Articles by Kevin Hepworth

Traditionally a car company will build a hard top sports car and then leverage that by knocking off the top and charging a lump extra for the privilege of having the convertible version of whatever that car may be.Porsche — as is their wont — did it differently. Not only did they build the soft-top version first but when they stuck the roof on they charged a lump extra for that. Also, true to form, Porsche did a damn fine job of building that hard-top car.Starting with the Boxster's sweet chassis and mid-engine layout Porsche's stylists went to work to produce a car that was different enough to look at that some casual observers still believe it to be a model in its own right, and took it to the market as the Cayman.PricingFor the privilege of having a solid roof the Cayman S — the upper tier of the range — starts some $15,000 above the equivalent Boxster and at $155,300 there is some debate over whether this two-door sporty is any sort of bargain at all. The popular defence to that is that while it may be more expensive than the drop-top Boxster it is far less so than the hard-top 911 against which it has claims for handling and performance. Not sure where I stand on that debate, I just know that if the readies weren't a problem there would be a Cayman S in the garage.Drivetrain The 3.4-litre engine has the distinctive busy sound of the flat-six. There is no gentle rumbling of a big-bore engine waiting to be ignited but rather an impression of noise that quickly becomes a crackling howl when the whips are produced.Punch the throttle and the Cayman comes to life, happy to put the horizon behind at a rapidly increasing rate or throw itself at the next corner with an inspiring surety. The Cayman is not a selfish car, happy to share its dynamism with drivers of many and varied abilities.The test car came with Porsche's sublime 7-speed PDK double-clutch automatic, a $5500 option. So sharp are the changes and so intelligent the programming that you are going to quickly forget how deeply you were gouged to have this gearbox. The beauty of the PDK is that it really is a set-and-forget performance hero. The shifts are razor sharp and there is rarely a time when urge is not in the meat of the 370Nm available across a very usable rev range.Vary the throttle agression and vary the shift agression ... it's that simple. If all you want to do is shift quietly through traffic then the PDK is there make it as seamless as possible. Attack the road and there is a whole new character to the box as it skips gears to get to the most effect ratio for maximum torque — and then holds hard like a hungry dog to a bone.If you really must you can self-select the changes but its is going to be a happier relationship if you sooner rather than later come to terms with the fact that left to its own devices the PDK in full auto can do a better job than you can.DrivingIt is a masterclass in automotive engineering. Packaging feel, balance, excitement, a goodly degree of refinement and within the bounds of what it is a surprising amount of space and comfort into a low-slung two-door sportscar is no small feat.Whether trundling through city traffic or attacking the open road the Cayman cabin is a lovely place to be. Around town the Cayman is docile, with the light yet precise steering seemingly immune from tramlining over road imperfections and a ride compliant enough to take the very worst out of Sydney's awful road surfaces.The cargo space — split front to rear — is not generous but there is enough to get away for a weekend or get the (small) family shopping in. Still, load carrying and domestic duties are not what the Cayman S is about. This is a thoroughbred sportscar and given the chance it will behave as such. Accelerate strongly, stop positively and turn in with the balance of a dancer. What more can you ask of a car.Bottom line: Yes please!Porsche Cayman S Price: as tested $174,250 ($155,300 base)Engine: 3.4L/flat 6, 235kW/370NmTransmission: 7-speed PDK auto, rear-wheel driveEconomy: 9.2L/100km (supplied), 9.8L/100km (as tested)Rating: 92/100Rivals BMW Z4 35i from $116,900 87/100Nissan 370Z from $67,990 82/100Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 from $115,637 86/100Audi S5 from $138,600 88/100

The decision means that Jaguar will be left as a more defined luxury brand with the contracted range consisting of the XF sedan, all-new XJ sedan and the sporting XK coupe and convertible twins."It was not a totally unexpected announcement and will leave a range that is very much focussed on true luxury and performance," Jaguar Australia boss David Blackhall says. "There is certainly not a large model range left but it is new and fresh."Blackhall says that Jaguar Australia has secured enough X-Type stock to carry the sales through to the end of production, good news for dealers as the often derided X-Type still accounts for almost 40 per cent of all Jaguar sales in Australia.The decision to end production at the Halewood plant in England comes as Jaguar's global sales have fallen 28 per cent in the last 10 months and will result in at least 300 of the plant's 2000 employees being made redundant."Ceasing production of the X-Type early, with further redundancies and downtime, is necessary to protect our other investment plans," Jaguar chief executive David Smith said in announcing the end of the X-Type.First added to the Jaguar garage in 2002 the X-Type was the love child of Ford's takeover of the British luxury icon being cobbled together off an existing Mondeo all-wheel drive platform and skinned to give a family resemblance to its more traditional luxury siblings.While the X-Type was initially acknowledged to have good handling there was little else which won favour as the car took Jaguar in search of a mass market it had never previously catered to.In its eight year production run more than 350,000 of the X-Type cars were sold globally. 

