 AJAC 2014 Technology Awards: Infiniti Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW). Click image to enlarge |
360 Degrees of Protection
Your next Chevrolet, Chrysler, BMW, Audi or Honda is like the USS Enterprise – rolling around blasting everything nearby with lasers and sensors and radar. Sure: your new family hauler is still a few years away from alerting you of a nearby wormhole or impending attack by a massive space-cube full of crabby cyborg hive beings, but it can probably tell you if you’re drifting from your lane, if there’s an unseen Fiat in your blind spot, or even if you’re about to rear-end a bus.
More models than ever (Infiniti Q50, Mercedes S-Class, Buick Regal, Mazda6, etc) can even intervene to correct your hazardous lapse – even helping guide the vehicle back to the centre of its lane if you’re drifting or about to side-swipe that Fiat, or applying the brakes if you’re about to plow into that bus. The Q50’s collision warning system can even see under the car ahead of you – detecting emergency braking up the road that the driver can’t even see yet.
Auto Engine Shutoff for the Masses
Idling, even for a moment at a traffic light, is a great big waste of gas that kills innocent foliage and makes Prius owners cry. Enter Auto Shutoff: a system that uses a few sensors, a high-speed starter and a deep cycle battery to enable engine shutdown the second your vehicle stops.
Release the brakes to take off, and she’s all fired up and ready to go in less time than it’ll take to move your boot over to the gas pedal. This technology used to be found almost exclusively in expensive luxury cars that were all fancy. Now, you can get it in a Kia Rio. They call it ‘Idle Stop and Go’ at Kia, but same thing. Expect this feature to begin flooding the market momentarily as automakers seek to continually trim fuel consumption.
Specific Output, Anyone?
Turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engines are taking over the automotive market in a big way, thanks to their promise of big-engine power and small-engine fuel efficiency. With the new breed of high-efficiency turbo four-bangers comes new milestones in specific output, or ‘power per litre’, as small engines are becoming snottier as all heck.
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The new king of specific output? The Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG. Using a two-litre four-cylinder and a turbocharger the size of a beach ball, engineers have created 355 horsepower. Two litres. 355 horsepower. Yes please!
And sure, the tuner kids have been doing this for decades – but the CLA 45 AMG has a warranty and meets emissions standards and isn’t contemplating firing a connecting rod through its block every time you open it up.
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Pedestrian Detection
Pesky pedestrians, always getting in the way. Whether you drive in the city or country, it’s more likely than ever that one of these inattentive creatures out for a texty-stroll will probably step right out in front of your Volvo, BMW or Audi without any second thought. This can result in a lot of police cars and paperwork, but cars that detect pedestrians are becoming more common to compensate.
Cameras, lasers, radar and even heat-sensors all work together to watch in front of the ride in question, using fancy computer programming to tell pedestrians apart from buildings, cars, moose and fire hydrants. If a pedestrian is detected, these systems can alert drivers, show the pedestrian’s location via a night-vision screen, and even apply the brakes so the offender can keep on tweet-jogging without a break in the action.
Smartphone Control
If your next ride is a GM product, you’ll be able to fully tap into numerous functionalities with your Smartphone. Found a new sushi place in a web-search on your phone? Send the address straight to your Impala’s nav system for future use. Not sure if your Silverado needs an oil-change before next weekend’s trip? A few button clicks on your phone will call up the remaining oil life. Wide awake at 3:47 am wondering if your tire pressure is off? Just grab the iPhone from your nightstand and have a look. You can even use your handset to schedule a service appointment, track down your CTS in a crowded parking lot, or remote-start it from basically anywhere there’s a cellular signal.
Full Stop Adaptive Cruise
Used to be that adaptive cruise control systems would detect slow-moving or stationary traffic ahead, decelerate you down to near-walking speed, and then beep loudly while signing off, leaving you to do the last bit of braking on your own. Today, more and more cars offer ‘queue’ mode, which can stop the vehicle fully and even get it moving again, over and over, based on the flow of traffic. Self-driving cars are probably not far off.
