Technology

The dancing C4, which has transformed from car to 'bot on a rooftop rap dance in the past, is now a skate star.Citroen says its hero has become a speed skater to highlight the handling, braking and agility of the C4.As always, there is a kick. This time, the 'bot slides to a halt and showers a group of Citroen engineers with a cloud of ice dust.Creation of the skating robot was done by digitising the actions of British Olympic speed skater Nicky Gooch, as the commercial was produced in the UK."We were keen to provide an alternative style, to reveal a different side to the robot’s personality and highlight the dynamism of the car," says Mike Ibbett, Citroen UK’s Marketing Director."The C4 is now the second best selling Citroen in the UK and the revamp of our award winning advertising is designed to maintain the C4 in the national consciousness."

Some Scandinavian countries have used daytime lights for decades, and Volvo cars had them hard-wired into is cars through the 1980s, but light company Hella believes there is a big advantage after new research.A Dutch study for the European Commission highlights a potential safety improvement from driving with lights on during the day.It showed that in half of daytime crashes one of the contributing factors was that other vehicles were either not seen, or seen too late, according to the SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research.At the same time, 59.3 per cent of German drivers said in a recent survey that they would be prepared to drive with daytime running lights and as many as 67.5 per cent are open to new cars being fitted with economical daytime running lamps.Hella is also preparing to raise the issue in Australia.It helps that the company has a suitable aftermarket system but it has begun a campaign in Europe and believes there could be potential in Australia.The Hella lights are designed for warning effectiveness during daylight and switch on automatically when the engine is started.There is no other lighting and, since they only consume 16 watts, there is no effect on fuel economy. Hella also says their service life is up to 10 times higher than a halogen bulb for low beam.

The Sydney round of AutoSalon, which features Australia's hottest modified streetcars, is on at the Sydney Showground at Olympic Park this weekend.And the feature car is the unbelievable Air Rider, claimed to be our only vehicle capable of leaping off the ground on all four wheels.Unlike previous showcars that have had the ability to rock back and forward leading to two wheels leaping off the ground, Air Rider goes all the way. By deploying the innovative use of air-suspension technology, the humble Holden ute, which was built in Sydney late last year, is propelled up to three metres off the ground.More than 300 wild machines will be on show from 10am-10pm today and 10am-7pm tomorrow.Apart from the cars, there is the new MCX scene, the first championship for modified motorbikes. Choppers, street fighters, American cruisers and monster customs (the two-wheeled version of monster trucks) will compete in this inaugural event.AutoSalon events will be held around the nation culminating in the grand final in Sydney at the end of the year.

Show committee chairman Chris Beecham said several manufacturers treated the event as an opportunity to sell new cars as well as display them, with 900 sales recorded last year.A record 128,000 people visited the show in 2005 and this year more than 50 new models will be among the displays, from a $1.3 million Pagani Zonda Roadster down to the national launch of the Toyota Yaris sedan costing $17,690."The total value of all the cars on display would be $200 million to $300 million," Mr Beecham said.The opening of the show comes as NRMA Insurance yesterday announced it would reduce premiums on cars fitted with swerve or electronic stability control.Mr Beecham estimated up to 50 per cent of the cars at the show would have ESC fitted as standard or available as an option."Everyone has a different name for it, but it's a magnificent technological advancement," he said."Five or six years ago most vehicles didn't have airbags and ABS brakes — now they are standard. ESC will soon become standard in new cars."Mr Beecham said if Queensland had annual roadworthy checks on vehicles there would be more new vehicles with safety devices such as ESC on the roads.NRMA Insurance state manager Brett Robinson said motor show visitors should put new cars with ESC at the top of their list."We applaud those manufacturers who are already installing electronic stability control and hope the move NRMA Insurance is making to include it in our risk profile when assessing new cars will encourage more manufacturers to follow suit."If there was widespread use of ESC, it could lead to around 3500 fewer collisions on Queensland roads each year, he said."We believe this technology has the capacity to save lives on our roads and to particularly reduce the frequency of single-vehicle crashes," Mr Beecham said.ESC is an extension of anti-lock brake technology, featuring speed sensors and independent braking devices for each wheel to prevent skidding.Manufacturers already fitting the technology in their cars include luxury makers such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Saab, which will all have cars at the show.