Jaguar is going big game hunting with the crosshairs set on Porsche and Maserati after unveiling the new XJ.Revealed in England overnight, the new XJ is a radical step away from the car that has been Jaguar's front-line soldier in the upper-luxury ranks for the last 40 years. Borrowing heavily from the successful XF model, the new XJ looks fresh and contemporary with styling Jaguar Australia boss David Blackhall believes will put it right in the mix with its key German rivals."We all know it is a very competitive market but we are now on terms, styling-wise, for the first time in a long, long time,” Blackhall says. "There has been those who have said that the XJ is the car that never changed its styling since 1968 ... well, now we have and you can see that (designer) Ian Callum has touched every panel.”However, it is not just the styling that has taken a giant leap into the present. With the new look comes a new self-worth reflected in a top-end strategy that would have made Jaguar a laughing stock had they taken such a path with the old model.While reluctant to go into specifics, Blackhall confirmed that the supercharged version of the XJ — the Supersport — would be stalking Porsche's new four-door Panamera and Maserati's Quattroporte."If you think about the supercharged car as having similar performance, competitive pricing and styling that some people would think more attractive then there may well be an opportunity for us at that end of the market,” Blackhall says.Jaguar has retained its industry lead in the use of aerospace-inspired aluminium body technology, giving the new XJ an immediate 150kg weight advantage over its rivals as well as enhancing performance, handling and economy, while delivering increased strength refinement and safety.The new cars will feature air suspension, Adaptive Dynamics (continuously variable .damping), Active Differential Control and quick-ratio power steering.There will be a choice of four engines — all driving through a six-speed automatic — and all four will make it to Australia despite Blackhall's desire to limit the model complexity for Australia."We don't want a lot of complexity, and to be honest we couldn't handle that in our market,” Blackhall says."The range for Australia will run fairly close to the current experience.”That should see the offerings for Australia include both long and short wheelbase in most models — the exception will be the slightly detuned supercharged Sport V8 which will be offered in short wheelbase only — and three trim levels of all four engine choices.The V6 diesel is the company's proven 202kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre while the naturally aspirated offering will be a 5-litre V8 with 283kW and a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds. At the top of the tree is the full works supercharged version of that same V8 with 375kW and a 0-100km/h sprint of just 4.9 seconds while just below it is the same engine with a slightly different tune producing 348kW.A design highlight of the new XJ is a panoramic glass roof which opens up an interior styled and trimmed to take on the best of the world's luxury marques on their home turf.Advanced new technologies have allowed Jaguar's interior designers to create an environment more akin to a state-of-the-art living space than a simple car cabin. The driver's environment is defined by the virtual instrument display and a high-technology duel-view touch screen that can provide DVD movies or television programmes to the passenger while the driver sees only vehicle functions or satellite navigation.An optional 1200W Bowers & Wilkins system, which is comparable in audio quality to the world's best in-home entertainment, underscores Jaguar's plans to attack the competition at the top of their game.The new XJ will be on sale in Australia next March starting in the low $200,000 range and topping out at over $300,000. 

