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Monday, January 28, 2013

Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show During the preview week leading up to the 2013 Detroit auto show, several major suppliers set up elaborate displays in various nooks and crannies of Cobo Hall to show off their latest wares to the gathered industry experts, and they invited the likes of us around for a look as well. Here are some highlights:

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Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

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Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

1969-Toyota-2000GT-Solar-El

Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Toyota-2000GT-Solar-Electr

Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

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Schaeffler-Latching-Valve

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Top Tech Treats at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Johnson Controls displayed several technologies that promise to deliver lighter-weight, lower-cost, feature-rich interiors that look ritzy, thanks to these ideas:

Rear Projection Dash 300x187 imageRear-Projection Dash Want full color, on a bigger screen that doesn’t have to be flat? Switching from thin-film transistor (TFT) technology Digital Light Processing (DLP) can project a larger image on a complex surface in full color for the same money. The demonstrator used a single 0.45-inch square DLP chip to project both a 15-inch (diagonal) cluster display AND a head-up display, also in full color. A second DLP powered the center stack, again on a 3D surface, this time with touch controls. To these eyes the resolution of these screens was lower than the latest TFTs can manage, but the effect was cool. The head-up display is capable of a 10-15-degree image size (measured from the viewer’s eye), as compared with 6-7 degrees for today’s state-of-the-art BMW color HUD. Look for this in two to three years.

Bespoke Overall 300x187 imageBespoke Cockpit Concept This flashy looking interior uses a lot of natural low-cost low-mass materials leveraging JCI’s Compression Hybrid Molding (CHyM). This renewable substrate is cheaper to tool and can be covered in high-end fabrics for an upscale look, and where the door panel meets the dash, the concept has a concave substrate with fabric stretched across it to provide a zero-gap when it closes against the matching convex dash surface. In place of a heavier, costlier hinged center-console lid is a roll-top solution covered in soft material. It can roll to a 2-inch radius. Inside, the console are false-floor “peel to reveal” covers made of material like that used on most iPad covers. They fold out of the way for deeper storage or to provide layered levels. The dash features in-mold decoration that places capacitive switches and displays behind a uniform black surface. Finally, the door armrests are soft and slide fore/aft to accommodate the driver’s elbow position (why has it taken so long to think of this?!). Beneath these armrests are storage bins with USB power.

Synergy Seat cutaway seat1 222x300 imageGen 3 Synergy Seat The heart of this lightweight high-feature seat is its carbon-fiber reinforced composite shell that incorporates the mounting points for many optional features (adjustable bolsters, fans, etc.). The outer surface can either be carbon fiber or a covered with a film for some other look. Moving up from there, is VariTec cushion foam comprising a Visco-foam (think Tempur-Pedic) atop a firmer layer of foam, but formed in a single step in one mold. On top of that goes FaserTec material (a.k.a. rubberized hair made of Sri Lankan coconut fibers) that seat fans can blow through. The trim cover is a premium fabric joined by high-frequency welding, not stitching (this technique has been used for embossing, but is now capable of joining fabrics). The fully powered seat is capped off by a four-way adjustable head restraint that is fully self contained (all motors are in the head rest, not the seat body), so that the power head rest could be an easy dealer upgrade.

Inspiration Seat Designed for Chinese honchos who ride in back, these thrones adjust every which way and provide heat, coolth, and multiple modes of massage. The cool thing is that they’re controlled entirely by an iPad or similar tablet, which connects to the seat via Bluetooth. This approach makes the HMI control interface easily upgradable and easily tailored to multiple languages (with tricky character sets).

2013 Ford Escape Schaeffler Efficient Future Mobility Vehicle 300x187 imageSchaeffler has launched an Efficient Future Mobility project that will gradually bring a 2013 Ford Escape AWD up to 2020 fuel-economy standards realizing a 15-percent fuel savings using technologies the company is readying for widespread use, including:

All-wheel-drive Disconnect Disconnecting the rear wheels and all the shafts and differentials they connect to when four-wheel traction is not needed will improve the Escape’s economy by 5 percent. Simple clutches disconnect the half-shafts at the rear wheels, and up in the transmission there’s a friction clutch that brings the rotating mass up to speed, after which a ball-ramp setup keeps the clutch locked without requiring power-robbing hydraulic pressure.

Schaeffler Permanently Engaged Starter Generator PES1 300x275 imagePermanently Engaged Starter One key to quick auto-stop-start restarts and smooth change-of-mind restarts is not having to engage a starter pinion when the flywheel may still be turning. Schaeffler proposes to keep the starter engaged with the ring gear. Instead of having the ring-gear welded to the torque converter or flywheel, it’s connected with a wrap-spring one-way clutch. So if the engine is still spinning down when you decide to restart, the starter just tightens this wrap-spring and accelerates the engine smoothly—no gnashing teeth.

Latching Valve Another challenge faced by start-stop systems is keeping the transmission in gear with the engine off. Electric pumps to maintain pressure rob precious energy and are expensive, but Schaeffler proposes a simple valve to maintain line pressure. As soon as line pressure returns as the engine restarts, the valve opens again. Together these stop-start enablers contribute 3.5 percent fuel savings.