Billions of dollars will be saved. There will no need to signpost roads, cars will become more energy efficient and the trauma-free roads will mean fewer calls on emergency services and health systems.It is a pipe dream, right? Not if you believe General Motors vice president of research and development, Dr Larry Burns.Dr Burns is a self-confessed dreamer who likes to push the envelope. He has persuaded his company to explore affordable technologies with the potential to remove the tragedy of road crashes from society.Audi and Honda have runs on the board, releasing vehicle-to-vehicle safety systems at this month's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.Their systems work by using global positioning, radar, laser and radio to communicate with other road users.Dr Burns, however, has dreams of protecting all road users, not just those who can afford to place sophisticated technologies in their vehicles."Is it pie in the sky thinking? I don't believe so. We have to challenge ourselves, we have to ask those questions and search for the answers, that's how we evolve," he says. "Some of you may be aware that I have a cochlear implant . . . had it not been for the vision of the Australian professor Graeme Clark who thought of the possibility of putting an electronic device inside the ear to assist the deaf, I would most likely not be here talking to you today."So, what can a car in a crashless society look like? Dr Burns suggests it could be something as streamlined as an oversized skateboard - stripped bare of airbags and occupant safety cells among other safety devices - that also will give auto designers a broader scope with which to play.General Motors' answer to a crashless society, at this point in time, is vehicle-to-vehicle communication, along similar lines to Honda and Audi.It is exploring the use, however, of satellites and global positioning systems to map where vehicles are on the road network and have them constantly "talk to each other" - effectively taking human error out of the equation.Satellites are not yet part of the equation with current testing done in a controlled environment where test vehicles can "talk" directly to each other by radio waves. The basis of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is that every car will know the precise location of all other cars travelling in the immediate area, with elaborate computer systems taking control of braking, acceleration and steering to avoid accidents.Satellite and global positioning technologies also can be used eventually to keep vehicles "on track", with roadways so accurately mapped motor vehicle speeds and the possibility of road runoffs are controlled by the commander system.Navigation will be simple. Punch in your final destination and let the GPS and smart vehicle guide you there.Dr Burns sees the possibility such a system can become so sophisticated it one day will be able to read road gradients and surface types and make adjustments to achieve energy savings.Perhaps the only crashes which cannot be avoided will be those involving pedestrians and animals - the often unexpected intruders on roads.The combination of radar warnings and the ability of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system to avoid a more serious accident, however, will lessen the impact of such events.This is technology, Dr Burns says, that one day can be included in new cars for about the cost of a tank of fuel - around $70."To work, it has to be in every car and, therefore, it has to be affordable," Dr Burns says. "This kind of technology can be made affordable,"The technology has been proven to work. So confident is Dr Burns in the ability of his company's vehicle-to-vehicle technology, he has done some "real life" testing of the system with his bosses in the fitted out cars.At General Motors' Milford Proving Ground near Detroit, cars fitted with vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems have been used in an all-too-common crash scenarios.Vehicle manufacturers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan have agreed to develop a common standard for the necessary hardware and software and are pursuing standard radio frequencies to assure the system works right around the world.Safety first1949: Volvo introduces the first seat belt.1953: Patents applications for the first airbag system.1959: Volvo invents the three-point seat belt.1968: Allen Breed was holding the patent to the only crash sensing technology.1978: The anti-lock braking system.1990: Various forms of electronic stability programs and traction controls.2000: Radar and sensory equipment begins to find its way into concept vehicles.2006: Vehicle-to-vehicle communication presented as the way of the future for automotive safety.

Bosch, the company that produces dynamic stability control systems for Holden and Ford, revealed its new smart airbags system at a CAPS (combined active and passive safety) forum in Melbourne last week.The Bosch CAPS system uses a car's existing stability-control sensors and computing hardware to predict when it is likely to crash.It then prepares the airbag for immediate deployment, saving precious milliseconds that could make all the difference in reducing the level of injury or avoiding injury altogether.The system is already being fitted, mainly to expensive European cars. But with the big guns from Holden, Ford, Toyota and Mitsubishi, including Holden chairman Denny Mooney, attending the Bosch forum, CAPS could be introduced as early as the next-generation Commodore and Falcon.Bosch chassis vice-president Patrick Ross says: "I think the fact we have all of the local manufacturers represented at this forum in fairly significant numbers shows they are definitely interested.`We are saying `here is the technology' and we are ready to support the local manufacturers with whatever they want."The system's main electronic control unit (ECU) is made by Bosch in Clayton, as is the electronic stability control (ESP) system already used on some Commodore, Falcon and Territory models.Bosch currently has next-generation VE Commodore test mules but won't confirm if these are testing the CAPS system.Holden spokesman Jason Laird says the company doesn't talk about future products, including the VE Commodore.Ford spokesman Andrew Ellis also refuses to confirm whether the CAPS system will appear on the next-model Falcon or Territory, but says the company is always looking at developing safety technologies.Bosch's CAPS is being developed using its uprated ESP Plus and ESP Premium modules to prepare for a rollover. This predicts when a car is going to flip, based on the car's sideways speed and rotation angle, and fires the side airbags three times faster than a car that doesn't have the system.Bosch revealed other safety technologies at the forum, such as infra-red cameras to help drivers see pedestrians at night, and ultrasonic detectors that differentiate between a person and a solid object, such as a garbage bin, to set off external airbags to protect pedestrians.