The baby of the marque's soft-roader brigade was revealed in the first official pictures released in Europe last week

Sexy, very clever, Italian and honest to the point of being brutal.Meet eco:Drive, your personal driving coach that comes with Alfa Romeo's latest baby, the MiTo Sport. The eco:Drive function is part of the windows-based Blue and Me telematics system pioneered by Fiat and now finding its way into the range-topping model of the little MiTo 3-door ‘super mini’ from Alfa Romeo. When prompted the eco:Drive software will store key features of a driver's style including throttle application, gear changes, clutch behaviour and more over a minimum five-day period."Essentially the onboard software is a data-gatherer which you can then download to a memory stick and transfer that to a computer," Alfa Romeo Australia's Edward Rowe says. "The software at the eco:Drive website will analyse that data and make recommendations of how to adjust your driving style to be more economical."Rowe says that aggregated information collected from drivers using the software shows that the average savings over more than 10,000 users has been 10 per cent. "While there is nothing especially new about the driving tips what the software can do for you is benchmark your starting point and then coach you over time so that you can see an actual return from the changes you make."While Blue and Me and eco:Drive are only a small part of the MiTo whole, the techno-clever systems are just part of the net Alfa Romeo has cast in search of new and younger buyers.PricingPriced from $31,490 for the entry level model and $37,490 for the MiTo Sport, the little Alfa is aimed squarely at BMW's legion of Mini faithful with dreams of drawing the young and well-heeled away from the German manufacturer and across the border to Italy."I am comfortable with our prediction that 80 per cent of MiTo buyers will be new to Alfa Romeo while 45 per cent of buyers will be under 30 years of age (currently only 5 per cent of Alfa buyers fall into that demographic)," Alfa Romeo Australia general manager Edward Butler says. "We have to accept that there will be some Alfa owners moving from the 147, in particular, but most buyers will be new to the brand."Alfa is also hoping to swell its ranks of female buyers from the current 12 per cent, but Butler concedes that is unlikely to happen until the arrival of the robotised manual (DSG-style) automatic next year. "At the moment we are calling around 35 sales a month but when that gearbox is available, early next year, I wouldn't be surprised to see that double," Butler says.Drivetrains From launch the MiTo is available in two trims, both running a turbo-charged 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine, with the base car producing 88kW and 206Nm while the Sport is boosted to deliver 114kW and 230Nm.Both cars have the same MacPherson independent front, and torsion-beam rear, suspension set-up. But MiTo drives the front wheels through a 5-speed manual while the Sport gets a slicker 6-speed box.Alfa Romeo is claiming a combined fuel efficiency of 6.1-litres per 100km for the less powerful engine and 6.5 on the same combined cycle for the Sport. From the launch drive experience it is not unreasonable to assume that with careful management they are achievable numbers.DrivingOn the road the MiTo twins are two very different cars. The Sport is as it suggests, a sharper and more aggressive character with a willingness to spin up towards the 6000rpm peak before getting breathless. The car has good, strong mid-range torque and a nice rorty note when booted and Alfa claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 8 seconds — not that impressive on paper but it feels nice and aggressive on the road..There is good feedback from the steering, even if at times there is a little too much of the road surface imperfections transferred to the steering wheel. The front suspension is a little nervous and can be unsettled by broken surfaces but not to any alarming degree.At the entry level the engine is still a willing worker, if a little less athletic (8.8 seconds for the 0-100km rush), but the softer suspension settings take away a degree of the sportier car's directness and steering feel.The ride quality from both cars is surprisingly good for what is a small car with very short wheelbase. Less pleasing are the seats which are not up to Alfa's normally high quality. There is little bolstering on both the squab and the back and the fiddly back angle adjustment is an annoyance, although the presence of an anti-whiplash headrest system is a plus.Alfa's take on selectable driving modes is the quaintly-named DNA (Dynamic, Normal, All-weather) settings which act on the engine mapping, steering, suspension and gearbox to match the driving aggression to conditions and the driver's preferences. The system works well and combined with the rather trick Q2 program: a torque and brakeforce distribution protocol that mimics the presence of a self-locking differential provides a comforting surety of drive through the front wheels.Equipment levels in both cars are good, naturally enough better in the Sport, though trim materials in both show evidence of cost cutting with hard-touch surfaces abundant. One area in which there has been no cost cutting is safety, with seven airbags standard, an early crash sensor to ensure fast inflation of the two-stage front bags, VDC (stability control), cornering brake control and anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution.Boot space in the MiTo is commensurate with the size of the car and while not expansive it is useful. Less so the rear seats which, in line with most cars in the sub-compact segment, are not somewhere any fully-grown and fully-limbed adult will want to spend much time.

