Tag: newest

Video: The newest Mustangs go head-to-head on the track

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford

new mustangs competing at streets of willow

The Mustang family tested head-to-head – Click above to watch video after the jump

The crew over at Inside Line has manged to put together a test that any auto enthusiast should be eager to read about. Ford’s entire lineup of Mustangs has something unique to offer, and IL wrangled up one of each different ‘Stang on offer: V6, GT, Boss 302 Laguna Seca and Shelby GT500. In the end, there can be only one…

All four cars were flogged on a pair of tracks, including the 1.6-mile loop at Streets of Willow. The finishing order based on lap times was predictable, but the numbers are impressive across the board. Also, Inside Line didn’t choose its winner based solely on fastest time around the track. Click past the jump to watch the cars in action, then be sure to head over to Inside Line to read about the results.

[Source: Inside Line]

Continue reading Video: The newest Mustangs go head-to-head on the track

Video: The newest Mustangs go head-to-head on the track originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How being fat and old is the newest threat to auto safety

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology

Erwin Wurm 'Fat Car'

There’s no easy way to say this, America: You’re getting fatter and older every year. Over a quarter of the population is obese, and the rate of obesity increases 0.5 percent each year. The amount of folks aged 65 and up currently stands at 40 million, but that number will increase to nearly 90 million by 2050. What does any of this have to do with automobiles? A lot – if you’re a safety engineer.

The systems that help keep us safe during a crash will need to be redesigned to cope with our ever-increasing mass and aging bodies. Seatbelts and airbags are being developed that can work with the larger, older occupants of future vehicles. Adaptive airbags and load-limited seatbelts will better conform to the person sitting in the seat.

As we travel down the road to our Wall-E style future, it’s comforting to know that today’s engineers are working to protect tomorrow’s driving population. The solution to our weight problem is, of course, to battle the ever-expanding waistlines found throughout our nation. That, however, is easier said than done. Let’s just hope that the four-wheeled products that result don’t resemble sculptor Erwin Wurm’s ‘fat car’ series, as shown above.

Now if you’ll excuse us, a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal is calling from the kitchen. Oof, that’s an awfully far walk for our aging bones, though.

[Source: Ward’s Auto | Image: Dorotheum]

How being fat and old is the newest threat to auto safety originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video]

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Lexus, Toyota

Inside Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji tech center – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sitting in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji technical center is part proving grounds and part engineering center. But unlike most facilities, Higashi-Fuji includes an array of engineering and research offices employing over 3,000 employees, and an assortment of non-track test facilities.

The Higashi-Fuji campus opened back in 1966 and has grown to encompass nearly 2.7 millionsquare feet of facility floor space. We were given the rare opportunity to visit the facility where we witnessed one unique crash test, tried out one of the world’s most advanced driving simulators and sampled an assortment of new safety features, including a brake override system, enhanced pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection and updated ABS calibrations for the Prius. Make the jump for the full report.

Gallery: Inside Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji tech center

Continue reading Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video]

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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