Technology

The future of vehicle-to-vehicle communication may arrive sooner with a push from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), which has announced plans for a proposal to make such systems mandatory in new cars and light trucks.A network of connected cars would use high-speed communications to transmit information about traffic flow and road conditions, minimising congestion and using convoy 'lock-on' radar to prevent collisions. Rather than relying on the driver to notice if another car's brake lights have activated, the systems would transmit the information directly from the car's computer to surrounding traffic -- literally before the blink of a driver's eye can see the light flash.The planned DOT proposal comes after a 12-month pilot study by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the results of which will be released within the next few weeks. The implementation of mandatory vehicle-to-vehicle technology would need a set of uniform standards for carmakers selling into the huge US market -- and that could see the systems fast-tracked for other countries.The need for agreement among the manufacturers means we are probably some years away from seeing an entire country's new car traffic with such connectivity, but officials are already advocating the benefits of making the systems mandatory."By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go," US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told media.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

I have concerns regarding the GPS in my 2011 HSV Maloo ute. When travelling on the Monash Freeway, outbound, with instructions to head towards Frankston, the GPS on occasions instructs to turn right where no off ramps or roads exist. Also when travelling in the Burnley Tunnel, I'm constantly instructed to turn left into concrete walls. Also, Peninsula Link is indicated on the screen as a faint thin line that disappears as the vehicle proceeds along it. My dealer has advised me that my vehicle has the very latest 2013 GPS update installed, and that there is nothing else that they can do to rectify the problem. I feel that this situation is intolerable. Can you please advise at to what my next step should be?

I recently bought a new Audi A1 Sportsback with a $600 optional convenience key. On the specifications guide it states "full keyless entry and start", but the keyless entry only works on the driver's door. I enquired with both the dealer and Audi as to why it doesn't work on the other doors and was told that this is the correct set-up. It is very misleading to state "full keyless entry" when in fact it's not. Should I complain?

Fancy being driven to work every day, or have someone else handle the bump and grind of holiday traffic? The “auto” is about to be put into the automobile.The world’s biggest car makers have formed an alliance to come up with technology that will enable modern vehicles to talk to each other to prevent crashes -- and take control away from drivers by being able to brake in an emergency or even swerve to avoid a collision.That system will then enable traffic signals to talk to cars -- if governments decide to make the costly and extensive upgrades. “Car to car” technology will be showroom ready within three years, but government legislation threatens to slow its introduction and has created a new dilemma for road safety experts: how much control should be taken away from the driver?German car maker Audi has a developed new automated driving system that uses radars, lasers, cameras, ultrasonic sensors -- and the built-in navigation system -- to enable cars to “pilot” themselves.It unveiled its latest experimental vehicle by having it drive itself on stage on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with the executives sitting in the back seat.Proving how showroom-ready the system is, Audi displayed the computer circuit-board that controls the electronic chauffeur -- which processes 2.5 billion bits of information per second -- and it was the size and thickness of an iPad.A year ago, the computer equipment running the same experimental system took up the entire boot-space of a car. “We are not re-inventing the car, we are redefining mobility,” said the chairman of Audi, Rupert Stadler.For now, Audi’s self-driving car will be restricted to freeways that meet new European standards and have special lane markings. But Audi and others are developing camera technology that can read traffic light signals; some cars can already “read” speed limit signs, although in Australia, for now, they do occasionally get tripped up by the “40km/h” symbols on the back of buses, for example.Audi is in a race with fellow Germans BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to be first to introduce the technology. Sweden’s Volvo and Japan’s Toyota are also pursuing automated driving systems. All are debating the pros and cons of driver interference, while waiting for governments to legislate.In North America, the states of Nevada and California have allowed exemptions for driverless cars to be tested on public roads under strict conditions, largely driven by the development of automated technology by Google Maps cars. The same allowances have been made in localised parts of Europe and Japan; Australian regulations are yet to allow driverless cars.When asked who will be first with an automated car, Audi’s head of technology, Ulrich Hackenberg said “it depends on the cycle of the cars”, referring to the likely release dates of new models, which are typically set at least five years in advance and have limited flexibility.Audi will likely debut the technology on its next $200,000 limousine, the A8, due in 2016 -- but the technology will ultimately make its way onto city hatchbacks some time next decade, Mr Hackenberg said.Meanwhile, Audi has been working with town planners and high-rise architects to determine what the cities of the future will look like, and how the automobile will be used. One scenario is that, as energy costs rise, cars may become a luxury item, as they were when they were invented 125 years ago.Automated technology means that you would be able to summon a car to collect you, drive you to your errands, and then pick you up later. Last year Volvo showed technology that enabled the experimental vehicle to park itself using a mobile phone app. “Cars will become the largest social mobile device people own,” said Mr Hackenberg.

