Articles by Karla Pincott

While it comes from the basis of the car everybody thinks of when they think hybrid - the Toyota Prius - the Lexus CT200h is a slightly different prospect. Hybrids have moved a fair way from their world-saving worthiness platform. These days they're starting to tout style, status and even sporty aspirations. They rarely live up to that last claim, but if you want something that makes you look good on the street -- and at dinner parties -- the CT200h ticks the boxes.DESIGNThis is the first hatch to wear a Lexus badge, and while it stays within the fairly conservative styling boundaries of the brand, it's been given more street presence -- unmistakeably aimed at getting a more style-conscious buyer into the showroom. The hatch lines are lifted by the rakes of the front and rear screens, and on the tested F-Sport spec, darkened alloys play up to the mesh grille and lower fascia detailing.Inside is a snug cabin - supposedly five-seater but really only four - with a premium feel to fit-out and features, among which the antiquated foot-operated park brake seems glaringly out of place.TECHNOLOGYThe CT200h uses the Prius's drivetrain, with a 73kW/142Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 60kW/207Nm electric motor, with a continuously-variable transmission driving the front wheels. A regenerative system captures brake energy to feed charge to the battery - also the older, heavier (and cheaper) technology of a nickel-metal hydride unit rather than lighter and more efficient lithium-ion.But it's not all Prius underpinnings, with the CT200h giving you four switchable driving modes: EV on electric motor solely, Eco using both petrol and electric but limiting power and the drains of airconditioning, Normal with both petrol and electric but less restrictions and Sport with higher engine revs and motor power plus sharper steering.It logs a 0-100km/h time of 10.3 seconds and a top speed of 180km/h - hardly startling, but that's not the point. It's the fuel figure that's the main game: a claimed 4.1L/100km in mixed driving, and a 5.2L/100km finish on testing over several days combined highway, urban and CBD trips.VALUEThe CT200h starts at $39,990, but the F-Sport asks another $10,000 for those wheels, leather sports seats, 10-speaker audio, sat nav, reversing camera, body kit and sports suspension.So what else is around at the compact end of the green-tinted field? Well, the Prius of course, and in top i-Tech spec for $45,990 -- $4000 cheaper than the CT200h F-Sport - with two extra doors. But the Lexus beats it for fit-out and finish, not to forget badge status. Long-gone are the days when A-listers would step onto the red carpet from the hybrid Toyota.The newest rival is the Honda CR-Z, which draws about level with the Lexus on styling and driving, slips back on the luxury scale - and also on petrol economy at 4.5L/100km -- but at $40,790 in top spec will put a sizeable amount of cash back in your pocket.But there's a lot of promise if you're up for a diesel, with the BMW 118d five-door hatch at just over $46,000 with an eight-speed auto and 4.5L/100km economy, while the $36,990 manual Volvo C30 DRIVe with stop-start returns 3.9L/100km.SAFETYIt gets a full five-star crash rating, with active headrests, eight airbags (including knee bags for driver and front passenger), anti-skid brakes with brakeforce distribution to compensate for uneven loading and brake assist for panic stops, plus traction and stability control.DRIVINGWhen it gets on the road, the CT200h's driving modes give it something of a split personality. While it's the most frugal, the electric-only Eco setting is teeth-grittingly tedious anywhere except crawling traffic snarls, but the 2km range means you'll get through most of them without having idled away a tank of fuel.The power-nannied Normal setting is fine for city traffic, but frustrating once you get into free-flowing lane-changes or motorway speeds. For those who actually want to get a bit of response from their car in those conditions, the Power setting is the only place to be. It's not exactly in the spirit of hybrid motoring to just think of the electric motor as a handy way to add torque when you want to go harder. But, well, whatever works, we say.Under those conditions you could ask for more feel from the steering, and perhaps also a better sense of connection with the CVT transmission. But most buyers should have little complaint about the ride and handling, with the little hybrid hatch turning out to be both comfortable and confident, with deft cornering abilities.The downside is that if you drive like that all the time, it's going to destroy the fuel economy that is supposedly one of the key reasons for buying it. We finished with 5.9L/100km for an unscientific mix of driving - which is not bad, but it's not the 4.1L official figure either.VERDICTIt has sporty looks and accessories, but that alone won't add up to sporty performance. However by offering the combination of appealing hatch styling, prestige fit-out and hybrid drivetrain, it's going to appeal to those for whom a Prius is no longer enough. And to those who just want prestige looks without the prestige price tag.RATINGLEXUS CT200hPrice: from $39,990Warranty: 4-years/unlimited kmResale: 51%Service interval: 15,000km/12 monthsSafety: 5-star Euro NCAPEngine: 1.8-litre, 4-cyl petrol engine, 73kW/142Nm; electric motor, 60kW/207NmBody: 5-door hatchWeight: from 1370kgTransmission: CVT, front driveThirst: 4.1L/100km, 91 RON, CO2 95g/kmAffordable luxury with a green tint.

