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 »

By Keith Barry There may be no more appropriate commentary on the state of motoring these days than three recent car shows that represent the past, present and future of personal transportation. Ford is throwing a party in Richmond, Indiana, this week to celebrate the centennial of the iconic Model-T . Just up I-75 in Flint, Michigan, the Buick Club of America is putting the wraps on the 105th anniversary of portholes and bench seats, while this past weekend microcar enthusiasts from across North America put-putted around Newton , Massachusetts in postwar European fuel misers. The three events offer a snapshot of where the automobile's been and where it's going. The Model-T marked a turning point in the nation's development. Americans got the chance to explore their vast country for work and pleasure, and communities developed with mobility in mind. From Dust Bowl migrants to exurban commuters, the American love affair with both freedom of movement and fossil fuels began when the first Tin Lizzies rolled off the assembly line . For nearly a century, Americans had the luxury of going where they wanted, when they wanted, at a price they could afford. Only recently have environmental and economic concerns ushered in an era of $4 a gallon gas, staycations and transit-oriented development. Perhaps the week-long celebration of the Model-T will be more nostalgic than expected, what with Americans facing real constraints on personal transportation for the first time since the gas shortages of the 1970s. From Harley Earls 1939 Y-Job to the 1970s Shaft-tastic Electra deuce-and-a-quarter , Flint was Buick City. These days that honor might go to Beijing, where Shanghai General Motors Park Avenue is the ultimate status symbol. Though American Lucernes come standard with Florida plates and Ask me  about my grandchildren bumperstickers, Chinese Buicks like that slick black number in the picture have Bluetooth and massaging seats, and they're popular with diplomats and business tycoons. Some of the worlds worst drivers are using their newfound purchasing power to make China the worlds fastest growing automotive market, where not only is Buick the most-popular model , but one in seven cars that rolls out of a showroom is made by GM. Such success is possible in part because Chinese labor requires little investment from GM and pollution controls in smoggy China are virtually nonexistent (with the notable exception of a shutdown in anticipation of the Olympics ). With Michigan in decline and China rising, the current reality of the American auto industry is darker than a Beijing afternoon and the developing worlds nascent oil addiction threatens to keep sea levels and fuel prices at all-time highs. Postwar Europeans lived la dolce vita behind the wheels of cars like the BMW Isetta and Fiat 500, enjoying the freedom of personal mobility that had been so terribly constrained during both World Wars. Microcars like the Messerschmitt KR200, Reliant Robin, and Morris Minor were the solution to limited resources and narrow streets. While a two-seat runabout barely making 30 horsepower was no match for an elegant prewar Benz, a microcar was the most fun one could have on four (or three) wheels. More importantly, microcars were appropriate solutions for the transportation challenges of the time. The future of personal transportation depends on similarly appropriate solutions that address new challenges, such as increased demand for a finite supply of oil, and the multiple dangers of the tailpipe emissions from internal combustion engines. Photo by Flickr user 2 dogs .  read more »

Wind River is joining Intel to develop an open source Linux platform to your car and shake up the auto industry by bringing greater innovation, efficiency and development speed to the emerging in-car infotainment market. It's a radical effort to...


Doug Newcomb

Ford has been able to move a lot of their crappy Focus coupes and sedans with their Ford SYNC powered by Microsoft entertainment system, which does everything but let you forget you're driving a Focus. But, as we mentioned, Microsoft and Garmin have teamed up to provide systems for other automakers. The first car to get this treatment standard is the FWD Suzuki SX4 sport/crossover, which clocks in at under $16K (the AWD version is slightly higher than $16K).  read more »