CES auto news

Video: Translogic hangs out with Daimler's Zetsche and Ford's Mulally at CES

Usually our sister publication Translogic is out putting futuristic transportation hardware through the paces or talking to geeks who are trying to reimagine the very infrastructure of our world. But this week, the show has a decidedly more conventional subject: Interviews with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Both of these automotive bigwigs were wandering the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month (Zetsche was the keynote speaker, a job Mulally performed two years ago), which is where Translogic caught up with them for a chat and demonstration of their CES wares. Zetsche showed off a new gesture-based in-car interface, as well as some new active safety technology for Mercedes-Benz. Mulally plugged Ford's new hybrid and plug-in hybrid Fusion, as well as showing off the Ford Evos concept's fancy infotainment system. Give it a watch after the jump.

Continue reading Translogic hangs out with Daimler's Zetsche and Ford's Mulally at CES

Video: Sync Applink gets new NPR app, Destinations hands-on

Our friends at Engadget got up close and cozy with the new Ford Sync Applink interface at CES 2012. Ford has put plenty of time ironing out some of the wrinkles in the voice-command system, and the company's work has paid off. Sync Applink is designed to allow users to access certain applications on their compatible smartphones without ever having to take their hands from the wheel. It sounds nice in theory, but Ford has had its fair share of issues getting the technology to produce desired results. Judging by the quick video, that's a thing of the past.

Ford demonstrated how the revised system easily pulls up the new NPR app and how users can easily shuffle through the application's various features. The app even lets users chose any NPR station in the country. How's that for snazzy?

Click past the jump to see Applink do its thing.

Continue reading Sync Applink gets new NPR app, Destinations hands-on

Video: Aha Radio coming to 2013 Subaru BRZ

Subaru and Honda have shacked up with Aha Radio to bring streaming Internet tunes to your vehicle's cabin. According to Engadget, the system is expected to show up as an option on the 2013 Subaru BRZ. Users will need to have the Aha Radio app installed on their iOS or Android smartphone. The system then uses the device's data connection to stream the application straight into the head unit via Bluetooth or a USB connection. Information like pre-selected favorites and station preferences will be displayed and accessible via the built-in touchscreen interface.

Drivers will also be able to command the app using steering-wheel mounted controls, which is always a plus. Engadget says the user interface is workable enough for daily life. The site was able to get a brief data connection while on the floor at CES - just long enough to flip though a few stations and make a quick video. Hit the jump to check it out for yourself.

Continue reading Aha Radio coming to 2013 Subaru BRZ

CES: We can't show you the most impressive infotainment system at CES

The only thing we can show you is the image above. No video, no additional pics, just that.

We sampled Garmin's new "Everest" setup, which includes one-shot voice commands and the ability to buy tracks from Amazon while you're listening to them over FM radio. You'll see it in cars later this year. We also sampled their "In2it" eight-way rotary controller (think a tech'd-out iDrive, MMI or COMAND knob), complete with proximity sensors and configurable buttons. Garmin is pitching it to OEMs right now.

But the system that blew our mind is dubbed K2. And the only thing we can show you is the image above. No video, no additional pics, just that.

Continue reading We can't show you the most impressive infotainment system at CES

Toyota Prius camper conversion has us charging for the woods

Love it or hate it, Toyota has done an impressive job with the Prius. What started as a single model has grown to a whole family, including the versatile new Prius V minivan. But for some even that won't prove enough space, so Japanese conversion outfit Campinn has developed this rather bizarre appendage for the standard Prius hatchback.

Unveiled this weekend at the Tokyo Auto Salon, this conversion turns the current Prius into a camping van of sorts, complete with convertible sofa-bed and overhead sleeping area. It's made of fiber-reinforced plastic and boosts the car's length to 196 inches and its height to 81.1, and comes complete with a skylight and a back door for slipping out un-noticed when people are gathered around the front gawking and laughing at what looks like a hybrid with a tumor.