What was Kia’s Super Bowl ad going to do with top supermodel Adriana Lima, after releasing a teaser with her in a bikini waving a chequered flag.

Actors are always warned not to appear on stage or screen with children, because they steal the limelight. But Subaru should have taken the opposite approach and warned the newest addition to its family – the incoming XV compact SUV – not to work with the most senior member in shooting the latest TV ad.The little Subaru 360 that launched the range in 1958 nearly steals the scene, and stole the hearts of the film crew behind the ad. “Everyone on location fell in love with the 360,” Subaru national marketing manager Toby O’Bree says of the tiny rear-wheel drive, with its two-stroke 360cc two-cylinder engine. “This is an original version of the Subaru model first released in 1958. It has only a few miles on the speedo, and despite its age, performed strongly throughout the three days on location at Lake Bathurst. It didn't miss a beat. But I have to say as cute as it is, the XV was the star - ably supported by the rest of the Subaru cast.”And the full family was there, with the entire bloodline of Subaru acting out a storyline that sees them all disappear into a bizarrely mobile retro 50s carwash – from which emerges the XV.“I believe it’s the first time we’ve used them all together,” O’Bree says. “We have used Rally cars in other TV commercials for models such as Outback and Impreza but we have never had a TVC with the whole family of Subaru models depicted.”And those who have a special affection for the Brumby – our chief reporter Paul Gover among them – will be applauding its strong supporting role.The ute wakes up from under a pile of hay and dirt and scampers through the landscape to catch the rest of the crew already in the carwash.  And not all the grunge came from the props department, O’Bree says.“The special effects crew on location applied dirt to the Brumby and several rally cars but it quickly become apparent that the natural environment would take care of that,” he says.The commercial was created by the Disciple agency and produced by Revolver Production, with filming in a number of locations during last October.Disciple creative partner Peter Buckley says "The new XV is the culmination of so many great Subaru ideas that we thought that a good way to communicate this was to show all that technology and heritage being distilled before our eyes -- and a carwash seemed like a great way to do this.We wanted the spot to feel like an event, as this is a big moment for Subaru, but be fun too, so we thought that having the carwash moving was a great idea."We set the action on a dry lakebed and filmed from tracking vehicles and from a helicopter which gives a sense of epic scale. The cars themselves are the thing that adds charm to the spot and we tried to capture's each's unique character by the way each arrives at the carwash."The carwash itself has a retro look and if you look closely you'll see we've incorporated the Subaru stars into the sign. We also thought the spot would feel better if we don't see any drivers. So we paintboxed them all out - sorry if you were one of our stuntdrivers."The interior carwash scenes were shot at a new carwash in Narellan (south-west of Sydney), where several glass panels were removed to accommodate camera and lighting, O’Bree says.“The rural location for the driving sequences was Lake Bathurst near Goulburn in NSW - chosen for its flat expanses – while the rural town scene was shot in Tarago near Lake Bathurst. The retro carwash was actually a model just 2m long, which was shot at a studio in Homebush and digitally added later.“However the scenes of the various Subaru models driving into the back of a moving carwash were genuine shots. It was accomplished by dressing a car transporter to appear like a car wash then driving the Subarus up the loading ramps as the transporter drove along. Obviously it was all done in a controlled environment with professional drivers.”O’Bree says the key aim of the ad was to communicate “that Subaru has a heritage of making All-Wheel drive SUV's dating back to the 1970s. And that when combined with our experience in developing sports performance passenger cars, the new XV offers both genuine SUV ability and genuine car-like ride and handling. The line ‘All the best from Subaru’ sums up the proposition,” he says.But it might also have another intended effect. We’ve seen a run of car ads that boost the popularity of featured songs, including Mitsubishi with New Radicals’ Get What You Give, Ford with New Order’s Slow Jam and Holden with Accadacca’s Thunderstruck – the last of those only until the Pedestrian Council of Australia had it pulled off the air.So the Subaru ad could do the same with the Russell Morris classis – The Real Thing – which became a massive hit overseas in 1969, despite lacking the kind of promotional juggernaut available to today’s musos.“The song has struck a chord with a wide variety of age groups,” O’Bree says. “For music buffs it might be of interest to know that the version appearing in the new XV TV commercial was recorded in Sydney using the same drum kit as the original 1969 version.”

