Manufacturers of aftermarket iPod adapters and cigarette-lighter speakerphones take note: Your days are numbered. Automakers have finally figured out that people love gadgets, and just about every 2009 model will have iPod and Bluetooth connectivity. With the auto industry in a tailspin, automakers are scrambling to make their vehicles as attractive as possible. One way to do that is offer the connectivity consumers crave. iPod and Bluetooth integration, once the domain of luxury vehicles, has grown increasingly common and the 2009 model year marks the first time more than half of all new cars will be gadget-ready. The tech analysts at iSuppli say 58 percent of all cars sold in 2009 will offer iPod connectivity, while Bluetooth technology will be offered in 82 percent of all vehicles. What's more, one-third of all cars will feature USB ports up from just 16 percent this year. "The automotive industry is at the point where in-vehicle technologies or the lack of them are influencing sales," says Phil Magney, iSuppli's vice president of research. Technologies once the domain of luxury vehicles are now make-or-break options on even entry-level cars from the likes of Honda and Hyundai, he says. None of this device integration is good news to the " hang up and drive " crowd, but at least drivers who insist on texting , e-mailing and videoconferencing behind the wheel will be able to do so conveniently. While nearly two-thirds of all new 2009 cars will offer built-in iPod support a reflection of Apple's dominance in the MP3 player market Zune and Sansa holdouts will find their gadgets get along with just one-third of next year's models. Those are significant gains over 2008, when 39 percent of cars supported the iPod and 16 percent supported other players. Even more impressive is the growth of Bluetooth connectivity, fueled in no small part by the growing number of laws requiring hands-free cell phone devices behind the wheel. A little more than half of all vehicles offered 'tooth this year. That'll jump to more than eight in 10 next year. "These days, nearly every mobile device offers some Bluetooth connectivity," says iSuppli analyst Mark Boyadjis. "The influx of Bluetooth technology has blanketed the consumer electronics industry, and this is spilling over into cars. Also gaining in popularity are location-based content and on-board hard drives. It wasn't all that long ago that drivers were content to use DVD-based navigation system and hope the devices didn't send them off a cliff , but today's navi users want more map storage and real-time traffic data. In today's stagnant automotive market, manufacturers like Acura, Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes and GM are more than happy to oblige. It's certainly a far cry from the days of trunk-mounted CD changers, aftermarket speakerphones hanging from the driver's-side visor and wadded-up maps stuffed in the glovebox. Photo by BMW North America.  read more »

We just read Car & Driver's recent salute to five vehicles demonstrating all that's right and good with American car companies. Although they're right to be pointing out five great products, the Amerigasmic rah-rah fest left a bad taste in our mouths. Not because it's slightly sycophantic, but merely because it's too easy a list to create. There's just far too few American vehicles that show off the good, and so many that show off the bad. Frankly, we could do a list of the five cars that make us not want to buy American, but we're much more interested in helping our automakers help themselves by pointing out what's ailing them.  read more »

Is there a difference?

There has been a lot of hot air coming out of the auto industry regarding CAFE's 35 mpg by 2020 - even though there are already a plethora of loopholes between here and there. So, is CAFE going to cost, as GM's Bob Lutz has suggested, about $6000 extra per vehicle?  read more »

Volkswagen will almost certainly produce the Golf TDI Hybrid it brought to the Geneva Motor Show. It will probably cost about as much as a Toyota Prius. But the odds are only 50-50 it'll come to America. VW says the...


Chuck Squatriglia

The Geneva Motor Show is not just about the glitter and gloss of this year’s
newest cars – it is about the future. Beneath the wheeled glamour that
adorned the stands of the world’s leading manufacturers lurked a rising tide
of technology that will sweep through the automotive industry and transform
the way we travel.

It's no secret that diesels are more fuel efficient than gasoline engines and advancements in refining and engine technology have made them cleaner than ever. But some people may be surprised to learn diesel cars can be less polluting than...Chuck Squatriglia

No content available

No content available