FAIL No2: Volvo V60 Safety System Flub Ends with a Dead Dummy Named Bob

This is officially the second safety system demonstration in as many "Look at this!" announcements that has gone horribly wrong for Volvo. That's right, two. The first one was back in May and led to a new S60 estate crushing itself into the back of a truck - see the video here. This latest mishap occurred during a media demonstration to Australian journalists in Europe.

Now that the known-as-safe Volvo brand is officially owned by the Chinese, is this a sign of things to come?

The mechanism in question is part of Volvo's pedestrian avoidance technology, which makes use of cameras and radar in the nose of the vehicle to control the brakes and stability control system in order to reduce driver/pedestrian injuries. The object that the system was meant to detect was Bob the Dummy; as you can see in the vids below, it didn't detect a damn thing.

That's not to say the system is terrible; after all is said and done, it worked 75% of the time. Of the twelve runs, only one ended with Bob getting the full force of the Volvo unleashed on him, with the other two still being less than perfect. Some of the blame has been placed on a camera that doesn't work well in low-light conditions (infrared / night vision, guys?).

Volvo's Jonas Tisell, Active Safety Systems manager, told journalists, "The failure of the test was due to the dummy not being set up properly, therefore it did not give an echo enough for the system. So the dummy was not relevant in this situation." So...blame it on the dummy? And "not relevant"? How does being to blame (according to Volvo) translate as irrelevant?

More like Volvo just got caught with its pants down...again.

By Phil Alex

Via: Drive and Autoblog.com

FAIL No2: Volvo V60 Safety System Flub Ends with a Dead Dummy Named Bob

This is officially the second safety system demonstration in as many "Look at this!" announcements that has gone horribly wrong for Volvo. That's right, two. The first one was back in May and led to a new S60 estate crushing itself into the back of a truck - see the video here. This latest mishap occurred during a media demonstration to Australian journalists in Europe.

Now that the known-as-safe Volvo brand is officially owned by the Chinese, is this a sign of things to come?

The mechanism in question is part of Volvo's pedestrian avoidance technology, which makes use of cameras and radar in the nose of the vehicle to control the brakes and stability control system in order to reduce driver/pedestrian injuries. The object that the system was meant to detect was Bob the Dummy; as you can see in the vids below, it didn't detect a damn thing.

That's not to say the system is terrible; after all is said and done, it worked 75% of the time. Of the twelve runs, only one ended with Bob getting the full force of the Volvo unleashed on him, with the other two still being less than perfect. Some of the blame has been placed on a camera that doesn't work well in low-light conditions (infrared / night vision, guys?).

Volvo's Jonas Tisell, Active Safety Systems manager, told journalists, "The failure of the test was due to the dummy not being set up properly, therefore it did not give an echo enough for the system. So the dummy was not relevant in this situation." So...blame it on the dummy? And "not relevant"? How does being to blame (according to Volvo) translate as irrelevant?

More like Volvo just got caught with its pants down...again.

By Phil Alex

Via: Drive and Autoblog.com

2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe & Convertible with Reworked Snout Priced

Infiniti has released photos and announced U.S. pricing on its 2011 G37 Coupe and Convertible models, which will both hit showrooms nationwide on November 10th. Following up on last year's updates that focused on the interior, Infiniti has now refreshed the two-door G37 models exterior appearance with a resculptured front bumper featuring a new lower grille and fog light housing / vent designs, as well as with new 18-inch and 19-inch alloy wheel styles.

Other than that, Sport Package is now available on the all-wheel drive models and a Navigation Package now joins Premium Package as standard on the Sport 6MT models, while Infiniti has also added a Limited Edition trim level to the Convertible range, with more content and unique Monaco Red leather-appointed interior.

Prices - not including destination and handling fees -for the coupe start from $36,200 (an increase of $150 over the 2010MY) and for the convertible from $44,500.

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2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe & Convertible with Reworked Snout Priced

Infiniti has released photos and announced U.S. pricing on its 2011 G37 Coupe and Convertible models, which will both hit showrooms nationwide on November 10th. Following up on last year's updates that focused on the interior, Infiniti has now refreshed the two-door G37 models exterior appearance with a resculptured front bumper featuring a new lower grille and fog light housing / vent designs, as well as with new 18-inch and 19-inch alloy wheel styles.