Cheap and green is the name of the game, with the Yaris aiming to deliver the least expensive hybrid in the market, with the best fuel economy and emissions figures in the light car segment. Rather than relying on the 1.8-litre engine from the Prius, Toyota has downsized to a 1.5-litre and a smaller electric motor, inverter and battery pack, saving about 20 per cent in weight and avoiding having to cannibalise the Yaris cabin and 286-litre luggage space. The new system is tipped to deliver a maximum of 74kW with fuel economy nearing 3L/100km and emissions as low as 80g/km. This brings it under the Prius’ 3.4L/100km and 89g/km, and also makes it a contender against new ultra-light city cars such as the Volkswagen Up. Initially slated for Europe, the Yaris will make its international debut at Geneva Motor Show in March and hit the showrooms over there by May. And it will eventually hit our shores, but don’t expect to see it here for some years, Toyota Australia says. “For the Australian market we have the Prius C arriving towards the end of first quarter this year – within a couple of months -- and that will take the spot of the Yaris Hybrid here,” a Toyota spokesman says. “That’s for the interim. (TMC boss) Akio Toyoda’s vision is that every Toyota model will have a hybrid variant by 2020, so by then we will have one.” As the first full hybrid model in the B segment in Europe, Toyota’s newcomer will hope to build on the strength of Yaris being their top seller there – and snare younger buyers that can move up the model line as they mature.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show. It takes a step beyond the NV200 that will be sold in the US as a small commercial with taxi prospects, and also is likely to go on sale, but probably not until 2014. The petrol NV200 has previously been announced as New York's 'Cab of the Future' and the electric version has already undergone a trial program with Japan Post and is scheduled for a future one with FedEx in London. Like the Leaf, the e-NV200 uses a 80kW/280Nm electric motor powered by a 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the van floor. A single-speed transmission drives the front wheels, and -- again similarly to the Leaf -- Nissan claims it would probably get around 160km of range. While the design strongly follows the NV200 in concentrating on payload space, the electric concept gains the Leaf's charge point hatch on the grille, and adds a bit of tech-esque bling in the form of blue-tinted headlights and taillights. There's also a geek chic feel to the cabin concept, with a flat instrument display obviously modelled to mimic a tablet. With the current race to stuff ever more novel gadgets into cabins, the tablet display could conceivably survive into the production model. But it's hard to see the same luck for the two-tone blue alloy wheels on the concept.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The hip-hop icon revealed his plans to talk show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno, saying the new brand will be called IAMAUTO.Will.i.am says he plans to build the cars on Chrysler platforms, and has unveiled an image of a low-riding sporty vehicle that looks like it’s already raided the modders parts shelves.Keeping it in the music field, Will.i.am says he will use a Beats by Dr Dre sound system – which is also featured in some Chrysler cars.He told Leno the car would be built in Los Angeles and his motivation was to create jobs there."I invested in making a demo to start the Black Eyed Peas, we did that, now I want to invest to have a car company in the neighborhood that I come from.""I'm a big technology freak and a geek and I invested my money in building my own vehicle, because I want to bring jobs to the ghetto that I come from," the singer said on the show.

