What on earth is this vehicle? I have to own one of these radically-insane stuff. Oh sorry I wasn't listening. Anyway, according to my source, "The Boss", the Chevy Tahoe, is making explosive noise and scenes in the automotive industry today as GM confirmed that cars that drive themselves are expected to hit dealerships within 10 years and these units are also exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show. The main feature of the vehicle is its splendid and dependable safety technology courtesy of Continental.

"We are excited to be using our electronics expertise to help our automotive customers develop safety technologies that achieve our vision of zero vehicle crashes and injuries in the future," says Bill Kozyra, the president and CEO of Continental North America and Executive Board Member.

Last December, Carnegie Mellon University's Tartan Racing Team earned the 2007 Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge and took home a spanking $2 million first place prize in the independent vehicle contest which was sponsored by Continental Automotive Systems.

"This was an historic day in the push to make vehicles safer and smarter," said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Continental's Chief Technology Officer. "The Continental environmental sensors performed flawlessly and helped Tartan Racing's driverless vehicle 'Boss' see the path to victory, moving intelligent vehicle technology forward."

"At Continental we believe the Urban Challenge was not 'pie in the sky' thinking on display. Instead, we view the competition as an incubator for the driving experience of the future. What DARPA seeks to demonstrate we at Continental embrace as our fundamental business culture as we strive to offer our customers... and 'consumers who are their customers'... the very best in automotive innovation, performance and reliability," added Dr. Neumann.

The third week of January promises an exciting series of events in Detroit as the 2008 North American Auto Show opens. According to the Auto Channel, the occasion will take place at Cobo Center from January 16-17 from 7a.m. to 9 p.m. You wouldn't miss this for the world… definitely!

Here are the scheduled events during the NAIAS 2008 Industry Preview courtesy of my source:

• 15th Annual AutoWeek Design Forum - Exploring the theme "Designed for Fun" the daylong forum celebrates design as the ultimate differentiating factor between products.  Attracting more than 70 attendees, the forum also will feature the 2008 Editor's Choice Awards and attendees will tour the show floor.  The forum will be held in Cobo
• Center's Riverview Ballroom on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Jesse James of the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage and owner of West Coast Choppers will be the keynote speaker.
• Inforum's Annual Auto Show Breakfast - Themed "Beyond Green: Unraveling Sustainability Mystique," the annual breakfast will focus on the various environmentally friendly auto choices that are beginning to emerge in the market.  The breakfast will take place on Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

"Each year we look forward to hosting this exclusive opportunity for industry professionals to get a preview of the many fantastic attractions at the NAIAS," said Carl Galeana, the senior co-chairman for the NAIAS 2008. "Industry Preview provides a unique occasion for industry insiders to network, attend informative special events on design and automotive trends, and get a sneak peek of the show before it opens to the public."

 

So you think the present time is full of bad news. Just bad news. To break the ice, let me tell you that there's something to be happy about in the auto industry.

Now, there's more to choose from...

Thirty-four vehicles garnered the highest safety rating of 5 stars in the latest crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The figure is up from 13 a year ago. Asian automakers grab the biggest slice of the top-rated vehicles, with 17. Detroit automakers, meanwhile, had 6 vehicles on the list, while Germany and Sweden had 6 and 5, respectively.

The results, which were released Nov. 15, arrive as automakers strive to augment their safety ratings. They do this by adding airbags, crumple zones s well as crash-avoidance electronics. This is also the automakers effort to respond to consumers clamor for innovative safety features.

Toyota's Tundra is the first pickup truck to make the list. Subaru's Impreza is the first small car since more dogmatic criteria were introduced last year. The automakers join Hyundai's Entourage minivan, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV and Ford's Volvo XC90 SUV, which were also present on last year's list.

Vehicles have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) and garner a top score of "good" in front-, side- and rear-impact crash tests to be able to receive top rating. Other ratings include "acceptable," "marginal" and "poor."

Yahoo reports:

Drivers have long been drawn to vehicles that have more horsepower, luxury amenities or conveniences than the competition. But as creature comforts such as heated leather seats, CD changers and navigation systems have proliferated even among budget-priced cars, drivers and car makers have begun to focus on safety features. As a result, attributes such as side-curtain air bags, which cushion occupants in a side collision, and stability control systems, which help drivers avoid accidents, are now among the latest must-haves.

The test results also show that automakers are moving faster than ever to make vehicles more appealing to consumers through safety improvements. Some cars made the list only after their makers quickly made changes to improve their safety ratings. Making such design changes in the past could take several years.

"Consumer demand and government regulations will continue to make safety more of a core element in vehicle design," said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with at Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "As fuel-economy standards increase, for example, some cars will become smaller and lighter, necessitating new safety features."

"Federal mandates will drive some of this, but it's also happening because of consumer demand," she concluded.

