Jaguar Land Rover Eye-Tracking Wipers Will Brighten Rainy Days

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Jaguar Land Rover has been busy developing smart tracking technology, but it was not exactly exciting until actual daily use benefits emerged, like eye-tracking wipers. Soon the stress of wind shield wipers that never seem to sync up properly to the momentum of the elements and the driver’s eye will be a thing of the past.

The idea for eye-tracking wipers came out while the company was busy developing safety measures such as visual sensing for drowsy driving alerts. Jaguar Land Rover has been working with Intel to stay on top of the latest technology breakthroughs and implement them into their luxury vehicles. read more

Aston Martin and LeTV Pair Up In The Name Of Technology

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles
Aston Martin and LeTV

Aston Martin is pulling out some stops, strategizing with China-based LeTV to incorporate new technology into the fleet. The deal includes Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. and LeTV, officially known as Leshi Internet Information & Technoogy Corp., wherein Aston Martin will be served a slice of China’s high technology and LeTV will gain exposure for this and its electric automobile ambitions.

The Aston Martin One-77 is one of just 77 created. Future siblings will be just as stunning and technologically advanced. read more

Colorful New Ferrari App Lets You Build Custom Car Instantly

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Visualizing the perfect dream machine build just became easier with a new Ferrari app called the ‘Ferrari AR showroom”. The application allows visitors to Ferrari showrooms to completely customize their favorite models to get a better feel for color, rims, brakes and wheel combinations while making the important purchase decisions. Yes, life can be that rough.
The brief clip above shows the Ferrari AR showroom app in action:

The Ferrari AR showroom app is used on tablets in the showroom, eliminating the squinting associated with smaller devices. The app was created by developer Zspace with input by the Horse, of course, to provide a more in-depth and visual experience at point-of-purchase. Will it decrease the number of customized eyesore decisions cruising the streets wearing the Ferrari badge? Unknown. Will it offer a glimpse at what a buyer thinks will look good in their mind before making a potentially tragic mistake? Indeed. read more

Autonomous Audi Q5 Completes 3,400-mile Road Trip Solo

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles
autonomous Audi Q5

Audi has been occupied perfecting its new direction on the autonomous vehicle route. The autonomous Audi Q5 just completed a coast-to-coast solo trip from San Francisco to New York, a quest totaling 3,400 miles. The vehicle managed the entire trip driverless, save a 50-mile span through a construction zone. There was a likely nervous human being riding shotgun.
The clip above offers some shots of the journey:

The autonomous Audi from auto supplier Delphi Corp. embarked on the journey for strategic testing purposes equipped with cameras, powerful laser sensors, radar and other fun gadgetry. The trip was a landmark success, leaving Audi with the knowledge of what aspects of the driverless car are working and where there could be improvements. The sheer mileage that the Q5 was able to navigate solo actually took the company by surprise, as they had anticipated a bit less. According to Jeff Owens, Delphi chief technology officer: “We expected we would be in autonomous mode most of the time, but to be in it close to 99% of the time was a pleasant surprise. The equipment was flawless.” While 99% is not the universal definition of flawless, it is most impressive. read more

GM Eye Tracking Headlights Could Take Off the Blinders

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Automotive technology continues to advance and impress, with the latest being GM eye tracking headlights that do pretty much what the name implies: they track the movements of the driver’s eye and provide light in that direction. This wonderful wizardry is being tested to possibly become available in future GM models.

Leading automaker GM is working diligently to add further technology to its headlight assisting offerings. Will drivers soon have the added advantage of intelligent headlamps that function by following their eyes?  read more

Toyota TNGA to Adapt Powertrains for Faster Product Creation

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Toyota is a company known for its unexpected offerings–think back to the Lexus LFA, the first-ever attempt at a supercar and the ensuing success. The brand is quite strategic in all aspects of operations, using advanced and flexible modular platforms in order to create new models with greater ease. The upcoming Toyota TNGA platform will gear things up further, offering a strategic base from which to build future products at a reduced cost, which ultimately leads to more.