The Toyota FJ Cruiser is very PC. By which we mean Personnel Carrier - not armoured perhaps, but a swivelling machinegun mount wouldn't look out of place on the roof.There's a military flavour to the design, which Toyota says takes its cues from the original J40/FJ40 seen here first on the Snowy River Scheme in the 1960s - and in one or two war zones -- but the new one looks more like the result of a one-night stand with Hummer.Luckily, whatever you think of the retro-brute styling, underneath it is a reasonably practical vehicle that has bypassed the techno-trizz bin but done a bit of staple shopping in Toyota's off-road parts aisle.VALUEAvailable only in one spec at $44,990, the FJ Cruiser has all the usual basic electric equipment, plus a six-stacker CD player with iPod, USB and Bluetooth. connectivity, and a rear-view camera and parking sensors.The price makes it the entry point to Toyota dual-range 4WD wagons, with the Landcruiser well above it at around $65,140 - although there's a Prado at the FJ's price with constant 4WD.But if you're looking for a two-stage transfer case, you can get one in a Suzuki Grand Vitara V6 petrol at $40,490, or a Subaru Forester 2.0D at the same price if you'd prefer diesel - although with a manual transmission.And starting at $43,900 there's also a few dual-range choices among the Mitsubishi Challenger turbodiesels with either a manual or a five-speed sports auto.TECHNOLOGYThe FJ Cruiser sits on a shortened version of the Landcruiser Prado platform, and has used the same 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine five-speed automatic transmission, with real offroad potential coming from a two-speed transfer case and a lockable rear differential - which get separate switches.The engine develops 200kW of power at 5600rpm and a pretty hefty 380Nm of torque at a pretty high 4000rpm, but with 310Nm available from 1200rpm.The official combined fuel economy is 11.4L/100km, but we couldn't get within cooee of that except on a highway run, and ended up with just on 18L/100km in a mixture of urban, inner-city and country driving with a very brief offroad taste.DESIGNThe FJ Cruiser draws on the original design with retro styling in the upright glass windscreen - wide and shallow enough to need three wipers -- wraparound rear windows, mesh grille with Toyota spelled out, round headlights and bluff high nose.The interior has a similar flavour, with the squared-off lines of the centre stack, big easy-to-read gauges - with outside temperature, compass direction and pitch and yaw -- and the hose-out feel of the rubber floor.The driver gets height adjustment and the front row has ample legroom. Suicide rear half-doors give easy enough access to the rear seat, but there's not a lot of room back there. Kids will probably love the novelty factor and the high position, but adults will feel cramped.There's scope to head offroad in the decent ground clearance on the thick rubber and 17-in wheels, and the short front and rear overhangs will help approach and departure angles for gullies and creeks. But a 20kg load limit on the front chassis rails will stymie those who want to fit a bulbar or winch there.SAFETYIt hasn't been crash-tested here yet, but the Prado to which it's loosely related got four stars in 2003 for the VX with six airbags, and more recently a full five stars for models with more safety equipment - and more airbags.The FJ Cruiser is back to six bags, plus active headrests on the front seats, and has traction and stability controls, anti-lock brakes with brake assist for extra effort in emergency stops and brakeforce distribution to counter uneven vehicle loading.Visibility is good except for towards the rear, which -- with the rear-mounted full-sized spare -- is so poor as to be almost blind. The rearview camera and rear parking sensors help in that direction, but those who still like to add a head-swivelling human check to the electronic aids will be frustrated.DRIVINGFirst of all there's the attention you'll get in the FJ. People will either love it or hate it, but either way they'll all notice it - so you'll have to get comfortable with that.Until then, you'll at least be comfortable with the drive. Whether you're on the road or off, the ride quality is brilliant. Part of the reason behind that will be the 100,000km+ of testing to tune the suspension for Australia.The steering was done in the same program but has still ended up with less connection and communication than we'd like on the road - although it works well enough to get the vehicle around at urban speeds and for parking.Except for those who wait in vain for a diesel to join the range, few could complain about with the V6 engine's smoothness and strength. With close to 2-tonne to push around, the FJ isn't spritely off the mark but there's plenty of effort on tap for hills and overtaking.And in a brief paddock and gully foray, it's proved to have enough torque and decent design for fairly tough crawls, with the low range and traction control working well and the short overhangs avoiding contact through deep washouts. And after recently returning a HiLux press vehicle with an offroad audit trail on the paintwork, we were pleased to try and erase some of the blot on our reputation with this one.VERDICTSome people will want the diesel or manual it doesn't have, but for those who will occasionally need the low range to go offroad but won't ever need hard-core factors, the FJ Cruiser offers styling that stands out from the crowd.

