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Video: Inflatable car seat is cheap, convenient… but is it safe?

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Design/Style

easy car seat

Easycarseat inflatable – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Just about every time we go through airport security, we notice there is at least one family that has to lug their bulky car seat through the airport, dropping a trail of Cheerio crumbs as they go. And then there is the coworker in your lunch carpool that has a kid, which means everyone must stand outside the car, rain or shine, while he or she removes the seat and jams it in the trunk.

A company has invented an inflatable seat that should theoretically relieve some of these problems. The Easycarseat is inflatable seat that can handle children ages four and older from 33 to 79 pounds. The seat, which inflates in under a minute, only costs about $90, weighs about two pounds and can be folded for storage whenever a mom or dad needs it for travel.

An inflatable car seat just doesn’t sound safe, but the company insists it has already met all applicable U.S. and European safety standards. The seat also features a pressure release valve that prevents the seat from popping in the event of an accident.

We’re not so sure we’d opt for a blowup car seat for everyday use, but for anyone doing a lot of air travel or car hopping, this seat seems like a real luggage-saver. Hit the jump to view a one-minute demo, and stay for the crash test footage.

[Sources: The Stir, Easycarseat]

Continue reading Video: Inflatable car seat is cheap, convenient… but is it safe?

Video: Inflatable car seat is cheap, convenient… but is it safe? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seat gears up for Audi Q3 production at Spanish plant

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Audi, SEAT

Seat plant in Martorell, Spain

Last week, Porsche announced production plans for its upcoming Cajun sport-ute at its Leipzig plant in Germany. Now, sister-company Seat is following suit with preparations to build the Audi Q3 at its facility (pictured above) in Martorell on the outskirts of Barcelona.

If you’re wondering what Audi has to do with Seat, allow us to fill in the blanks. Most essentially, the two are sister brands fall under the larger Volkswagen Group umbrella. Seat’s flagship Exeo is essentially a re-bodied version of the previous-generation Audi A4. And when Audi was looking for the right place to build its upcoming Q3 compact crossover, it turned to the Spanish subsidiary.

In preparation for Q3 prduction to start, Seat is hiring over 700 new employees. Overall the company has undertaken the training of 1,200 new personnel, and if production requirements demand, could hire some or all of the remaining 500. Hit the jump for the full details in the press release.

[Source: Seat]

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Seat gears up for Audi Q3 production at Spanish plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines

Filed under: Safety

NHTSA child car seat guidlines

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released new guidelines today to help parents decide on a safety seat for their child and the best use of that seat. According to the new guidelines, kids should stay in rear-facing child seats until they’re two years old, or have reached the height and weight limits advised by the seat’s manufacturer.

Whether kids are kept in a rear- or forward-facing seat, NHTSA says it is important children always ride in the back. If the back seat is unavailable, passenger air bags should be turned off when car seats are in front of them.

After kids reach two, NHTSA recommends leaving them in a child or booster seat appropriate for their weight and height until they properly fit in an adult seatbelt. Further, NHTSA recommends keeping kids in the back seat at all times until they hit those magical teen years.

Click past the break for the full press release from NHTSA.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Image: visualthinker – CC 2.0]

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NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW launching Seat in China?

Filed under: China, Volkswagen, SEAT

Volkswagen is looking for ways to improve the dismal sales of its Spanish brand, Seat. Rather than simply shutting it down, officials apparently wants to use the brand to expand the VW Group’s presence in emerging markets. Positioning Seat as a sporty alternative, Automotive News Europe says VW will bring the brand to China and attempt to move the automaker a bit upmarket from where it currently sits.

Currently, the Volkswagen Group is represented in China by VW, Lamborghini, Skoda and Audi. Those brands are doing well and Seat will need to quickly fall in line. If not, it be shuttered by 2015.

[Source: Automotive News Europe – sub. req.]

VW launching Seat in China? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Seat Heaters

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: SEAT IBX Concept looks… appliance white

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, SEAT, Design/Style

Seat IBX Concept

SEAT IBX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Geneva Motor Show is in high gear, and Volkswagen subsidiary SEAT has no intentions of sitting on the sidelines during the massive European show, as the IBX crossover clearly illustrates.

The IBX was penned to show the Spanish brand’s future design direction, as well as the company’s commitment to environmentally friendly technology. Power for the front-wheel-drive concept comes from a Chevrolet Volt-like mixture of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery pack. SEAT hasn’t provided many details about the powertrain, only mentioning that the vehicle could travel 45 kilometers (28 miles) on an electricity alone, with the range-extending gas or diesel engine kicking in once electro-juice is exhausted. SEAT says that the engine could come courtesy of one of the gas or diesel offerings already available in its lineup.

On the design front, this little ute’s two-door design carries some coupe-inspired lines while still
aiming for the roominess of a crossover. The overall form is clean and attractive, if a bit nondescript (an impression no doubt enhanced by its relentlessly white paint). Chief designer Luc Donckerwolke says in the company’s press release that the IBX represents the footprint of future SEAT design, adding that “this design DNA will have a profound impact on every one of our models.” Hit the jump to read over the official press release, and peruse the high-res images of the IBX concept by clicking on the galleries below.