"There has not been too much forward progress ... it is still the subject of a fair bit of hard work and analysis," Hyundai Australia's director for sales and marketing, Kevin McCann, says. "We still have the strong intention to launch the car in the very near future but it is a very complex process. "There was a decision made to get the car. That decision has not been unmade but we do have to get through some issues and challenges before we can implement it." While insisting that the i20 will be launched as soon as possible, McCann concedes that the arrival of the small-car sibling to the company's highly successful i30 models could be delayed until the middle of next year. "There is an outside risk that it could take that long — and I certainly wouldn't step back from that," McCann says. "The stated plan is still for later this year but that goal is becoming more elusive as time goes on." The major stumbling block to getting the i20 — designed at Hyundai's Russelsheim studio in German and built at the Chennai plant in India — is negotiating a factory exit price that will keep the car competitive in the Australian market. "It definitely comes down to the very tiny gap between the cost of the car (out of the factory) and the price of the car (in Australia)," McCann says. "We have said before that we see it as head to head with the volume end of the segment — that being the leading Japanese models (Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Honda Jazz) — and that continues to be the strategy. The Getz will remain a fixture at the price-leader end of the market." McCann confirmed that for Australia, unlike most world markets where the i20 has replaced the Getz, the new model will take the place of the slow-selling Accent. While conceding that the delays in the i20 were disappointing, McCann is adamant that Hyundai has not missed the boat with regard to the opportunity to leverage off the success of the i30. "It is not a segment in which people will wait, but neither is it a segment where you will miss out on people forever if they choose not to wait," McCann says. "There are always new buyers coming into the market and I don't believe a delay of three or four months from the original plan is going to cause us to lose a volume opportunity. "It is taking longer than we would want, but at the same time we have some other exciting new models that we will have to fit in as well." One of the most crucial new models is the replacement for the Tucson compact SUV, the ix35 which will highlight the company's new design language as highlighted on the ix-onic concept car at the Geneva motor show earlier this year. The ix35 is expected to arrive in Australia early next year after its official unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Also due early next year is part of the next generation of the Sonata mid-sized car. The sleek sedan/coupe developed for the US market will be the first of the models to arrive and will be followed later in the year by the i50-badged sportwagon model developed specifically for European markets. Towards the end of next year Hyundai is also expected to launch the sub-mini i10 into Australia.  

Kia is pushing its new Soul as a funky, trendy, spunky — call it what you will — connection with the lucrative Gen-Y market.After a couple of weeks with the car I suggest they would be better served to let this particular little box on wheels talk to a wider audience. While the Soul is not going to be everybody's cup of tea, and there are certainly some things about it that leave a bit to be desired, to package it as a stylish accessory with tattoos and makeup is underselling its charms.There is no escaping the fact that the Soul — in the case of the test car a Soul3 (that's cubed for marketing purposes) — is a pretty basic box design. Speaking plainly, it is a square on wheels and therein lies a whole lot of its practical charm.Living with the Soul is a day-by-day catalogue of revelations, and most of them are positive. Open the doors — this where the benefits of the box design become evident — and the interior space is truly impressive. Without the need for swooping rooflines and sloping windscreens, style gives way to practicality.There is genuine large-car generosity in head, leg and shoulder room for four with a reasonable expectation of sliding a fifth into the second row of seats.Luggage space in the boot (340 litres) is not overly generous but enough for a solid family shop or a suitcase or two. Fold down the rear seats — a handy 60:40 split — and the available space more than doubles out to 800 litres. Coupled with the gaping opening from the rear hatch and the low load lip the Soul's practicality for carrying a considerable load comes to the fore.That same practical theme applies to the entrance and egress for passengers. The door openings are generous and the seat heights compatible with an age- or arthritis-challenged hip.The cloth trim seats are comfortable, reasonably well bolstered and offer three-way manual adjustment for driver and two-way for passenger. The interior plastics are hard to the touch and there is little about the cabin that could be described as plush. In the higher specification cars, the blacks and greys are lightened by seat treatments that mirror some of the exterior flair.A tilt-only adjustment on the steering wheel is disappointing but the wheel does offer a multi-function capability for the sound system, which is fully i-Pod and MP3 integrated even down to the basic car.Dressing up your Soul is something that will appeal to the designated target market but is likely to have less appeal to those who see through the buzz to what lies within.Still, if you like being the centre of attention the Soul can