Other than that, Sport Package is now available on the all-wheel drive models and a Navigation Package now joins Premium Package as standard on the Sport 6MT models, while Infiniti has also added a Limited Edition trim level to the Convertible range, with more content and unique Monaco Red leather-appointed interior.

Prices - not including destination and handling fees -for the coupe start from $36,200 (an increase of $150 over the 2010MY) and for the convertible from $44,500.

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New Chevy Montana Small Pickup Truck Launched for South America

The South American arm of Chevrolet has dropped info and pics on its new Montana ute/truck/thing, and from the looks of it, the US market has avoided a bomb. If memory serves me correctly, the closest thing we've had here was the Subaru Baja, and that ended in tears.

Based on South America's new Chevrolet Agile hatchback, the Montana - not to be confused with the Colorado, another state-themed waste of space - will arrive in January 2011 and offer our friends to the South (not you, Hugo!) the segment's most storage and 1.4 power. The ute has a potential payload of 758 kilograms in its 1,100 liter bed (1,180 without the cover).

The 1.4-liter engine makes 102 horsepower if fed alcohol and a mere 97 ponies when running on gasoline. With alcohol, the car will peak at 170 km/h and hit 100 km/h (62mph) in 12.1 seconds. As expected, running on gasoline adds a few extra ticks (12.3 to 100 km/h and a top speed of 168 km/h). So, this car is like Bender from Futurama: alcohol makes it stronger.

Dimensions are like this:4.51 meters long, 1.70 m wide and 1.58 m high. Inside the oddly-shaped cabin, a dual cabin layout and "embossed seat" technology are present. Apparently it's to make the interior slightly more aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.

As you can see, the Montana wears Chevy's new global face, behind which is a body only a mother could love. Other than that, the Montana will come in two trim levels for "work and fun": LS and Sport.

The base workhorse LS features the most cabin space in the segment at 164 liters behind the seats, has a side step, and rides on 14- or 15-inch wheels. On top of that, the Sport - which is more for daily use - adds standard 15's, black headlight housings, body color mirrors, and other "premium" touches like cruise control and dual airbags.

Other available features include blue backlighting for the gauges, digital temperature readouts, automatic headlights, CD/MP3/USB/iPod player and connections, and power windows and locks.

Any South American readers out there, please weigh in on this one. Do you like?

By Phil "I was working off a Google-translated press release" Alex

New Chevy Montana Small Pickup Truck Launched for South America

The South American arm of Chevrolet has dropped info and pics on its new Montana ute/truck/thing, and from the looks of it, the US market has avoided a bomb. If memory serves me correctly, the closest thing we've had here was the Subaru Baja, and that ended in tears.

Based on South America's new Chevrolet Agile hatchback, the Montana - not to be confused with the Colorado, another state-themed waste of space - will arrive in January 2011 and offer our friends to the South (not you, Hugo!) the segment's most storage and 1.4 power. The ute has a potential payload of 758 kilograms in its 1,100 liter bed (1,180 without the cover).

The 1.4-liter engine makes 102 horsepower if fed alcohol and a mere 97 ponies when running on gasoline. With alcohol, the car will peak at 170 km/h and hit 100 km/h (62mph) in 12.1 seconds. As expected, running on gasoline adds a few extra ticks (12.3 to 100 km/h and a top speed of 168 km/h). So, this car is like Bender from Futurama: alcohol makes it stronger.

Dimensions are like this:4.51 meters long, 1.70 m wide and 1.58 m high. Inside the oddly-shaped cabin, a dual cabin layout and "embossed seat" technology are present. Apparently it's to make the interior slightly more aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.

As you can see, the Montana wears Chevy's new global face, behind which is a body only a mother could love. Other than that, the Montana will come in two trim levels for "work and fun": LS and Sport.

The base workhorse LS features the most cabin space in the segment at 164 liters behind the seats, has a side step, and rides on 14- or 15-inch wheels. On top of that, the Sport - which is more for daily use - adds standard 15's, black headlight housings, body color mirrors, and other "premium" touches like cruise control and dual airbags.

Other available features include blue backlighting for the gauges, digital temperature readouts, automatic headlights, CD/MP3/USB/iPod player and connections, and power windows and locks.

Any South American readers out there, please weigh in on this one. Do you like?