As Apple and Google face off to carve up the world's technology fields, their next battlefield is not the computer or smartphone, but your car. Hyundai is the latest carmaker to announce a collaboration with one of the tech giants, pairing with Google to offer their wearable Glass system in the next Genesis.We'll see the new Genesis range in Australia, as it's being built for the first time in right-hand drive, with the coupe already confirmed for our market and the sedan version likely to also make a business case to come here although it's too early to say whether we'll get the Google Glass option -- or even whether it will pass Australian road regulations.It will be integrated in the Genesis with an updated version of Hyundai's BlueLink infotainment system -- set to be showcased at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- and able to link with other wearable devices as well as Google Glass when they hit the market.The system will pair with Hyundai's existing mobile app, allowing wearers to monitor and even operate some of the car's controls -- including airconditioning, remote start, remote locking and (our bet as the most-used) car locator -- plus receive maintenance and safety alerts, and even book services without having to use a phone.Mercedes-Benz also has a satnav system that integrates with Google Glass, although the concerns over the safety of in-car use -- and its distraction potential -- are still to be settled. Meanwhile, Audi will announce at CES a collaboration with Google to put Android systems in cars in another skirmish in the tech battle, which is already seeing Apple's coming 'iOS in the Car' system being teamed with Merc, BMW, GM and Honda to offer integration with the iPhone's Eyes-Free Siri mode, phone, messaging, music and nav features.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Driverless cars are no longer a matter of sci-fi speculation -- they're coming, and it's just a case of how popular they'll become. The future looks grim for those of us who like to drive, if the latest research is accurate. An industry study 'Emerging Technologies: Autonomous Cars — Not If, But When' undertaken in the US suggests they may have such a strong response that all cars will be autonomous by 2050, and we'll reach a figure of nine per cent by 2035. The study by industry consultant firm IHS Automotive predicts that global sales of driverless cars will hit 230,000 in 2025 -- accounting for one per cent of total new car sales -- but rise exponentially to reach 11.8 million per year, or nine per cent, ten years later. IHS says there will be a total of 54 million autonomous cars on the road by then, eclipsing the sale of electric cars which the study says will continue be hindered by the high cost of battery technology. Those figures are for cars in which the driver can still take control if they wish, however the study also predicted that fully automated and completely driverless cars -- allowing no human input at all -- will start appearing on the roads by 2030. The extra cost for self-drive technology is predicted to plummet, with the study saying the $7,000-$10,000 sticker price hike in 2025 to have dropped to $5,000 by 2030 and about $3,000 by 2035. Google has already famously sent autonomous cars travelling across the US, and a large number of car companies are already working on the technology, with Nissan planning to have a car on the road by 2020. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

With reference to the problem with the 2009 Kia Sorento in Carsguide on November 30 I had a similar sounding problem with a new Suzuki Grand Vitara a few years back. It would lose power at regular intervals, which was dangerous as well as frustrating. The dealer couldn't find the cause, but after a while I came to realise that it only happened when the radio was on. The service tech took the car for a drive with me and we put the radio on. When he tried to pull out into traffic the power dropped. He got the fright of his life. Turned out it was a wiring issue behind the dash.

Rinspeed has rarely gone for mainstream design, delighting in showcasing left-field ideas and styling, such the underwater sQuba roadster, Splash hydrofoil and iChange shape-shifter. For the coming Geneva motor show in March, they've turned their eye to autonomous cars, previewing a driverless show concept called the XchangeE with a cabin design featuring swiveling seats and a steering wheel that can slide out of the way to the centre of the dash -- and a pop-up tray table for your morning commuter coffee. Rinspeed says the XchangE will be an electric sedan, but so far offers no engineering details, saying they are focusing on the occupants' experience in the coming reality of autonomous cars. "While the major automakers are putting the finishing touches on (autonomous) vehicle technology ... Rinspeed puts the occupants at the center of the driverless car," the accompanying statement says. Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht adds: "So far hardly anyone has taken this to its logical conclusion from the perspective of the driver. After all, traveling in a driverless car will no longer require me to stare at the road, but will let me spend my time in a more meaningful way". That meaningful way appears to include the front row having the ability to swivel their seats and travel facing backwards. Rinspeed says it is aiming for a similar experience to business class air travel, with innovative technology and communication functions that can turn the car into your on-road entertainment space or -- of course -- mobile office. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Contrasting with the industry-wide shift to more compact V-configuration six-cylinder engines, Mercedes-Benz is reportedly planning a return to the straight-six arrangement for future large models.The straight-six was a cornerstone of Mercedes models until its replacement with V6 engines in the mid-90s, but UK magazine Autocar reports that a straight-six will sit atop a new family of modular engines under development, which will include smaller three and four cylinder versions.  Despite the demonstrated packaging advantages of a more compact V6 engine, reduced production costs through increased parts commonality between piston counts is likely to be driving the shift.The new engines are expected to make their debut in the next-generation E-Class in 2016, before filtering down to the C-Class in 2017 as part of the upcoming new model’s mid-cycle refresh. The three and four cylinder engines are also likely to see duty in the smaller A and B-Class models.Also expected for the 2016 E-Class is a new ‘Autobahn Pilot’ function, which is said to expand Mercedes’ semi-autonomous technologies with guidance for overtaking situations.In the meantime, sources have confirmed that the AMG versions of the upcoming C-Class will use a twin-turbo 4.0 litre petrol V8 with a seven-speed auto and the availability of 4-Matic all-wheel drive in right-hand drive for the first time. A sports-tuned Speedshift version of the recently-announced nine-speed auto is expected to arrive with the 2017 refresh. At the more frugal end of the spectrum, the upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the C-Class is reportedly nearing the end of its development, with a targeted C02 figure of 60g/km suggesting a combined fuel figure in the vicinity of 2.6L/100km.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn  

I have three complaints about my new Kia Sportage. 1. Although it has just had an upgrade from the dealer, the navigation system still doesn't show some changes around the Gold Coast roads that have been there for quite some time. Is it reasonable to expect only a once a year update, or should Kia and the original supplier be making more effort to keep up to date? 2. The dealership has told me that nothing can be done to mitigate the effects of the turbo lag, which to me seems quite bad, so much so that I expect to get bunted when the thing goes off song at traffic lights. Am I correct? 3. Radio reception for ABC on the GC is terrible. I am told it is due to inadequate transmission, but I also have the same problem with other stations. Will a different aerial fix the problem?