help you out. A selection of decals — three at this stage, a range of flashy bits and pieces such as a sports kit and extra chrome, 11 exterior colours and three interior treatments are enough to give more than 10,000 possible combinations.In keeping with the Gen-Y theme the external flash has been described as the automotive equivalent of body art — tattoos and eyeliners without the permanency as the decals can be removed and replaced at whim.For the Cubed there is an extra centre speaker and sub-whoofer and a perplexing yet strangely pleasing light show from the door-mounted speakers which pulsate to the music if you so choose. Thankfully, when the mood doesn't require it you can turn this feature off with a dash-mounted dial. The dash display of a large speedo and tacho, fuel and temperature gauge are easy to read while the centre-mounted radio is simply to set up and easy to adjust from the steering wheel.Storage bins are scattered around the car in most of the usual places — in-door, centre console, glove box, in-dash, seat pockets — and a very handy wet box under the floor in the boot. Ideal for dirty shoes, towels or whatever.Six airbags, including curtain bags, are standard across the range, as is anti-lock braking. Stability control is not available on the base model — which weighs heavily against it to the extent that the Soul scores only four ANCAP stars — but the stability program is standard on the Soul2 and Soul3 and with ESC the car scores five safety stars in Europe and New Zealand.Another omission is cruise control, which isn't offered on any grade, although Kia says it will be available on diesel models from August. There is also a heavy impost for the optional reversing camera which comes packaged with an unnecessary sunroof for $2000. The camera, on the other hand is very necessary as the car also doesn't come standard with any reversing sensor or much reverse vision.While we are on things you are going to have to learn to live with should the Soul take your fancy, the choice between petrol and diesel is going to sort the poseurs from those with a more practical bent.The Soul is available with a choice of two engines: a 91kW/156Nm, 1.6-litre DOHC petrol and the 94kW/260Nm, 1.6-litre common-rail diesel already seen in Australia in the award-winning Hyundai i30. At the top spec level the only gearbox choice is the ageing four-speed automatic.Without beating around the bush, the petrol engine is dozy but quiet, the diesel more athletic but a bit Sharapova-like in that you will not have to open the window to know if it is putting in an effort.Personally, the bit of extra noise and lots of extra drive — particularly given the restrictions of the four-speed automatic — is the winner. The better fuel economy of the diesel is also a plus.As a drive the Soul is not a category leader but it is adequate enough that you quickly accept and forgive the occasional harshness of ride in favour of its overwhelming practicality and general fuss-free behaviour.On balance a practical city solution that's good for the soul.

...as the company works its way through the global financial crisis and its high-pressure bid for the Volkswagen group."Another model line is not something we are concentrating on at the moment,” Executive Vice-President for Sales and Marketing, Klaus Berning says. "We may start looking at that after the launch of this car (Panamera) but my gut feeling is that we do not need one."I am not a magician, I do not know when the world situation will go back to the levels of 2008 — it could be 2011 and it could be 2017, I do not know but when it does I believe we have the potential with the product line we have to grow our sales to 120,000 or 140,000 without having to push for another model.”At then end of the 2008 financial year Porsche had set a sales record of 98,652 cars worldwide with the three existing model lines — the 911, Boxster and Cayenne. First year production for the four-door GT Panamera has been set at 20,000 with Berning predicting that as many as 80 per cent of those cars will be incremental sales."People are constantly asking whether there will be another Speedster small sportscar but there is simply no need for that,” Berning says.When asked whether it was possible that a four-cylinder Porsche could be in the offing to assist the company with its overall fuel averaging Berning was less dismissive of the idea. "You never say never, but we have not made any decision to go that way."It could be possible to have a four-cylinder again in a 911 ... but it would be a Porsche four-cylinder. The 911 is the core of the brand and it follows different rules to the rest of the brand models.”Berning made it clear that he had no intention of taking questions on Porsche's stalled bid for the VW Group but did say that suggestions that Porsche was facing a total restructure were "totally BS”."In the car business we are one of the very few car makers the world over still writing black figures today — in the middle of the biggest recession and without benefiting from the scrappage bonus paid by the government in Germany,” Berning says. "Our operative return on turnover is in the double digit percentage range — a level of profitablity other manufacturers can only dream of.”With a brand value of $17.5 billion (US) Porsche ranks 35th in the world for all companies and third in the global ranking of car manufacturers behind Toyota and BMW."Our brand alone is a precious jewel ... believe me, this small manufacturer of exclusive sporting cars is strong — very strong. I promise you that in a sybiosis with the Volkswagen Group Porsche will retain the independence and freedom we need to continue our success in business."Anything else would simply not make sense.”