Resources could be spared at a rate of 20% or higher with the Toyota TNGA platform, freeing up funds for more development and exciting new models. While money and funding are always an issue, TNGA is driven further by efficiency and performance qualifications. Improved laser welding and a revisit to the center of gravity have molded great expectations for future vehicle capacities. This paves the way for completely new powertrains with dramatically improved fuel economy. read more

Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter Takes Backseat Driving to New Level

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Ford has launched a car that actually prevents drivers from speeding. The new Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter certainly takes the notion of the backseat driver to an entirely new level! It seems that not everyone is going to be ecstatic about this one, especially the gearheads of the world. The system will only be offered in Europe and in the Ford S-Max model, for the time being, so take comfort in that if you are on the other side of the pond.

How it works: The Ford S-Max is packing a sinister technology called Intelligent Speed Limiter. The system reads the speed limit signs along the roads and electronically limits the vehicle to adhere to them, slowing down accordingly. It reads the speed limit postings via a camera mounted on the dash, which I suppose could be removed in the event one needs to pull a 007 maneuver to escape impending danger. In reality, overriding the system only requires a nice delivery of pressure to the gas pedal–signaling to the engine to ignore the pesky advice. Also, the driver must manually turn on the system, which is comforting. The electronic components of the Ford Intelligent Speed Limiter simply adjust the amount of fuel the vehicle receives in efforts to lower the speed. read more

Video: The Turbo Ferrari 488 GTB Behind the Scenes

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles

Now that the first-ever turbo Ferrari is out, let’s check out the footage below of the 488 GTB behind the scenes in action:

See the turbo Ferrari 488 GTB negotiate turns and rip it up on the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia and some roads in Tortosa and Saragozza. These are clips from the official video shoot for the new model.

The Prancing Horse always kept thoughts of a turbocharged engine in the back of the barn. The Ferrari 488 GTB was met with much surprise with her turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 engine. The engine is not shared with any existing Ferrari model thus far. Many expected a potential turbo variant of the Ferrari 458, but the brand opted to change up the game and kick out something that seems to be quite its own animal. In the power arena, the Ferrari 488 GTB produces 660 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque, even with the changes. Downsizing from that naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V8 does not seem to be a bad thing, as engineers have ensured that the 488 still delivers in the power sector. The twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 used is a tweaked variant of the 3.8-liter found in the 2015 Ferrari California T. read more

Google Hits The Road With Android Auto

Posted on by Imagine Lifestyles
Android Auto

Google has made the official announcement that the Android Auto system is a go. Consumers in the United States, Australia and the UK are able to access the technology now. Does this mean Google intends to continue biting from the big Apple? You betcha!

A little healthy competition is always a good thing when it comes to services provided because it keeps the technologies interesting and the costs somewhat down. The new Google Android offerings have stolen a percentage of dedicated Apple lovers already, and they seem to be digging in for ways to attract even more. The Google Android Auto interface works with Android Lollipop 5.0+ smartphones and Pioneer head units, for the moment. Because that is but a small slice of the market, it seems that will expand based on user interaction figures as they begin to emerge. To begin, just download the Android Auto companion app from the Play Store. read more

Video Teaser: BMW Self-Driving Car Vs. Drift Champion

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BMW intends to have the first-ever autonomous drift car. They released the teaser below of the BMW self-driving car taking on a champion drifting driver. While it is not Ken Block, the drift driver is familiar with the procedure and the autonomous BMW seems perfectly capable of maneuvering. Check it out:
The short clip above was released to generate excitement over the BMW self-driving car’s drifting capacity.

There are quite a few BMW offerings that make decent drift machines and they are certainly no stranger to special events like Driftmob. The video of the autonomous BMW drifting above is a hint at feats and accomplishments to come from the brand that loves to shock! The video playfully provides the fun challenge of pitting an experienced drift driver against the machine. It is an enticing stunt that leaves more questions than answers, which is completely normal seeing as how the whole ‘driverless vehicle’ movement is still very much in the infancy stage. It could even be said that autonomous vehicles are still in a sort of embryo stage, with much to come in the development process. While there may be legal permits allowing some brands to test their wares on public roads, it will likely be a long time before it becomes a normal event to look over at a car on the road next to you and see no driver! read more