Ah the spa, where all troubles, worries, stressors are meticulously pampered away with facials, scrubs, and messages. Usually a trip to the spa costs a pretty penny, but if French automaker Renault has its way, soon you won't have to go farther than your car to get that spoiled rotten feeling.
Renault has joined forces with cosmetics maker Biotherm to create the Zoe Z.E. electric car concept. The car is sporting a climate control system that is similar to a spa. In lieu of using air conditioning which can be hard on the skin, the Zoe keeps the air inside the car cool and hydrated, preventing the skin from drying out.
The car also deals with outside toxicity levels by shutting the car's air vents when the built-in toxicity sensor detects one too many free radicals. But it just wouldn't be a spa without soothing scents, so the car has been set up to diffuse essential oils created by Biotherm to keep the driver calm no matter what time of the day, using three different scents to take care of morning, noon, and night.
Japanese car maker Daihatsu recently pulled back the curtain on its latest creation. Dubbed the Mira Cocoa, this cute mini-car is specifically being marketed to women. The type of woman being targeted according to the press release jargon are in pursuit of a "fun and laid-back" lifestyle.
The name Cocoa was chosen to reflect how the car gives passengers that warm and fuzzy feeling that occurs when drinking hot cocoa heaping with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel and chocolate (okay, I added the whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate, but it's a great image right?). The design language for the Mira, includes catch phrases like "friendly modern" and "carefree". With it's rounded edges it's definitely non-threatning, but I'm not sure if I would describe the thinly veiled attempt to have the headlights and turn signals resemble eyes all that "lovable", but to each her own. The car's interior is designed to resemble a "well-loved bag." The Cocoa Plus features suede seats that has a deodorizing feature that keeps the car smelling fresh.
We've seen quite a few fashion houses work with automakers to create designer vehicles. Usually the fashion house designs the interior while the car company designs the exterior. But if South Korean car design student Jinyoung Jo has her way, high end fashion vehicle will soon be taking their turn on the catwalk.
While there's no guarantee that this car will ever go into production, the composite renderings have us hoping we'll see this baby on the showroom floor someday soon. The Saab Fashionista is a concept car designed by French car design student, Mayeul Walser. Based on the designs of high fashion designers Karl Lagerfield and Chanel mixed with futuristic sci-fi tech, the 2-door, 4-seater sports coupe is definitely a looker. The While the sleek, futuristic exterior is definitely intriguing, what's under the hood isn't too shabby either.
Based on the designs of the Chevrolet Volt, the Fashionista is nearly identical in dimensions. The could have the same extended range electric powertrain, but Walser intends for his concept to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain with a 6-cylinder engine.
While it remains to be seen if this concept will become more than frenzied imaginings of a talented design student, the Fashionista is an interesting glimpse into the future of automobile may hold.
I always wanted a Segway so much. I never knew anyone who actually had one (apart from Niles in Frasier, and former President George Bush, who fell off one in 2003) but I thought it was the perfect transportation (apart from when it rains). The rest of the world didn't quite agree: Segway sales never went through the roof as the designers had hoped, although they have remained reasonably popular among the gadget-loving wealthy and even the occasional police force.
Now the same company is joining with General Motors to make another new form of transportation which they hope will be even more popular: a very cute little electric car designed for urban driving called the Puma (which stands for personal urban mobility and accessibility). General Motors are clearly hoping this will help stave off bankruptcy as well as being better for the environment than standard petrol cars.
It definitely wins my "I want one!" test... What do you think?
Tesla Motors made a splash a few years ago when they introduced the Roadster, a $100,000 sports car. Not only was it beautiful, but it also ran on electricity and was really fast - not a common combination for EV cars. Since the rollout of the Roadster, they've sold only 250 of them, but anticipation has been building for a less expensive sedan version.
The Tesla S was unveiled yesterday in California, and wow is it beautiful. Hitting the market in 2011 - they're taking reservations now - the S is a seven-seater (!) that can go 300 miles between charges, go 0-60 in less than 6 seconds, and make you the envy of the town - for about $50,000.
It's pricey, sure, but not a lot more than a Lexus SUV hybrid which still runs on gas and holds 5 people. Can't wait to see these in production!
Anyone who knows me knows I have no sense of direction at all. They shudder in fear when we end up in gigantic parking lots which designate spaces something like this: "Galactica Building 13D, level 8, color rose, section lemon, aisle 19, row 799, space 17837a 12 rose." Coupled with the fact that I'm always running late, there's no time to jot down those complicated space designations. Result? At least half an hour of running around looking for the car, and once or twice, a false report to the police about my stolen car.
I also have to admit to being one of those obnoxious people who intentionally hits the alarm button on my car remote just so I can find my car. And there's a dog-paw ornament on my radio antenna, another distinguishing mark. And still I spend far too much time looking for my car. One day I will invent the ultimate car finding gadget.
For now, though, there's the little key-chain sized GPS Homing Device. This simple little device has just one function: it helps you find your way back to where you came from. It has a real GPS chip that locks down your location within 5 yards and when you're ready to go back, an on-screen arrow works with the built-in compass to guide you back. It's great for campers (not me), concert-goers looking for their seats after a beer run, or finding your blanket on the beach. I should never go anywhere without one.
Best part? Unlike the spy-gadget GPS devices that you attach to cars of suspected philanderers or teenagers, there's no setup, no service plan, no need to look up the location through the Internet (not that I know anything about those invasive spy devices, of course).
The GPS homing device is just $79.95 and available from Hammacher. Also available at Amazon.
I know I would! A design for communal electric scooters for use around towns is the brainchild of Australian Anton Grimes of the University of New South Wales.
The scooters could be retrofitted to existing lamp posts and poles, and come with a helmet and a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour. It's inspired by cycle schemes in places like Paris, Copenhagen and Montreal but the scooters take up less room (and are just more fun, let's face it).
For all you folks who have teenage kids at home, there is yet another reason to buy Ford the next time you go car shopping. Well, if the initial specifications of MyKey - the latest contraption from the carmaker - are anything to go by, then it may soon be the end of the kind of parental anxiety that results from sending teenagers out alone with their cars.
MyKey is a special type of key that parents can pre-program to control several aspects of driving. It can limit top speeds, alert the engine management system to set off the low fuel alarm, sound the seatbelt reminder, and even limit the volume on the car stereo. And the best part is that any key with a SecuriLock transponder (from the SecuriLock anti-theft system) can be programmed via the vehicle message center to transform it into a MyKey. The MyKey feature will be bundled with the 2010 Ford Focus for the first time and will eventually be available on other Ford models as well.
Since there is a long way to go before my son grows up to become a teenager, I think I can pass on this one for now. But the one technology that I currently wish for? A child-lock on my laptop.
Okay, we all multi-task to some degree while driving. I have a GPS mounted on my windshield, for instance, though I don't play around with the settings while driving. And we all know people who text on their cell phones from behind the wheel (don't do it!). But today, I saw this on bookofjoe:
If you haven't heard of it yet, Gmail has recently introduced the "Undo Send" feature to recall an e-mail that you've sent. This latest tweak allows you to reclaim your sent mail if it happens to be within 5... Read More
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