Car Safety
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Spies have captured the 2013 MINI Paceman, MINI's new compact Countryman-style coupe, testing at the Nordschleife. Ford is moving forward with its car-to-car communications systems, with a new test regimen underway in Germany. Audi's R8 e-tron set a Nürburgring lap record not long ago, and now it's on video. You'll find all of this and more in today's car news headlines in the links below. 2013 MINI Paceman Spy Video Ford Powers Ahead With Development Of Car-To-Car Communication Technology First Video Of Audi R8 e-tron Setting Nürburgring Record Audi TT RS Five-Cylinder Sounds Off...
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Ford Powers Ahead With Development Of Car-To-Car Communication Technology
In the future your car will be able to warn you of an impending crash, or perhaps even take action itself to avoid one, by ‘knowing’ well ahead that another car has suddenly stopped in a queue of traffic, is about to cross paths with you at a busy intersection, or is even approaching...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems May Soon Be Required In Europe
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems combine adaptive cruise control with full automatic braking to avoid frontal collisions, even without driver input. Still in their infancy, such systems are currently available on just 20 percent of the cars sold in Europe. New regulations may be coming to...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW Unveils New Law Enforcement Fleet
In Europe it’s not uncommon to find law enforcement officials rolling around in luxury models like an Audi A6 or BMW 5-Series. Most major automakers overseas offer a series of modifications to their usual fleet aimed at customers looking for a little extra safety, and some, such as BMW, even...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Cadillac Uses Brooklyn Bridge To Refine Radar Safety Tech For ATS, XTS
The 2013 Cadillac ATS and XTS will get some advanced radar-based safety technology, but first, the company had to weed out bad data.
Nelson Ireson -
18,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h Sedans Recalled For Suspension Failure Risk
The 2010 Lexus HS 250h is being recalled to fix a suspension arm that might rust and fail.
Nelson Ireson -
Several automakers have introduced advanced technology in their cars that can read the road ahead and anticipate whether a vehicle in front is slowing down or a pedestrian or cyclist is nearby. Most of these systems rely on cameras or radar systems monitoring the road ahead, though these can be inhibited by other objects such as cars, trees or walls. General Motors is working on its own crash avoidance technology potentially capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists on congested streets or in poor visibility conditions before they are even in view. The feature relies on Wi-Fi Direct, the...
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Mercedes-Benz To Adopt Rear Seatbelt Airbags On Future Luxury Model
Calling it the Beltbag, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to introduce inflatable rear seatbelt airbags on a yet-to-be-named “luxury-class model,” likely the new S Class sedan. The inflatable belts have been shown to reduce the potential for rear-seat passenger injuries in frontal...
Kurt Ernst -
Subaru Explains Its Core Technologies: Video
While we here at High Gear Media generally adhere to a strict “no mime videos” policy, on occasion we’re forced to make an exception to this rule. Such is the case with a new series of videos from Subaru that focus on explaining the automaker’s core technologies. As any...
Kurt Ernst -
2013 Acura ILX Recalled For Faulty Door Locks
The 2013 Acura ILX is being recalled together with the 2012 Honda CR-V.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche Issues Recall On Cayenne And Panamera Turbo Models
Porsche has issued a recall on the range-topping Turbo models from its Cayenne and Panamera lines, explaining that the turbine wheels from the turbocharging system featured in the cars may fracture under certain conditions. The recall affects all Cayenne Turbo models from the 2012 model year and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Driver Fails To Notice Passenger Ejected From Car
Every now and then we come across a news report where the accounts really do need to be seen to be believed. For example, take this latest story of a crash near Blackduck, MN, where a passenger was ejected from a car yet the driver and another passenger initially failed to even notice. According to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
One of the strongest arguments for the introduction of autonomous cars is the increased safety brought about by eliminating the possibility of human error, believed to be the main cause of crashes. So far the increased safety factor with autonomous cars has generally been assumed but now a leading insurance group, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), has found that autonomous car technology, even in its most basic form available today, is already preventing crashes. Based on research done by the group’s Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), existing technology such as...
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2011-2013 Volvo S80 Recalled For Faulty Transmission
Volvo has issued a recall on its aging sedan flagship, the S80, due to a potential fault with the car’s automatic transmission. The recall is for Volvo S80 sedans from the 2011 to 2013 model years, of which there are some 1,469 examples affected. According to Volvo a software error may...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren MP4-12C Spider, Mazda-Based Alfa, Sexist Parking Spots: Car News Headlines
Want to see the new McLaren MP4-12C Spider in action? We've got you covered, as the retractable hardtop supercar hits the track in a new official video. How about more details on the upcoming Mazda-based Alfa Romeo sports car? We have those too. And if you're up for a bit of...
Nelson Ireson -
Volvo Outlines Three Upcoming Safety Technologies
Volvo has a well-established reputation of building some of the safest cars in the world but the firm believes it can improve on its own standards by reaching the ultimate goal of avoiding car accidents all together and reducing the road death toll (for drivers of its cars) to zero--a goal it hopes...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Swedish Magazine Questions Safety Of Jeep Grand Cherokee
Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld (Technology World) has hit the new Jeep Grand Cherokee with some serious allegations: in performing an evasive maneuver test that’s become known as the “moose test,” the magazine alleges that the popular SUV exhibited the potential for...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW Recalls ActiveE Electric And Z4 For Power Steering Issue
A potential fault with the power steering system could mean owners lose the power assistance of their car's steering.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Driving can be stressful, and stress is a distraction. Driving can also be boring, and that can be distracting, too. So what can be done about it? Ford is working on a system that integrates various biometric measurements like pulse, galvanic skin response, and breathing rate to determine the driver's "workload," a concept that relates to attention and performance behind the wheel in a curious manner. Basically, when workload--the amount of attention and input required from the driver--is too low (i.e., when the driver is bored, say driving straight interstate for hours on end) they are more...
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2007-2009 Mercedes-Benz E350 4MATIC Wagon Recalled
Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall on certain versions of its E350 4MATIC Wagon due to a potential issue involving the affected cars’ rear suspension. The recall only affects 2007 to 2009 E350 4MATIC Wagons built from July 1, 2006, through to April 30, 2009. There are approximately 3,613...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon’s Airbags Deploy Despite No Crash
In August of last year airbags in a Chevrolet Camaro deployed whilst its driver was attempting to drift, despite there being no crash or rollover. At the time, a spokesman for Chevy explained that in certain conditions the side curtain bags can deploy if the sensors determine that a rollover is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Are Car Seats For Kids Or Gas Cans? Colorado Mommy Finds Out The Expensive, Humiliating Way
Some things are worth protecting from harm in a car accident. Yourself, obviously. Your cigarettes. Your warm bottle of Mountain Dew? Mos def. How about a week's worth of gas? The Cable News Network, via affiliate KUSA, reports a Colorado mother (their definition) decided that answer would be yes...
Martin Padgett -
Fisker Recalls A Few More Karmas Due To Previous Hose Clamp Issue
A handful of 2012 Fisker Karmas have been recalled due to incorrectly installed hose clamps, the same problem that led to a recall of the car in December, 2011.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo Explains Its Pedestrian Airbag System
Airbags inside of automobiles are nothing new, and have saved thousands of lives worldwide since being put into widespread use. Volvo, always at the forefront of vehicle safety, believes that airbags can be used to protect pedestrians, too. According to Volvo’s research, 25-percent of traffic...
Kurt Ernst