By Phil "I was working off a Google-translated press release" Alex

NHTSA Investigates '04-'05 MINI Cooper Over Power Steering Issue

After having received 54 complaints from owners of the 2004-2005MY Mini Cooper over an alleged loss of power steering, the National National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided to take action and open a preliminary investigation into the matter.

Here's what the safety agency said on its website:

"The Office of Defect Investigations has received 54 complaints and a confidential number of field reports alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle. When the power steering assist stops working it requires increased force to steer the vehicle. Some drivers reported experiencing difficulty while trying to steer or control the vehicle. The reports indicate that the loss of power steering assist may be related to a power steering pump failure."

If the government agency's investigation reveals there is indeed a problem with the power steering, then up to 80,000 2004 and 2005 model year Mini Coopers may be affected.

We'll follow up the story and keep you posted as soon as we learn more.

NHTSA Investigates '04-'05 MINI Cooper Over Power Steering Issue

After having received 54 complaints from owners of the 2004-2005MY Mini Cooper over an alleged loss of power steering, the National National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided to take action and open a preliminary investigation into the matter.

Here's what the safety agency said on its website:

"The Office of Defect Investigations has received 54 complaints and a confidential number of field reports alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle. When the power steering assist stops working it requires increased force to steer the vehicle. Some drivers reported experiencing difficulty while trying to steer or control the vehicle. The reports indicate that the loss of power steering assist may be related to a power steering pump failure."

If the government agency's investigation reveals there is indeed a problem with the power steering, then up to 80,000 2004 and 2005 model year Mini Coopers may be affected.

We'll follow up the story and keep you posted as soon as we learn more.

Citroën Releases Dating 2.0 to Help People Find a Date for The Paris Motor Show (and Market the DS3)

Ooohweee, does Citroën know how to get this pale, pajama-wearing, cries-himself-to-sleep-every-night hippie blogger interested. Screw match-dot-com, we've got a car dating service now. The French brand know for its wild and out of this world concepts (see GTbyCitroën, Survolt, Revolte, etc.) has created a new form of match-up for the car enthusiast called Dating 2.0, and it's one nifty little time-waster.

Just be aware that the first step is asking your preference, not what you are. Don't make the same mistake I did and wind up looking at a dude in boxer briefs. Well, unless that's your thing, in which case go for it.

I, on the other hand, went with classy, busty, and shapely for my little lady and ended up with a "beautiful, alluring, and enigmatic" fish supper-enjoying mermaid and a red DS3. Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, so I tried it again...and it got even weirder.

Next, I chose funny, toned, and sporty (or something thereabouts) and ended up with a dominatrix-looking chick in leather with "a dominant personality and a unique dress sense". And...and...she's wearing a studded collar with a friggin' leash.

Try out this Dating 2.0 (link below) for yourself and leave your kinky results in the comments below. As for me, I'm off to the store to snag some furry handcuffs.

By Phil Alex

Link: Citroën Dating 2.0

Citroën Releases Dating 2.0 to Help People Find a Date for The Paris Motor Show (and Market the DS3)

Ooohweee, does Citroën know how to get this pale, pajama-wearing, cries-himself-to-sleep-every-night hippie blogger interested. Screw match-dot-com, we've got a car dating service now. The French brand know for its wild and out of this world concepts (see GTbyCitroën, Survolt, Revolte, etc.) has created a new form of match-up for the car enthusiast called Dating 2.0, and it's one nifty little time-waster.

Just be aware that the first step is asking your preference, not what you are. Don't make the same mistake I did and wind up looking at a dude in boxer briefs. Well, unless that's your thing, in which case go for it.

I, on the other hand, went with classy, busty, and shapely for my little lady and ended up with a "beautiful, alluring, and enigmatic" fish supper-enjoying mermaid and a red DS3. Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, so I tried it again...and it got even weirder.

Next, I chose funny, toned, and sporty (or something thereabouts) and ended up with a dominatrix-looking chick in leather with "a dominant personality and a unique dress sense". And...and...she's wearing a studded collar with a friggin' leash.

Try out this Dating 2.0 (link below) for yourself and leave your kinky results in the comments below. As for me, I'm off to the store to snag some furry handcuffs.

By Phil Alex

Link: Citroën Dating 2.0