Yes, the talks have collapsed! Just as we thought they could result in productive ventures, talks were dropped by Proton Holdings Bhd.

Malaysia dismissed the need for its national carmaker Proton to form an alliance with either Volkswagen AG or General Motors Corp. in the near future, the government said Tuesday, reported Houston Chronicle. State investment arm Khazanah Nasional, which owns a controlling stake in Proton, said that the company has "discontinued negotiations" with both companies.

"It's a big set back for Proton,'' said Raymond Tang, who oversees $5.4 billion at CIMB-Principal Asset Management Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. "The company needs new technology from a partner. They don't have the resources to make it on their own.''

Proton, which has reported 5 straight quarterly losses, had been looking for a partner to help produce fresh models and revive sales. While demand for a new Proton rolled out in August beat company forecasts, that won't be sufficient to allow the 24- year-old carmaker to go it alone, some analysts said.

"Although management has done a commendable job at turning around the company, it probably won't be enough,'' said Vincent Khoo, head of research at Aseambankers Malaysia Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. Proton still needs a partner, he said.

The company lost 589.5 million ringgit ($175 million) last fiscal year. The search for a partner followed the end of an alliance with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in 2004, and the loss of half of Proton's market share to competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp.

The struggling company had been in talks with the U.S.-based GM and Germany's VW about a possible partnership to reverse its fortunes. But Khazanah said Malaysian officials have recently seen positive developments in Proton, especially improved domestic sales and exports.

"Proton's management should be allowed to continue with its plans to further strengthen the company," he added. "The issue of strategic alliance, if necessary, can be considered at a later date."

Separately, Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said that Proton, which saw a loss of 591 million ringgit ($169 million) in its 2007 financial year, is expected to narrow its loss in the current year, the national Bernama news agency reported.

Still, the new Persona sedan, introduced in August, notched up 22,000 bookings by the end of October, Nor told reporters late yesterday. Proton, which planned to sell 4,000 of the vehicles a month, may report a profit in 2009, reported Bloomberg.

"We must give Proton management the flexibility to move on and carry out its turnaround plan,'' Nor noted. "We are not saying there will be no strategic partnership. It's a very attractive idea, but we also have to look at the interest of the country.''

This isn't a surprise actually. I was expecting something great from Ford. I just knew it. I bet you were assuming as well. Fortunately, our hopes were heard! We already know that the Ford SYNC created a big bang in the industry, but this time, another industry-first was carried out by Ford which promises a ground-breaking boom. It's The Virtual Ergonomic Technology...

Ford.com stated that the company is the first ever North American automaker to combine advanced motion capture equipment with human molding software to formulate work that are less physically nerve-stressing on employees.

"The benefits are fewer injuries, lower cost of tooling changes, higher quality and faster time to market. We're seeing improvement in every one of those metrics, and I know that our virtual technology is a factor," says Allison Stephens, the Ford ergonomics technical specialist with Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering.

"Among the project objectives are to predict the ergonomic impact of long-term repetitive motions and to better predicts complex human motions," said Stephens. "The impact on quality is tremendous - as recent results are showing. This is helping us strengthen our leadership position in virtual manufacturing for assembly ergonomics and resulting in higher quality vehicles."

The LA Auto Show is soon coming, and just as much as are excited for the doors to open, the cars.com staff expresses their great interests and expectations of the upcoming car event. Kicking Tires was able to catch them with these quotes:

Mike Hanley, Cars.com's reviewer, was quoted saying, "The hype for the L.A auto show has grown as it has distanced itself from Detroit's annual soirée in January, so it'll be interesting to see whether or not it can live up to its billing. More importantly, the show will be the first opportunity to see the Jaguar XF and Nissan GT-R in the flesh."

David Thomas, KickingTires' editor, says, "While most of the green talk may be hype, I'm hoping the automakers deliver a lot of actual, production-ready, will-be-sold-at-a-dealer-near-you hybrid vehicles at this year's show. L.A. is all about being green, after all. Pie-in-the-sky thinking is nice, but it's time to ante up."

Kelsey Mays, Cars.com reviewer, says, "L.A. is just as much about being quick as it is about being green. Hybrids and fuel cells are nice, but in an area home to some of the country''s best driving roads - traffic notwithstanding - I'm looking forward to the faster stuff like the Nissan GT-R and BMW M3."

Ian Merritt, Cars.com's photographer, meanwhile proclaims, "I am looking forward to some practical designs for concept cars. While automakers are trying to wow the audience with cool and space-age concepts, I personally like my science fiction to be realistic and grounded in the ability to be produced. I want to see the sedan of the future, not just the 2020 probably-never-gonna-happen cargo van."

Eric Rossi, the multimedia producer, says, "I'm looking forward to two things: Palm trees and the Nissan GT-R."