Report: Mercedes boss Zetsche offends Cubans with Che Guevara joke

For every college student with a Che Guevara poster on their dorm room walls and a copy of Motorcycle Diaries on their shelves, there are plenty of Americans who remember the communist leader as a cold-blooded killer. That's the problem with revolutionaries; they're nothing if not divisive. Mercedes-Benz recently received a first-hand lesson in just how polarizing Guevara himself can be after the company used a massive image of the leader in the company's presentation on car sharing at CES.

Dieter Zetsche, Daimler CEO, said, "Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism, but if this is a revolution, then 'Viva la revolucion!'."

The Guevara image then splayed across the one-story screen behind the executive, complete with a Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star on his trademark beret. Let the cringing begin.

It didn't take long for Cuban exiles in Florida to descend on the Mercedes-Benz consumer site with promises of boycotts and shock at the company's insensitivity. It does seem amazingly short-sighted for a German luxury manufacturer to embrace the image of a leader who happily shunned the niceties of the upper class for a rifle.

CES: Gracenote MoodGrid could be in cars by year's end

Last year at IFA, we had a chance to check out a beta version of Gracenote's MoodGrid, an Android tablet app that automatically creates a music playlist using a 10x10 grid with Positive, Energentic, Calm and Dark criteria placed on each axis. Select a place on the graph and it automatically creates a playlist based on your mood. Now, the app has been scaled down and ported into a Garmin head unit, which means MoodGrid could be coming to a major OEM as soon as sometime this year.

As shown at CES, the updated MoodGrid app has been halved, with a five-by-five display with the same four musical dispositions. Based on where you place the dot, it dials up the tunes to suit your mood, utilizing the tracks on your iPhone, iPod or Android device. Another tablet-based version was on hand that can also tap into subscription music services like Spotify, Rdio and MOG, making music discovery even more robust. Check out our brief hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Gracenote MoodGrid could be in cars by year's end

CES: QNX guts a Porsche 911 to show off next-gen infotainment

QNX - now owned by Blackberry - ripped the guts out of a 997 Porsche 911 Cabrio to showcase its latest blend of infotainment, navigation and connectivity solutions. If nothing else, it's one of the better looking interfaces we found at CES.

The system integrates the standard music, nav and telephony functionality with one-touch Bluetooth pairing over NFC, a sweet-sounding VOIP system and the potential - in theory, at least - to run Android apps thanks to its Blackberry Playbook roots. Get a feel for it in the video after the break.

Continue reading QNX guts a Porsche 911 to show off next-gen infotainment

Video: Hands-on with Kia UVO2

Kia is rolling out the second generation of its UVO infotainment system before we could really get to know the original, but UVO2 is packing all the advanced telematics and connectivity features of its competitors - or at least it will when it ships later this year.

We had a chance to sample the lower-spec version of UVO2 in an Optima Hybrid, and overall, it's an improvement over its predecessor both in terms of polish and features.

Included in UVO2 is automatic crash notification, road-side assistance, service reminders and tracking, along with geo-fencing, speed warnings and a curfew setting that lets you know when the kiddies stray too far, go too fast or stay out late.

Along with the normal raft of music and navigation features, there's a companion iPhone app that keeps track of maintenance and notifications. It also includes a vehicle finder that automatically logs the vehicle's last location and lets you find it using a nifty augmented reality feature. Get more details in the press blast and hands-on video after the jump.

Continue reading Hands-on with Kia UVO2

Video: Audi shows off gesture-controlled heads-up display

Across the Audi stand from the new A3's interior and updated Audi Connect system was a prototype of the next-next-generation of heads-up display technology.

The display comes in three parts: one in front of the driver, another in front of the passenger and yet another sitting between the two, viewable by both people in the front seats.

While the addition of two more displays is more novel than functional, the way you can pass information between them makes it noteworthy. If the passenger, say, looks up a restaurant on their display, they can push navigation instructions to the center display and on to the driver. It's a slick setup, but likely won't come to market for at least a few more years. Get the full details and a brief demo video below the fold.

Continue reading Audi shows off gesture-controlled heads-up display