Gallery: Seat IBX Concept: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Seat IBX Concept

Seat IBX Concept

[Source: SEAT]

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Geneva 2011: SEAT IBX Concept looks… appliance white originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback; R S is begging for seat time

Filed under: Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Audi

2012 Audi RS3 Sportback

2012 Audi RS3 Sportback – Click above for high-res image gallery

In the land of Four Rings, anything with an ‘A’ at the start of its model name means it’s a fairly standard model. Should you see an ‘S,’ get excited, because that means the fun factor has been ratcheted up a notch. However, if the alpahnumeric starts with ‘RS,’ then it’s time to put on your best steel-eyed gaze, because that particular Audi means business. The RS moniker has been used throughout the German automaker’s family, and now it is landing on the A3’s hatch lid, transforming the mild-mannered five-door into the 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback.

Audi has taken its 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five engine and forced it to work a little harder. Adding more boost (now running over 17 psi, in fact), the mill in the RS3 pumps out 340 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. That power is routed through a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission and out to all four wheels, which helps pull the 2012 Audi RS3 from 0-62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds. If you feel like 60 mph is too slow for your liking, then hold down the gas and you’ll eventually bump against 155 mph.

There’s no word yet on whether this juiced-up hot hatch will make its way Stateside, but we won’t be holding our breath, as the bog-standard A3 is already plenty expensive for U.S. tastes. Either way, the RS3 goes on sale in Europe sometime during the first half of 2011.

Gallery: 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback: Geneva 2011

2012 Audi RS3 Sportback: Geneva 2011

Gallery: 2011 Audi RS 3 Sportback

Continue reading Geneva 2011: 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback; R S is begging for seat time

Geneva 2011: 2012 Audi RS3 Sportback; R S is begging for seat time originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Heidfeld to fill Kubica’s seat at Lotus Renault GP

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Renault

Nick Heidfeld

Filling the proverbial shoes of Robert Kubica is no easy task. The grand prix winner – one of only 102 in history – is the first Polish driver to make it in Formula One, and he is rated as one of the best in the business. Fill his space, though, is exactly what Renault has had to do after Kubica’s unfortunate crash in an Italian rally left him severely – if not critically – injured. But if anyone’s up to the task, it’s Nick Heidfeld.

The two were former teammates for several years at Sauber, and for his part, Heidfeld has finished more races than any other driver on or off the grid. He’s also become the de facto go-to guy for outfits who need an experienced driver to step in post-haste, having been selected by Pirelli to test their new F1 tires and then brought back to Sauber when Pedro de la Rosa wasn’t working out last season.

Having tested Heidfeld at its recent Jerez session, the Lotus Renault GP team has announced that they’ve selected the German driver to take Kubica’s place until he’s able to return to racing. Heidfeld’s selection wins out over Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean, both of which also have race experience (albeit considerably less) and are contracted members of the team’s test-driver roster.

After stints at Prost, Sauber, Jordan and Williams – to say nothing of McLaren and Mercedes GP where he’s served as a test driver – Renault will make the fifth team for which Heidfeld will now have driven over the course of the eleven consecutive years he’s now been on the grid since his debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix. His best result to date was the fifth place finish he scored at Sauber in the 2007 Championship and his eight second-place grand prix finishes. Follow the jump for the official announcement.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Officially Official: Heidfeld to fill Kubica’s seat at Lotus Renault GP

Officially Official: Heidfeld to fill Kubica’s seat at Lotus Renault GP originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW X6 to get five-seat option among other changes

Filed under: Crossover, BMW

BMW X6 three-across rear seat

BMW X6 now available with room for five – Click above for high-res image gallery

Have you always wanted to drive a BMW X6, but felt that leaving one of your four friends waiting on the curb was a drawback? Tell that friend to buck up and head over to your local BMW dealer, because the X6 is getting an optional third rear seat.

The additional seat is available on all version of the X6 with the exception of the ActiveHybrid variant. Along with the extra (and from the looks of the pic above, tiny) middle squab, the Spartanburg, South Carolina-built BMW X6 is getting new 20-inch alloy wheels, interior leather options, and vicinity lighting.

In addition, there will be available enhanced content for Apple iPhone users. Through the BMW Apps system and ConnectedDrive, iPhone users will be granted access to Facebook and Twitter. The BMW Apps system also allows iPhone users to listen to radio stations from around the world regardless of where they’re located. Learn more in the official press release after the jump, which also details changes to the X6’s kissing cousin, the more capacious X5.

Gallery: BMW X6 now offers seating for five

BMW X6 now offers seating for five

[Source: BMW]

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BMW X6 to get five-seat option among other changes originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Marchionne confirms 7-seat Jeep Grand Wagoneer in 2013

Filed under: SUV, Chrysler, Jeep

Jeep Grand Wagoneer with horses

Jeep Wagoneer through the years – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler, has reportedly just announced his plans to bring an old American nameplate back to life. According to Automotive News, in two years time, Jeep will roll out a seven-seat SUV and its badge will read: Grand Wagoneer. According to Marchionne, it will be an upscale, seven-seat sport utility vehicle built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is slated to make its first appearance in January 2013, though whether that will be in conceptual or production form, we’re not yet sure.

Gallery: Jeep Wagoneer through the years

1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 1963 Jeep Wagoneer 1966 Jeep Wagoneer 1978 Jeep Wagoneer

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Marchionne confirms 7-seat Jeep Grand Wagoneer in 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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