Except the primary features which will be standard for the device, the company highlights the IQon’s open innovation strategy, encouraging third-party developers. Access to specific APIs for the car will be available to participants, connecting to about 500 or more signals measuring data (for example, car speed, GPS location, yaw rate, driver workload, engine speed, steering wheel angle, temperatures, torque, barometric pressure, but also the location of the sun).

The IQon system can now be previewed in the Saab PhoeniX concept car, which can be seen at the Geneva Motor Show.

When the citation was issued, Katta was obviously too busy to hand over his licence, registration and insurance to argue with the officer, although he knew he had not been speeding. Only when he arrived at home he realized that the application had been running as a background process and he could export the information from his journey, including the speed he was running at when he had been nabbed.

Katta represented himself in court, when the matter was heard, and asked the officer when he had attended the latest radar gun training, the model number of the device and when it had last been serviced, but the officer could not recall any of these. Katta presented the evidence from his own phone and showed that the highest speed the device had recorded during the whole journey was only 26 miles per hour.

Although the judge found Katta not guilty, he stressed that his decision was not based on information Katta had provided, but was determined by the lack of evidence on the other part. However, Katta considers that the evidence he presented had played a significant role in the dismissal of the speeding charge.

Another claim of Chevrolet refers to the ability of the drivers to send status updates and also remain connected to social platforms. Other services than Facebook are not revealed, but it seems that Twitter is a powerful candidate.

Some preloaded applications were shown and included Google Maps, a fuel price watcher, an Internet radio streaming station and a radar trap warning application, which are all very useful for car drivers. The shallow single-DIN head unit has a built-in 4×55W amplifier. A 3.2-inch display is situated on the right side of the face, while the buttons on the left side detach for security.

It is possible for the users to connect their smartphones through Bluetooth for eventual hands-free conversations or when music streaming is chosen. Applications can be downloaded using this way instead of 3G or 4G USB dongle. There are available applications made ready for each market.

The unit ships with a GPS sensor and a slot for SDHC memory card hidden behind the buttons and the wheel. As a part of the standard, an iPod/iPhone connector is available as well. Navigating their libraries is possible for the users as well as searching songs by their name or artist using voice control supported by the built-in microphone. A synchronization of the contacts from the phone with the paired handset is also possible. There is no memory onboard, as all storage is available on the SDHC memory card.

Parrot’s head unit is expected for the middle of this year, but prices were not made available.

There is also a Mac mini which is shared by both seats, with a central 15.2-inch LCD display and two USB ports at the rear meant to attach peripherals. Brabus also provides one mouse and two Apple Wireless Keyboards to allow both passengers to control the Mac. The entire electronics of the rear seats can access the Internet through a HSPA 3G connection while being on the road. A center storage area is provided in order to dock the iPod and store the iPads when they are not in use.

The Mercedes S600 has been upgraded by Brabus and now runs on a 750HP, twin turbo V12 engine which can make the car reach 62MPH in only four seconds, while the stop speed is 211MPH. The iBusiness trim is different form the standard sedan, as it has Brabus wheels and aluminum pedals as well as headrest-mounted TVs.

There is no information about the price of the package. Brabus claims that it can modify existing cars to reach the specifications or can sell new ones.

Panoramio images as well as Wikipedia data will also be accessible from the sedan and there will also be Google Local Search available from the car. All these techniques use a 3G connection in order to download data, but there is no information about the company that would provide access. The native provider would vary, but all of them should support HSPA and UMTS to make roaming available between countries that are not inside North America.

Other cars could also use Google Earth for similar services but no name has been mentioned. What is certain is that Volkswagen and Honda have tested the system themselves.

An after-sale option of an Autonet router, providing 1.5Mbps connection, is now available for various Chevrolet models: Avalanche, Equinox, Express, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse. The option shares a 3G link over a local Wi-Fi hotspot, the same as the Chrysler option; passengers and other people within a 150-foot radius can benefit from this connection.

The service needs to be installed by the dealer, being priced at $29 per month. The router will initially cost $199 for a two-year contract, but only if it’s bought before December 31st, 2009. Otherwise, its price will be $399.

Honda will still be showing the CR-Z hybrid hatchback as a concept at the Tokyo Show but it seems the project is well on its way, with production launching in Japan early next year. The US will not have to wait much longer as the launch should shortly follow the one in Japan.

At first the engineers from Nissan only has as main task to manufacture a car that was endowed by engine which produced powerful sounds. Noise and vibration expert, Toshiyuki Tabata states: “We decided that if we’re going to do this, if we have to make sound, then we’re going to make it beautiful and futuristic. We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art.” Thus, the mechanics and engineers managed to create a vehicle which reproduced the Bladerunner`s engine sound. The audio feature “comes out” as soon as the car is started and turns off when the vehicle reaches speeds of 12 mile per hour. This is the safety range for pedestrians because at this speed pedestrians are prone to hear the sounds produced by the tires and are warned that a car is approaching them.

Obviously, Nissan Leaf is not the first vehicle endowed with this technology. The electric vehicle manufactured by Fisker Karma will be equipped with a sound complex meant to resemble the sounds produced in the range of a formula One vehicle and a jet plane. So, it seems that future looks very bright for the electric car market.

The government of the United States is going to oblige the vehicles to undergo a higher level in difficulty of these types of testing with the view to obtain results safer for the passengers of the cars and of the drivers of course.

By implementing the new legislation, the government also takes into account the scores obtained by vehicles in the past. Therefore, all the car models which are considered safe and that have passed the crash tests with high scores; they will have to take the protection tests again in order to get a score based on the new rules of testing, even if this means that they record lower figures in safety.

When asked about the crash protection of their cars and the new announcement of the government, Volvo`s spokesperson Dan Johnston stated: “Ten years ago there were bad cars and there were good cars. Now there is not a bad car out there.

Earning the five stars for safety under the tests provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is for sure going to be very difficult. Even though nowadays many vehicles are granted the five stars standard form the safety they provide, things will not remain like this when the new legislation is going to be implemented.

Coming in the aid of the government, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed various brand new tests. One of them features a smaller test dummy which pictures the female body. This is done in order to oblige the car manufacturers to make modification and adjustments to the seat belt, air bags and to all the other safety gadgets to make sure that they offer protection for smaller passengers and chauffeurs.

A second new testing method imitates the impact on one side in the hypothesis that the vehicle entered into a tree or electric pole. Taking into consideration that in a side impact the vehicle contortions, there is practically a very small space remaining which draws the lines to whether the driver or passengers survive or not. This side impact test is prone to make the car manufacturers to discover new methods to offer protection to drivers and passengers alike.

Taking into consideration the decisions of the United States government, it is kind of obvious that starting with 2010 only a limited number or even no cars will be rewarded with the five-star security standard. However, it is for sure that approximately all the vehicles undergoing this test will pass its minimum safety requirements.