A pair of Great Wall Utes are the spearhead of what is predicted to be a growing tide of Chinese-made vehicles heading into the Australian market.However, neither of the Great Wall models have electronic stability control. The base model SA220 also goes without airbags or anti-lock brakes.When the Indian-built Mahindra Pik-Up gets its suite of airbags and anti-lock brakes in July and the Toyota LandCruiser Troopie follows suit in August (if industry rumours are correct) it will leave the SA220 as the only car available for sale in Australia without a single airbag.Neither of the Chinese models has been crashed tested for an ANCAP safety rating. A Great Wall Motors spokesman yesterday said the car had been crash-tested in China. However, he said: "We are assured that the company's own crash testing is to the same standard as ANCAP."The company will offer the V240 in 4x2 and 4x4 configurations, while the SA220 will be a 4x2 proposition only, but the brand's Australian importer, Ateco Automotive, claims both vehicles offer value for money workhorses for Australian buyers.A network of 45 dealers will back the vehicles with a three-year 100,000km warranty and sell the V240 4x2 for $23,990, with the 4x4 variant an extra $3000; the SA220 will retail for $19,990. The features list includes power windows, alloy wheels, leather trimmed seats and air conditioning.Ateco Automotive managing director Ric Hull says Great Wall is one of China's leading car makers. "It has been consistently at the top of its domestic car market with its Ute and SUV models."Hull says every mainstream car and component manufacturer is represented in China and the car industry there has come a long way in a very short time. "From day one we have been thoroughly impressed with Great Wall. World-class production facilities are becoming commonplace in China and there is no doubt that Great Wall has set a production benchmark.Hull says the company's culture is impressive - with a motto of "improving little by little every day ... We targeted Great Wall for our Chinese plans because they are highly disciplined, organised and well-led," he says.

the Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 Experimental Safety Vehicle that fairly bristles with radical space-age technology designed to protect passengers in the most extreme cirumstances. "Safety is a central element of the Mercedes-Benz brand," says Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "In this respect we have been setting the pace in the market for almost 70 years." "The ESF 2009 shows that we still have plenty of ideas and the absolute will, to lead the automobile industry in this field even in future." "The safety testbed, the first Mercedes was built since 1974, started life as an S400 Hybrid before Benz's free-thinking safety experts got to work turning it into the ESF 2009 to showcase just how far motor vehicle safety can progress." Tucked into the one-off super safe limo are innovative ideas such as an under-car airbag brake, inflatable metal side structures to improve side impact safety, seats that push the occupants away from the impact zone and seat belts inside an airbag. These are just a few of the more than a dozen safety innovations built into the ESF 2009 at the company's test vehicle workshops in Sindelfingen. "With the ESF 2009, we have chosen to demonstrate the innovative strength of Daimler," says Dr Thomas Weber, Daimler Executive Board member responsible for corporate research and development at Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Anybody examining the ESF 2009 in detail will recognise that more safety and improved energy efficiency are not necessarily a contradiction in terms. We want to make progress in both fields with new, trailblazing ideas. "The key safety innovations in the ESF 2009 include: Pre-Safe Structure: Think metal anti-intrusion airbags. Concealed inside the doors these folded metal "bags" are deployed similar to airbags within the side structure of the car with its 10 to 20 bar pressure offering substantial stiffening to the side-impact structure. The inflateable metal structures can also be used in other areas of the car such as side skirts and seat cross members. The advantages mainly involve packaging and weight reduction. The downside is the high cost of components and their one-use lifespan. Braking Bag: An inflatable brake assist system. Reading the Mercedes' Pre-Safe sensors the Braking Bag would be deployed from under the car between the front wheels when a crash is deemed innevitable. The extra friction of the bag against the road and its ability to lift the front of the car by as much as 8cm - combatting "dive" - helps the emergency braking and stabilises the front of the vehicle. Mercedes engineers