The balance of the savings comes from friction reducing measures in the belt-drive tensioner (1%), roller-bearing balance shafts (1%), Diamond Like Coating (DLC) on the tappets (delivering 70-80 percent of the benefit of roller tappets at half the price), a new torque converter damper that permits earlier lockup (1%), and a switch to Continental’s latest low-rolling-resistance tires. The company expects to complete the project car this year, and then upgrade it with mild-hybrid components to achieve the 2025 fuel economy standard in 2014.

1969 Toyota 2000GT Solar Electric rear view 300x187 imageAisin Solar Toyota 2000GT Okay, this one’s just for fun. I mean, nobody honestly thinks that a purely solar-powered electric vehicle that takes three weeks to charge and then travels only 70 miles on a charge has any real practical use. But I’m a huge fan of the 2000GT, so I had to stop and get the low-down. The electric motor is from a Lexus LS 600h l, and the batteries are believed to be borrowed from that car as well. The car is one of four 2000GTs that were discovered in Japan in rusty, badly deteriorated condition. All were restored, and this one’s stock parts were all retained and will be re-installed at some point to return the car to factory-new condition. Apparently scion of the family that owns Chiba Toyopet—a giant dealer near Tokyo, worked with Akio Toyoda back in the day. His grandson headed the project to restore the cars and was given permission to prepare this one for Aisin’s Drive Green Experience.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Mazda Design Director Walks Us Through 2014 Mazda6 Styling

Mazda Design Director Walks Us Through 2014 Mazda6 Styling, Talks Design Strategyfrom Jason Udy on December 7, 2012 at Wide Open Throttle (WOT). We caught up with Derek Jenkins,Mazda?s North American director of design, at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show to talk about the short-lived Nagare design

2014 Mazda6 Styling

2014 Mazda6

2014 Mazda6 Styling Walks

2014 Mazda6 Styling Walks

2014 Mazda6 Styling WalksUs

The back end of the 2013 RAV4 has a much cleaner and solid look thanks to a number of styling and functional changes. For starters, the new RAV4 has a traditional liftgate, ditching the quirky side-hinged door used in previous generations. Also, a full-sized spare tire is no longer mounted on the back door, giving way to a space saver tire stored underneath the cargo area (the refreshed third-gen model was offered with this option). The horizontal taillights, which give the 2013 RAV4 a wider-looking stance, are more substantial than the smaller units in the outgoing model. Toyota says the taillights feature vortex generators to improve aerodynamics.The Mazda5 was the only vehicle to fully-integrate the now-defunct – and wild-looking – Nagare design language; though, as the design director points out, some Nagare elements can be seen in the current Mazda3. Jenkins told us the reason Nagare was phased out so quickly was that it didn’t fit the automaker’s new direction. For that new direction, Mazda wants to give its vehicles a more premium, upmarket feel. To do that for the Mazda6, the design had to have simpler and cleaner lines as well as the right proportions. With the new Skyactiv platforms, Jenkins and his team had the opportunity to be more focused on those proportions. Where Nagare was more cab-forward, Kodo is cab-rearward with a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs.“We’re spending a lot more time studying premium segments and more importantly what makes those cars so desirable,” Jenkins said. “It’s not that we want to compete with premium products; it’s more that we want to bring some of those values and those qualities into Mazda products at a good price.

2014 Mazda6 rear three quarter1 300x187 image“We’ve been studying this theme for the last three years, not just for this car, but for all of our future products. We started [Kodo] with the original Shinari concept car and it’s just been getting more and more refined…I think this is the best version of it so far. It works really well on the CX-5 and CX-9, but here it really kind of jelled and came together really well.”

The smiley face and sloped front end of previous models has been replaced with a new upright grille that visually lengthens the hood, while the grille’s chrome surround flows into the headlight giving it what Jenkins calls an “eagle eye” effect. A pronounced front diffuser visually plants the cars, making it look more stable according to Jenkins. These changes combine to give the 2014 Mazda6 a more aggressive look. The new Mazda6’s dash-to-axle ratio is longer than other midsize sedans, which gives it more of a rear-drive appearance.

Jenkins is pleased with the rear of the Mazda6. Where the current car is wide throughout, the new car has more of a taper at the top of the rear quarter-panel, which “really improves aerodynamics and, more importantly, gives the car [a] trapezoid stance; where it’s narrow at the top and wider at the bottom,” Jenkins tells us. Overall, the design gives the new 6 a fast cabin and short deck without giving up any cargo room.

2014 Mazda6 cockpit 300x187 imageJenkins notes that the interior design is “somewhat conservative,” as the team focused on making the interior look slim and wide, while putting emphasis on the material quality and fit and finish rather than over-styling it. The interior detailing is a mix of soft-touch materials, brightwork, and piano-black finishes. Jenkins says stitching and perforation work were also major focuses. “Everything is done in a way that is very calm, simple, sophisticated and handsome.” When asked if there is a German influence on the interior, Jenkins acknowledged that the German brands have “set a standard for the industry and have had a profound influence on products at all price points.”

While we think that Jenkins and his team have succeeded with the 2014 Mazda6’s interior, we did ask about the small infotainment/navigation screen on the Mazda Design Director Walks Us Through 2014 Mazda6 Stylingand CX-5.

2013 Porsche Cayman World Premiere on Wide

Watch the 2013 Porsche Cayman World Premiere on Wide Open Throttle Most auto show junkies won’t ever attend an automotive world premiere on auto show press days, but on this episode of Wide Open Throttle, Jessi Lang takes viewers inside the 2012 L.A. auto show for the 2013 Porsche Cayman official reveal and more.