Last year, carsguide.com.au delivered record visitor numbers to australianmotorshow.com, making it the most popular motor show website in Australia. This year the site will be even bigger and better.

I RECENTLY lost my only set of car keys for my 2002 model Toyota Prado. I tried getting quotes from various locksmiths only to find I needed to go direct to Toyota, which wanted to replace the control module and supply new keys at a cost of $2200. A specialist locksmith quoted $1200, because new cars have transponder keys. Does this sound correct?

I BOUGHT a new Hyundai Tucson but didn't think to get rear parking sensors installed at the factory. I'd like to get them installed now and wonder if there is anything I should be wary of and who are the best manufacturers in Melbourne.

Mazda might not be one of the car-makers that come to mind when you think of luxury cars but the 929, released in 1991, challenged that perception.MODEL WATCHThe rear-wheel drive 929 is a luxury liner in every sense. It is elegantly styled, well appointed, and capable of lining up alongside cars automatically accorded luxury status.  The smooth curves, however, have an impact on interior space, which is considered borderline in a car of the 929's class.The angle of the wide glass cuts into head and shoulder room, while front seat passengers complain of a lack of leg room.  Others complain that the boot is too small and the solid bulkhead behind the rear seats, while contributing to the structural soundness of the body, means there is no way of having a ski port to carry longer items.Power comes from a smooth fuel-injected 3.0-litre V6 with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Peak power is 140kW at 6000rpm while maximum torque is 270Nm at 3500rpm.With the right pedal hard on the floor, the 1627kg 929 responds by proceeding from rest to 100km/h in the respectable time of 9.9seconds, while covering the standard 400m sprint in 17.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 212km/h. Not sports car times, but quite acceptable for a luxury car.  The standard four-speed auto is smooth and well matched to the engine, while drive is through the rear wheels.When pushed, the big Mazda turns into corners quite confidently and holds its line as you apply the power on the way out. Once settled, it adopts a slight bias towards understeer, which increases the harder you push and the body rolls.It's all safe and sound, unless you lift off, when you will find yourself with armfuls of oversteer to sort out. Powerful disc brakes at both ends slow the 929 with ease, with the aid of standard ABS for added safety.  The 929 absorbs rough and rutted roads with commendable ease.Power adjustment is provided to achieve the best possible driving position, aided by the ability to adjust the height of the steering wheel. It also boasts an impressive array of standard features including airconditioning, cruise control, CD sound, power windows, power mirrors and central locking.IN THE SHOPThe 929 is holding up well in service, but like all cars getting on in age, it needs to be approached with caution. It's likely most have had two or three owners.It is a relatively complex car that needs to be regularly and correctly serviced, so it's important to ask sellers for a record of service. The lack of run strips down the body sides leaves the 929 vulnerable to small dings in car parks so check the sides for chips, scratches and small dents.With cars nearing 200,000km you could be up for a major service, so keep that in mind on older cars. The last of the model, with 120,000km or so on the odometer, should have had a major service and would make a better choice. Remove the dipstick and oil filler cap and check the state of the oil while looking for a build-up of sludge. Same for the auto fluid, which should be clear and red. If it's not, the transmission may need servicing.CRUNCH TIMEWith no airbags, the 929 relies on its safe handling, with ABS on its disc brakes, for crash avoidance, and its mass and strong body structure for crash protection.OWNER'S VIEWTwenty-year-old Darren Pollard always wanted a 929 and bought a 1992 929 in December. He loves its Jaguarish looks, its long list of features and four-wheel steering, but he is not so rapt in the small boot, the way rain drips on to occupants when windows are open and the cost of parts.MAZDA 929 1991-1996Mazda badge lacks prestige of three-pointed starValue for moneySuperbly supple ride comfortSafe and secure handlingUnderstated but elegant stylingWell appointed interiorSmooth unfussed performance of V6 engineRating14/20 Well built, well equipped, refined luxury car but lacking badge refinement of other marques. Look for later cars with lower mileage.