BMW Zagato Coupe

I probably couldn't find Lake Como even if I had a car naviagtion system or an in dash navigation system, but after dicsovering a car show they hold there I am sure gonig to try.

This Northen Italian Lake is where one of the most luxurious auto shows on the planet occurs, The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.  The name by itself sounds like a car worth a million dollars.  BMW chose this prestigious event to unveil is Zagato Coupe.  They probably decided to introduce this eye catching beast in Italy because their partner in designing the car was Italian manufacturer Zagato.

Zagato has been styling sports cars since 1919. The company has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Bugati, Bently and many more.  The combination of Italian styling and German engineering has hit a home run with the Zagato Coupe. I guess since this is Italy and Germany I should say they scored a goal, instead of a home run.  But don’t take my word for it, check out the pictures yourself.

The best news of all is that this may not just be a concept.  BMW has put the Zagato Coupe through high speed testing, and it meets German road standards.  We may actually see this thing on the road!  

The Auto Black Box

A car navigation system or car GPS device can record where a car is located, but there is a little device in all of our cars that tracks everything we do.  Well… not everything but close enough. This gadget is referred to as the vehicle’s Event Data Recorder (EDR).  The EDR works just like an airplanes black box and is commonly used after an accident to see what happened.  It records at minimum of 15 aspects of a crash, including pre-crash speed, engine throttle, changes in forward velocity and airbag deployment time.

All vehicles are mandated to have these black boxes by 2013, but some cars have had these since the mid-90s.  The information collected could eventually be used for insurance companies to set your insurance rates, as well as in civil and criminal cases.  Some people have said that this information should be private but others say that if you are driving on public roads than it is public information.  People very weary of this technology fear a future where a device like this can issue a speeding ticket as soon as you go over the speed limit.  Imagine a citation printing right out of your dash. OK, so that’s a big jump, but you can see how people feel these devices are a little “big brothery.”

Even though it does feel like an invasion of privacy I do feel like this device can be used for good.  It will help auto companies fix problems with their vehicles that lead to crashes.  It will prove who was actually at fault in an accident, so the wrong person doesn’t have to pay for it.

In-Car Wireless Charging

If you’ve ever been frustrated by a dead cell phone in the car, or by rummaging around your car for that special car-charger, there is a solution on the way.  Chrysler has announced that the new 2013 Dodge Dart will come equipped with a wireless charging station, located right underneath the car cd player or car navigation system.

 It will have the ability to charge MP3 players and the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android cell phones by using a special case.  It works by using a mat fitted with one induction coil that creates alternating electromagnetic fields, and a second coil that takes power from the electromagnetic fields and converts it back to electrical current to charge the battery of your mobile devices. The two coils combine to form an electrical transformer.

When the technology first started making the rounds a few years ago the efficiency was poor and caused the units to get hot – potentially damaging lithium ion batteries. Since then the technology has improved significantly to allow greater efficiency and less heat, charging the battery in record time with no damage done.

It is activated when consumers place their battery powered device on the 8.27” x 9.5” x 3.25” power mat. The units charge only when the vehicle is on. It will be available as a $199.99 option on all new 2013 Dodge Darts.

This is the first time this feature is available OEM from the dealership, but not the first time this technology has been on the market. Powermat has been making something similar, but aftermarket, for a few years now and for as little as $25. Users have had mixed results from them, which makes me wonder how great one that is pre-installed in your vehicle is going to be. One of the largest complaints seems to be that your device must be put directly on a very small “sweet spot” in order to get it to charge. We had in mind a mat you could put the device on anywhere, but whether the units installed on the new Dart will be better or not remains to be seen.