The LandCruiser is as much a part of the rural uniform as an Akubra. In just about any town with proximity to paddocks, you'll see 'Cruisers crawling the streets in a lineage that sometimes stretches back to their 1960s origins.They've gained a reputation for offering a combination of offroad ability and onroad comfort that has made them the wheels of choice out there. And they clamber over the competition in the sales charts, repeatedly beating the nearest rivals who aim to offer the same 'bush and blacktop' blend.VALUEThe LandCruiser tested here in V8 turbodiesel Altitude spec will set you back from $90,440 --  not cheap.It's about $2800 more than the same drivetrain in the GXL on which it's based. For that extra ask, it adds in quite a bit of upmarket kit from the top-spec Sahara version, including 18-in wheels, leather touches on the shifter and seats, powered front pews, and a colour touchscreen satnav/audio system with four-disc CD stacker, MP3 and Bluetooth.The Cruiser gives you eight seats, an astonishing 650Nm of torque and towing capacity of 3500kg. Its only real offroad rival in the large SUV class is the Nissan Patrol - although if you step into the luxury SUV section there's the Merc G-Class, but at more than twice the price.The Patrol is more affordable at $72,690 for the Ti with a capable 3.0-litre turbodiesel and dual-range 4WD - along with leather and quite a few luxury features -- but with one less seat, only 354Nm of torque and a similarly lower tow of 2500kg.Cherry-picking the tougher contenders out of the medium SUV class puts you in the turbodiesel Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed for $77,690, which gets you back up to 441Nm and a tow rating of 3000kg. It also seats seven, but it's going to feel a bit snugger than the Patrol if you fill every seat.And still with a big fan club is the turbodiesel Jeep Grand Cherokee, which in Overland spec at $69,500 gives you a whopping  550Nm with the five-speed sports auto, and 3500kg of towing capacity, but only seats five. But it comes with a heritage and -- even if it doesn't quite live up to every bit of the legend these days - people still love it.TECHNOLOGYUnder the bonnet is a 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8, developing 195kW of power at 3400rpm and the 650Nm of torque from a low 1600-2600rpm, with the drive going to all four corners via a six-speed automatic transmission with 'manumatic' shifting.Those are the kinds of numbers that bring smiles to a lot of faces, but they'll broaden into big bright grins at the mention of the 10.3L/100km fuel economy.  It might start as a smirk of disbelief at that official figure - which we didn't manage to achieve - but the 16.2L we finished with in a mix of highway running, city jousting and dirt crawling showed the engine is pretty efficient for its size.While the LandCruiser has constant four-wheel drive, it also has high and low ranges that use a Torsen limited-slip diff -- selected electronically using a dash-mounted switch -- and crawl controls for up and down steep hills.Unfortunately, the Altitude is one of the few LandCruisers that doesn't get as standard kit the Aussie-developed Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System -- which limits body roll with coupled hydraulic cylinders on the stabiliser bars, and uncouples the cylinders to allow full suspension travel in offroad crawling. You can have the KDSS added as an option, but it will set you back another $3250.SAFETYIt gets a four-star crash rating, and is fitted with eight airbags, ant-skid brakes with brake assist for emergency stops and brakeforce distribution to counter uneven load weighting, plus stability and traction controls.DESIGNThe LandCruiser's looks send a serious muscle message, starting with the hefty grille and its outright size. It's long, big and tall, with good ground clearance, and that means you have to climb up into it. But once you get there, you'll find acres of room for the first two rows, with the split-fold second row having slide adjustment for extra leg room.Even the side-mounted third row pews are more or less workable - although adults wouldn't like to be there for a long trip. Some buyers will look at it as being perfect for the weekend school soccer circuit, and to some extent that's a shame because this is not an ideal vehicle for town life.DRIVINGWe felt awkward driving the LandCruiser in the city, and wanted to slap a pony club sticker on the rear bumper so people would think we'd just blown in from the bush.It bullies its way through lane changes and narrow streets, is a trial in low-roofed underground carparks - and threatens to block out the neighbours' sun if you do manage to find a spot for it outside.Admittedly, it's smooth and quiet enough to not invoke any council noise regulations, and manages corners and roundabouts very well for something of its size, although there's a considerable amount of body roll with the standard suspension.But on the highway and into the dirt it really comes into its own, giving you a comfortable ride no matter what you throw it at: scrub, fire trails and creek crossings all vanish into the rearvision mirror with never a falter.We didn't get the chance to tow anything, but with 3500kg braked capacity it would have hauled anything in our sights. boat, horse trailer, caravan or camper. Hell, you could probably stick a wheel under each corner of your house and do a bit of relocation.VERDICTIt's the perfect vehicle for carry a troop in comfort around the country, towing big loads and getting far off the beaten track. Just keep it outside the city limits unless you're picking up the month's supplies.