have calculated that even at a low 50 km/h, the additional deceleration has the same effect as lengthening the front end by 180mm adding an extra crumple zone. Interactive Vehicle Communication: When one car's sensors pick up a dangerous situation such as black ice or fog it can transmit that information as a warning to other cars in the area so hazards do not come as a surprise. Information from an external source such as police or traffic monitors can also be sent to the car's radio and computers via roadside repeater stations. Linked to modern proximity control systems such as active cruise controls, they can help to harmonise the traffic flow and avoid tailbacks by automatically selecting the most suitable vehicle speed when joining a motorway. And collisions can be avoided if onboard sensors recognise an impending accident and automatically regulate the distance. Mercedes believes the technology will be active within the next decade. Pre-Safe Pulse: In an accident every millimetre counts and this system has the ability to maximise the benefit of the car's anti-intrusion structure. Air chambers in the side bolsters of the seat backs can shift the driver and front seat passenger up to 50mm closer to the centre of the car and away from the point of side impact. That extra space can reduce impact loads on the body by up to one third. As the sensors detect an innevitable accident it also accelerates the seat occupant in the direction they will later take during the accident. This reduces the loads during the impact. The seat does not need to be replaced or repaired when this preventive safety system has been activated. Partial Main Beam: An adaptive LED main beam system that automatically excludes oncoming traffic from the cone of light. This enables the driver to leave the main beams switched on constantly. As soon as the system detects oncoming traffic with the help of a camera, it automatically adjusts the light distribution accordingly. If the infrared camera detects pedestrians in the road ahead they can be briefly lit up by spotlight. Side Reflect: High visibility reflective material on the body and tyres to improve the lateral visibility of vehicles, and help to avoid accidents at roadjunctions.The modifications are not visible during the daytime, but show up in dusk and darkness. Belt Bag: A combination of a seat belt and airbag which further reduces the stress on the body in a crash. The Belt Bag effectively doubles its width within fractions of a second during an accident. This increase in the width of the belt spreads the pressure over a wider area, thereby reducing the risk of injury. Particularly beneficial for older passengers, whose ribcage is no longer so flexible. Could be seen as early as the next generation of cars. Child Protect: A new generation of child seats suitable for ages from three to 12. The seats are claimed to offer improved protection and greater comfort than the current generation of child seats. Pre-Safe 3600: An extension of the Mercedes-Benz accident recognition and preparation system adding proximity monitoring to the rear of the car. Using short-range or multi-mode sensors to monitor the area behind the vehicle to a range of up to 60 metres. If the accident early-warning system registers that a collision is unavoidable, the brakes are applied around 600 milliseconds before the impact. If the already stationary car is braked during a rear-end collision, this not only prevents secondary accidents where the car is shunted into a road junction or onto a pedestrian crossing but the severity of possible whiplash injuries can also be reduced. Size Adaptive Airbags: Future generations of airbags will not only take accident severity into account, but adapt themselves to the individual occupants, automatically adjusting their volume to the seating position and stature of the front passenger. Child Cam: Security cam technology to keep the kids in line. A small roof mounted camera trained on the rear seats can put a series of still images up on a dash display to allow the driver or passenger to monitor what the kids are up to. Interseat Protection: For front seat passengers a lattice-like airbag extends from between the front seats to keep the driver and front passenger apart. A seat-mounted solution like this has the advantage that the protective barrier adapts itself to the position of the front seats. For the rear passengers seat position is not an issue so a protective pad located above the centre armrest is used when an accident is detected. Hybrid Battery Shield: Making sure green-aware drivers don't get a nasty shock in an accident. A seven-stage safety system which covers everything from servicing simplicity to constant monitoring and accident shut-down.