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Patents point to four-door SLS AMG from Mercedes-Benz
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Rumors, Transportation,
With many great things in life, doing them just once is never enough. Some things you just wanna experience over and over again. The same can be said about a great automobile. If you’re not familiar with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, it's a beast. In fact, it's the only car that can pull off having gullwing doors while still maintaining a classy look. The AMG SLS coupe was such great hit with buyers that Mercedes-Benz created a drop-top version, which was yet another success.
Recent German patents suggest that Mercedes-Benz is at it again in taking something great and making it even greater. Autoblog has exclusive details of a filed patent that details a four-door Mercedes SLS AMG!
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Bleeding Edge TV 434: Cadillac CUE infotainment system tour
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2012, Features, GPS, Podcasts, Transportation, Videocasts, Videos,
In this episode we give you a look at the Cadillac User Experience, also known as Cadillac CUE. This is the new infotainment system that you can expect to find in the upcoming Cadillac XTS and Cadillac SRX as a standard feature, as well as an optional feature on the upcoming Cadillac ATS as well. Cadillac CUE offers a bunch of cool, new features that make driving more fun:
Connectivity: CUE seamlessly connects you to a world of content. Its available 3D GPS navigation system has map-integrated Doppler weather reports. It accesses every contact and song on your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. It reads text messages aloud and streams Pandora Radio. With downloadable custom apps, its content possibilities are endless. With CUE, you are always connected.
Convenience: CUE starts with a clean, uncluttered design. From there, intuition takes over. Spread your fingers to zoom in closer on a map. Swipe to breeze through your music. Program the homepage to keep your favorites front and center. With fewer buttons and more intelligent controls, CUE also offers natural voice recognition, allowing you to effortlessly place phone calls and play music.
Control: Proximity-sensing technology detects your hand as it approaches the 8-inch LCD touch screen. When an icon is pressed, the screen pulses to acknowledge the command, keeping your eyes safely on the road. Even the gauge cluster is reconfigurable (select models), offering four display layouts that mix vehicle data, such as a speedometer and fuel gauge, with navigation, entertainment and 3-D vehicle image.
Big thank you to GoToMeeting and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! GoToMeeting provides rich, super-simple collaborative virtual meetings. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like on the site.
Three-cylinder BMW 3 Series to hit the streets in a couple of years
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
A while back we hit you with a list of the top ten technologies to look out for in automobiles, and now we’re here to let you know that one of the items on that list is ready to be brought to market. BMW has long been the reigning champ in luxury compacts and it may soon be adding new bragging rights to its list.
We included the three-cylinder motor on our list due to the economy boost that the motors promise. Aside from luxury, BMW wants to add fuel economy to its 3 Series lineup. At the heart of most three-cylinder cars lies a hybrid motor to aid in power. BMW, however, is taking a different approach. Unlike its i8, which sport a hybrid combo, the company aims to provide relatively the same power and fun that the current 3 Series provides. The three-cylindered motors are expected to hit the streets within the next two to three years.
Read More 
| Autoblog
Mercedes-Benz improves the seat belt for the second time
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
Mercedes-Benz has improved the seat belt again. If you haven’t been up to speed, the first improvement they made was placing motors on the B- and C-pillars of the car so that the seat belt can adjust tension. Now they’ve gone a step further to make buckling up easier. Future models will feature a buckle that lights up and out by about 3-inches extends when a passenger enters the vehicle. Once the belt is inserted, the buckle retracts back into position and the light fades.
Mercedes aims to put this into production as early as 2013.
Read More | Autoblog
Lexus GS growing into a family of vehicles
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Transportation, Videos,
Along with the likes of Volkswagen, Honda, and Cadillac, Lexus is heading to the Super Bowl. The Lexus ad features the newly redesigned GS series, which is aimed to compete with the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class; to which we say good luck. That said, the new redesign is rather sexy.
The commercial (which can be seen after the jump) is rather sci-fi-ish and features the GS locked in a container. The Lexus eventually breaks free, and at the end of the commercial there are four container boxes lit up while the narrator states, “this is just the beginning.”
This leads us to ask the question ‘what next up from Lexus?’ Toyota recently expanded its Prius family, which led us to believe the GS family will be expecting new additions. Lexus announced on its website that there will be a hybrid option along with an F-tuned option (which is geared to compete with the BMW M5.) This being so only accounts for three containers of mystery, that is if you include the GS 350 apart of the four. So what remains to be answered is what will be the forth family member in the GS line-up?
Click to continue reading Lexus GS growing into a family of vehicles
BMW 5 Series drives autonomous driving test hits the Autobahn
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Science, Transportation,
A few weeks ago we reported on autonomous driving as a feature in the Toyota Fun-Vii, but it looks like BMW might have beat Toyota to the punch line.
Last year BMW scored 2-minute laps at Luguna Seca with the click of a button. This year BMW is back with new and improved technologies. When BMW hot lapped their 3 series at Luguna, they relied on radars and cameras to get the car to do what they wanted it to do. That wasn’t good enough for BMW, so they pushed the enveloped to have an autonomously-run car on the Autobahn, a road that has no speed limit. In order to execute this feat, BMW relied on ultrasonic scanners and lasers to read the road, traffic, and lanes. The system executes the necessary tasks and keeps with the flow of traffic. You can see the 5 series in action after the jump!
Though it is too early to see if this system will make it into production anytime soon, the technology is something manufactures have been dreaming of since the 50s. For now, BMW will be equipping some vehicles with a new Traffic Jam Assist system, aimed at helping you deal with traffic more efficiently.
Click to continue reading BMW 5 Series drives autonomous driving test hits the Autobahn
Read More | Autoblog
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