If your phone can work out where you are, locate three nearby Thai restaurants, rate them, make an online booking, guide you there, find the nearest parking spot  - and update your Facebook status to let your mates know where to meet you - why not your car?It soon will. And a lot more besides. Technology on the near horizon is following two main goals: keeping you connected and keeping you safe - although sometimes those aims will clash.Some of the features are already appearing in a small number of cars, but like the now nearly ubiquitous Bluetooth, you can expect them to spread quickly as carmakers increasingly stack the equipment lists to lure your wallet.Here's our top 10 of the features riding the coming consumer technology wave.BreathalyserDrink. Drive. Bloody impossible. Or at least it will be when breathalyser locks start spreading through the equipment lists. They're already here in limited aftermarket form, and there are court-directed 'alcolock' programs for repeat DUI offenders.Discussion about alcolocks becoming mandatory is just at murmur level right now, but will get louder - with safety, parental and medical lobbies adding their voices (and political clout). Don't be surprised to see the devices follow seatbelts and stability control as a regulation in the future.WiFiIt's going to be peak hour on the information superhighway, with cars turning into mobile WiFi hotspots. And not just in prestige brands. Mainstream models like the Ford Focus are spearheading the roll-out, with the little car getting the SYNC system to allow WiFi device connection in European markets from next year.There's no confirmation yet on how soon after that it will arrive in Australia, but - given our almost insatiable appetite for mobiles devices - you can't imagine it will be too long. Maybe by then we'll have a proper broadband system, and can return the current one to Somalia.Smartphone integrationWe're already seeing cars - and some aftermarket systems - that connect to your phone's music and more recently to your text messages. But technology waiting in the wings will allow you to integrate a smartphone more fully, allowing you to access its apps, GPS and other features.The in-dash screen is possibly going to overtake behemoth speakers as the aftermarket 'must have' and scarily this this is set to expand and explode as quickly as music player integration did over the past decade.Parental lock-outsNot just for the internet and naughty pay-TV channels. Soon you'll be able to restrict a raft of your car's features to put some limits on other drivers - meaning teenagers with shiny new licenses - who use it. The speed limiter will be a popular setting. Neighbours, or perhaps the whole neighbourhood, will thank you for setting a ceiling on the stereo volume.But your offspring will probably curse you most for the latest tech to join the limiter line-up: the phone lock-out. Yes, you'll be able to stop them making or taking phone calls and texts, which will all be saved so they can respond when they get off the road. And the message that dialling and driving is stupid might just spread to phone-happy parents. V2V with crash avoidanceThere are two main streams being developed in collision avoidance. We're already starting to see the cruise-control systems that lock onto the car ahead and start applying brakes if you get too close - with a couple of the most sophisticated able to bring you to a complete stop in low-speed situations. Behind that technology are vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems that are able to see further afield.Using GPS tracking and transponder technology, your car will be able to read the behaviour of all the others within a 400-metre radius or more. So if it detects a cluster of stopped cars ahead, or that traffic is swerving around something - like a patch of ice - on the mapped infrastructure, it takes evasive action before you can even see the problem.Parking helpersNo, not the ones that actually park your car - although they're becoming more common too. This helper will search the area around your destination to find you the best possible vacant parking spot, offering options like proximity and price comparisons.Systems being tested in the US are mining traffic and parking data and using algorithms to result in predictive parking - giving you an indication of where you are likely to find vacant spots hours ahead. The helpers crunches all the information on recorded vacancy rates of parking spots, fees, traffic patterns and even special events. So you can avoid the endless circling, circling, circling. Vehicle-to-infrastructureSimple types of V2I communication are already here in the form of electronic tolls, and satnav speed, school zone and camera warnings. But expect to see more sophisticated traffic snarl reporting systems, traffic light synchronisation and - eventually - integration with speed limit infrastructure that can change speeds as traffic demands. It's aimed at keeping the cars flowing smoothly in city areas, but also at cutting the road toll. All of which sounds like a no-brainer for government, until you remember it will also cut the lucrative speed camera revenue.Solar chargersElectric cars can claim to have zero emissions at the tailpipe, but fi they draw their charge from the grid, there's an emissions count at the power station. Solar charging stations using photovoltaic cells bypass the problem. Internet heavyweight Google - who even the harshest critics