $3.6 billion in aid has been provided since 1980 through property and sales tax exemptions, income tax credits, infrastructure aid, land discounts, and training grants. A national policy resource center for grassroots groups and public officials, promoting corporate and government accountability in economic development, Good Jobs First says this estimate does not include joint ventures with U.S. companies, nor funds granted to hundreds of foreign-owned auto supply companies that have located in the same areas. Government-supplied subsidies include: Honda, Marysville OH, 1980, $27 million Nissan, Smyrna, TN, 1980, $233 million Toyota, Georgetown, KY, 1985, $147 million Honda, Anna, OH, 1985, $27 million* Subaru, Lafayette, IN, 1986, $94 million Honda, East Liberty, OH, 1987, $27 million BMW, Spartanburg, SC, 1992, $150 million Mercedes-Benz, Vance, AL, 1993, $258 million Toyota, Princeton, IN, 1995, $30 million Nissan, Decherd, TN, 1995, $200 million Toyota, Buffalo, WV, 1996, more than $15 million...
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Modern diesel engines are powerful, clean, fuel efficient, and increasingly backed by federal tax incentives. The Mercedes-Benz GL320, R320 and ML320 Bluetec qualify for the credit, according to Automotive News , which reports the credits range from $900 to $1,800. The IRS does not yet feature the Mercedes models on its Alternative Motor Credit page . (Read: Tax Credit for Volkswagen Diesels .) While the tax credits may draw some buyers, the engines in these 2009 cars are appealing in their own right. First off, cast aside any lingering impressions that diesel engines are stinky, oil-belching rattle traps. These modern engines meet the same emissions standards as gasoline vehicles through advanced engine technologies, exhaust treatment, and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The new fuel formulation contains 97 percent less sulfur than conventional diesel, reducing sulfur content from 500 parts per million (ppm) to just 15 ppm. Reducing particulate emissions is noble, but the key attraction for many car buyers is the improved fuel economy diesel promises with 30-35 percent greater mileage over similar-sized gasoline engines. The math isn't simple though, as diesel fuel is about 55 cents...
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Nearly three-fourths of the 36 ranked nameplates show a quality improvement in 2008, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Initial Quality Study. The top five brands in rank order are: Porsche, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. At the bottom of the list, starting with the worst: Jeep, Mini, Land Rover, Saturn, and Suzuki. The Initial Quality Study serves is a benchmark for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership, measured in problems per 100 vehicles. The study captures problems experienced by owners in two distinct categories -- quality of design and defects and malfunctions. "Due to some strong new-vehicle launches, in addition to a continued reduction in the level of defects and malfunctions, overall quality improves by 6 percent in 2008, compared with 2007," said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "This gain is driven not only by strong advances from many of the high-volume brands such as Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, but also by very significant improvements by many other automakers. Honda models capture three segment awards -- more than any other nameplate in the 2008 study -- for the...
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At the upcoming 2008 New York International Auto Show , Mercedes-Benz will showcase its growing range of SUVs and three-row people movers. Freshened styling on the M-Class may stand out in pictures, but it is what’s under the hood that makes the 2009 M-, G-, and R-Class models worth a closer look. We all knew it was coming, but the clean-diesel BlueTec engine arrives in the Big Apple ready to meet 50-state emissions limits, thanks to a new AdBlue exhaust treatment system. The BlueTec engine promises 20-30 percent better fuel economy than equivalent gasoline engines, surprisingly good performance, and low exhaust emissions. With the added fuel economy, the BlueTec equipped models have up to 600 miles cruising range. The BlueTec diesels use an NOx storage catalytic converter in combination with an SCR catalytic converter and AdBlue injection to lower NOx emissions. The AdBlue system injects an aqueous urea solution into the exhaust flow, which releases ammonia (NH3), reducing nitrogen oxides to harmless nitrogen and water in the downstream SCR catalytic converter. The AdBlue tank needs to be refilled every 10,000 miles during routine maintenance intervals. At a time when consumers are...
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