A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
Using the mobile phone to prevent accidents
As we all know, thanks to a constant media barrage and messages from local law enforcement, cellphones and cars don't mix. The carnage caused by so-called distracted driving is on the tip of everyone's tongues these days, and has almost supplanted drinking and driving as one of the more heinous crimes you can pull off behind the wheel.
However, researchers at the University of Michigan are working with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to come up with a way for smartphones to actually cut down on pedestrian and cyclist crashes. You might be blithely crossing the street without looking up from composing that latest tweet, "Crossng st so nice day #yvr #cherryblossoms," but your phone could actually be looking out for you. #GuardianAngel.
The key is in a GPSlocator chip that can be embedded in the phone to broadcast your location up to ten times a second. Using technology under development for car-to-car communication, something that's developing fast, a next-generation automobile can actually track the pedestrian that's obscured by the car turning right, and also keep an electronic eye on the cyclist that's coming up fast.
Now, none of this will be able to handle the famed Vancouver Pedestrian's ability to suddenly dart into the road like a panicked squirrel, but it will cut down on potentially lethal interactions if auto-braking cars can react even before you do. The only drawback is perhaps a greater reliance on electronic safety nets, and even more complacency behind the wheel.
Not to mention, donning our tinfoil hats, that THEY can monitor your position at any time, if you have the app enabled. You know who I mean. The Pentaverate (ooh, I hate the Colonel).
VW mulling re-launch of the Bulli
Remember the Routan? That's the time VW thought it would be a good idea to appeal to aging hippies and burgeoning families by bringing back the iconic VW van. Sounds good? Well, they just scraped the badges off a Dodge Caravan and called it a day - nobody was fooled, and the van didn't sell all that well.
However, this time VW might get it right. Reports indicate that the success of the Beetle over past years has convinced VW that perhaps a more retro approach might be needed.
Now, we've had rumours of a re-birth of the Microbus umpteen times before, usually about once a year. Mostly, that's been wishful thinking, but VW's new MQB platform technology gives it flexibility in construction that keeps costs down. Essentially, the modular nature of the chassis means that money need not be spent in developing a one-off chassis for a vanity project - they just plug in a 1.8-litre turbo, a 2.0-litre turbodiesel, slap on a couple of calico curtains, and Bob's, like, your uncle, maaaaan.
There are other rumours here, including that the Dune concept (think modern Baja Bug) might make it into production. With VW sales slipping in North America, it'd be a good way for the company to inject some excitement into their brand.
Honda tackles Pikes Peak race in seven categories
For most people, Honda is a nice safe automaker who used to build wacky racecars, but now is all about EarthDreams and hybrid, and the fuel-sipping Civic. Turns out, they still have a passion for racing.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the most wellknown such events in the world, involving a hairraising dash up a mountain in Colorado. It used to be partially gravel, but now the entire way is paved, making for a rapid pace and a really, really hard landing if you accidentally drive off the side of the mountain. As there aren't any guardrails, this actually happens from time to time.
While nothing's quite as nutty as the 532 horsepower Odyssey Minivan they brought last year, Honda still has a strong field for 2014, including two motorcycles and five cars. They'll have an NSX running in the open class, a Honda-powered Norma racing chassis, two Fit subcompacts (one an EV, the other a Spec-B racing car), and a Honda S2000 with a 3.7-litre V-6 shoehorned into it.
That last one sounds pretty darn great. Hey Honda, why don't you build one of those for the rest of us?
Aston Martin finally launching new platform
The underpinnings of the current range of Aston Martins (apart from the 177 hypercar) are currently old enough to get all sulky and start listening to Linkin Park, or whatever the equivalent is these days. Released at the beginning of the millennium, the VH chassis is entering its terrible teens, and it's time to throw it away and start over. FYI, you're not allowed to do the same with your offspring, no matter how much you might want to.
A-M reports that the new chassis is under development, this tying in with their new contract with AMG. Mercedes-Benz's skunkworks will provide the engines for the next round of British Grand Tourers, in much the same way as they build motors for exotica like the Pagani Huayra. And yes, I still have to Google the spelling of Huayra.
While a new chassis is great, there's a bit of sadness here at the passing of the old Aston V-12, which made a glorious noise and gave you a boot up the backside like you were a football and it was David Beckham. I'll miss it a bit, right up until the AMG-sourced engine does the same trick.
Another helpful mobile phone
Well, not so much a phone as a phone-sized battery pack. Junopower is a company that makes auxiliary battery packs for smartphones, so you can charge up if your iPhone suddenly goes dead. Again. For like the 10th time.
They claim that their JUMPR device, which is about the size of an iPhone5 and twice the weight, is powerful enough to bring a car battery back to life. Small enough to cram in your pocket or the glovebox, it's an easily portable recharger that cranks out 12 volts at 300 amps.
That's probably not quite enough to actually jumpstart your car, but it'll do to boost the battery back up to levels where you can crank the ignition again. If you're taking a road trip, particularly on a motorcycle where every ounce counts, it's tinier than carrying jumper cables, and you'd be entirely self sufficient. Neat.
Watch this space for all the best and worst of automotive news, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected]. Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendan_mcaleer