would admit have a pretty good business decision track record - has invested in a system being rolled out in California.And Australia's climate should make most of our capitals a decent prospect for anything powered by the sun. However that hasn't proved to be the case with hot water systems, so it remains to be seen how green th e electric car push is prepared to go.The Cloud A global network is being created to put telematics in cars via cloud-based computing. The spark is for electric vehicles to charge and manage their battery systems, but it will also manage GPS, telecommunications and multimedia - including streaming music.What might make it a contender against other systems arriving into the market? The project is a joint venture between Microsoft and Toyota - both giants in their fields, and also both in the habit of aggressively growing in any area they enter.Anti-theft GPS trackingFleets are already using GPS vehicle tracking systems (GPS VTS) - as are some owners of expensive cars. If the car moves from where it's supposed to be, in some cases by even 100 metres or so, an alert is raised and the car's location is able to be tracked down.This has generally been done through fairly expensive computer software, operated either by the fleet owner or by a tracking service that provides the anti-theft device. However cheaper systems and software are being released that will put the technology within reach of most drivers with smartphones.And at the same time the tracking devices have become so small that thieves now find them difficult to locate and remove. With one of these on board, if your car is moved, it will send you a text alert - and then keep updating you of its whereabouts. And then there's the technology that just didn't make it - despite looking like the Next Big Thing at the time.FAILEDFlying carsWe were all supposed to be flying around in these by now, according to predictions 50 years ago. Yes, there are 'flying cars' being built - most notably the Terrafugia Transition - but they're more accurately described as small planes with folding wings. And they're from being widely available as an everyday vehicle, which is a good thing when you consider some of the driving you see every day.SegwayAll the buzz prior to the Segway's unveiling in 2001 touted it as world changing: predicted to provide cheap transport, refine how cities are designed, and be the latest in cool. Instead it turned out to be expensive, with limited uses and faintly dorky.Instead of redesigning, cities around the world have resisted allowing them except in very limited circumstances. The Segway's case won't be helped by the death of its owner. British millionaire Jim Heselden, went over a cliff with his own Segway in 2010, less than a year after buying the company.Gas turbine carsThe idea must have looked tempting to Chrysler. A powerful engine with fewer moving parts, durability and able to run on virtually any fuel (a prototype in Mexico was said to have run on tequila). The test fleet of 50 cars got good reports in the late 60s, but 1970s brought the first fuel crisis and emissions restrictions, both of which helped make sure the design never made it to the production line.Steam carsThe early steam cars built on everything that had been developed for rail engines, giving the technology a solid head start. They were smooth and fairly quiet. But the external combustion process lost out in the early 1900s to the internal combustion engine which didn't need to build up heat to start, didn't have the extra weight of a boiler - and didn't need to be constantly topped up with feedwater as you drove.Rotary enginesWhile the similar approach of radial engines was popular in aircraft, rotary engines - where the crank stays still and the cylinder block rotates around it - have had a crack in cars (and bikes). Up until WWI they were favoured for their power-to-weight ratio, but after that started vanishing. The best known modern examples are from Mazda, who persevered with the technology long after everybody else had abandoned it. But the last of those cars is about to roll off the line, and while it will continue to have diehard fans, its time is over.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.The ultra-exclusive event – for just 500 people, with tickets going at $500 a head – features the most exotic cars and top-flight catwalk models to help unveil them. If you’re lucky enough to get in the door, expect to be treated to leggy beauties peeling the silk off the likes of the Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin One-77, Jaguar XKR-S and probably the mandatory sprinkling of Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and similar lust-worthy brands. Along with the cars and the fashion show, there’ll be some action from Tappers Diamonds, Grey Goose Vodka and the Neiman-Marcus luxury department store. “The NAIAS has always been considered four shows in one:  Press Preview,  Industry Preview,  Charity Preview and the  Public Show,” the press blurb says.“A fifth ‘show’ has been taking shape since 2007 and is further being enhanced for 2012. The Gallery, a premier VIP auto experience second to none, will bring even more discriminating auto enthusiasts to the doorstep of uber-luxury automakers at the upcoming show.” The event will also include “a strolling pre-glow dinner with renowned celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck” – in case anybody can keep their mind on thoughts of food.