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2009 Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle

June 17th, 2009 1 Comment

Mercedes-Benz has long been a pioneer of innovative safety features which are traditionally first introduced in the flagship S-Class before finding their way into the mainstream.

Now the brand has unveiled the 2009 ESF Experimental Safety Vehicle – the first of its kind to be built by Mercedes-Benz since 1974 – which is packed with the latest in passenger protection.

Based on the Mercedes S 400 Hybrid, the ESF features more than a dozen new technologies which in some cases may seem rather absurd such as the new “Braking Bag”.

“Safety is a central element of the Mercedes-Benz brand. In this respect we have been setting the pace in the market for almost 70 years for the benefit of our customers and for road users in general. The ESF 2009 shows that we still have plenty of ideas and the absolute will to lead the automobile industry in this field even in future”, says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Among the highlights of the ESF 2009 is the PRE-SAFE Structure which uses inflatable metal structures to save weight and increase the stability of structural components in the event of a collision.

Another innovation is the Interactive Vehicle Communication system which is able to communicate directly with other vehicles using wireless technologies, sending or receiving information such as weather conditions or obstacles in the road.

A new PRE-SAFE Pulse feature is able to reduce forces acting on the body during lateral collisions by up to a third by moving passengers 50mm toward the centre of the vehicle using air chambers in the side bolsters of the seat backrests.

Extending the functionality of the infrared camera of Night View Assist PLUS, the new Spotlight lighting function uses a partial LED main beam to illuminate potential hazards on the road such as animals which would otherwise lie beyond the normal area covered by the main beam.

Finally, the Braking Bag deploys under the vehicle as an auxiliary brake when an impact is unavoidable, stabilising the car on the road surface with a friction coating and helping to decelerate the vehicle before the impact occurs.

The ESF 2009 was developed and built completely in the Mercedes-Benz test vehicle workshops in Sindelfingen, continuing a longstanding tradition of revolutionary ideas from Mercedes such as ABS or the airbag which first entered series production at Mercedes-Benz.

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Underbelly Monaro up for sale

June 15th, 2009 22 Comments

The Brilliant Blue Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 coupe used as Judy Kane’s car in a recent ‘Underbelly: a Tale of Two Cities’ episode will go under the hammer at the Shannons Winter Auction at the Sydney Showgrounds on July 12.

Delivered new by Stacks Holden in Rose Bay (Sydney), this two-owner Monaro was build number 312 of what has become one of Australia’s most collectible muscle cars and is in very original and correct condition down to its hubcaps, having covered just 89,000 miles.

Victoria Police operation targets truckies

June 15th, 2009 10 Comments

Victorian Police have this weekend completed a massive state-wide operation targeting truck drivers in what they say was a successful “blitz on heavy vehicle safety”.

Operation Austrans saw Police intercept over 4500 trucks on popular interstate routes from Friday night with a result of more than 1200 infringement notices being issued.

BMW developing self-drive emergency stop system

June 5th, 2009 19 Comments

BMW has announced that its engineers are currently developing a system which will safely bring a vehicle to a controlled stop in the event of a health related emergency.

The system will activate an autonomous driving mode which is able to navigate the vehicle to the emergency stopping lane of a highway, activate the hazard warning lights and call for help.

NSW trialling electronic speed limiter in cars

May 21st, 2009 39 Comments

The New South Wales government will begin testing a new electronic speed limiter device on Wollongong roads next month which it says could one day become a standard feature on all cars.

Although its effectiveness is already being questioned as drivers will be able to override the system at the flick of a switch, which would render the device useless.

CarAdvice catches train surfer

May 11th, 2009 47 Comments

Quiet please, quiet please.

And the winner of this year’s moron of the year award goes to…

THE IMBECILE PICTURED BELOW!

Photo by John Marx

You can imagine how surprised CarAdvice’s Paul Maric was when heading home on Friday night after a road test. While we stand on a train overpass a train pulls in full of punters from the latest AFL match at Etihad Stadium – don’t ask us which match it was, we don’t follow AFL.

4000 drivers screened in Victorian Police operation

May 11th, 2009 4 Comments

As part of an on-going Police operation in Victoria, nearly 4000 drivers in the northern Melbourne suburb of Preston were screened for drugs and alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights.

Police caught 11 drivers under the influence as part of Operation Boags 4 which also tested vehicles for harmful levels of smoke and/or noise with the help of the EPA.

Where’s my spy camera?

May 1st, 2009 22 Comments

A blue VW Transporter van fitted with a single, external, tripod mounted camera capable of scanning up to 700 number plates an hour was trialled yesterday in Moorabbin, Victoria, as police attempt to catch disqualified drivers.

The trial, which police say is still in its infancy, has already proved the automated number plate recognition technology works and that it could substantially increase the likelihood of catching disqualified or suspended drivers, or simply those that have unpaid registration or fines.

Victorians worst mobile phone culprits

April 27th, 2009 12 Comments

Victorian drivers are being caught and fined for illegally using mobile phones whilst driving at the rate of 100 per day.

The figures, released by Victoria Police today, aim to reduce the number of drivers talking on mobile phones, especially commercial drivers who make up the majority number of those caught.

Porsche Panamera taking the elevator

April 22nd, 2009 12 Comments

In the lead up to the world premiere of the Porsche Panamera at the Shanghai motor show, a select group of journalists were invited to a private unveiling of the new four-door coupe at the Shanghai World Financial Center in China.

The only problem was at 425 metres above ground level, the 94th floor of the world’s third-largest building is also the world’s highest event platform – leading to the dilemma of how to get the car up there.

Lexus exhibits ‘Crystallised Wind’ at Milan Design Week

April 9th, 2009 4 Comments

It’s not quite car news in the strictest sense, but it is rather cool if you’re at all interested in art – not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The Lexus L-finesse philosophy has combined with the very finest in contemporary art to present ‘Crystallised Wind’ at this year’s Milan Design Week.

The exhibition will take place in Milan’s Museo della Permanente art gallery from 22 to 26 April as part of the world’s largest design exhibition, the Salone del Mobile di Milano.

Ground-breaking Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto will interpret the Lexus design philosophy ‘L-finesse’ through a dynamic installation that brings together space, sound and lighting.

“Crystallised wind is the result of a conceptual interpretation of the underlying principles of L-finesse design”, explains Sou Fujimoto. “The term wind addresses not only the flow of wind, but also symbolises a flow or current in a greater sense. It is a new horizon where the natural and the artificial coexist in space. I wanted to find a way to give form to that which is formless: to take the flow of air and the passing of time and to represent them in such a way as to explain the essence of the duality of L-finesse. The result is an art form that represents movement yet stillness, and the flow of time in a timeless environment.”

The Lexus exhibit will display an acrylic art piece based on the full-size Lexus LF-A super sports concept car and will also include a specially designed piece of acrylic furniture.

Lexus has participated in the Milan Design Week since 2005, using the platform to express the L-finesse message through different artists and fields. This year Lexus also aims to demonstrate the traditions and innovations of designs crossing each other.

“L-finesse design is much more than a surface approach and is certainly not confined to automotive design, we are trying to look much deeper than that, we use the Japanese influence in that way.” Said Wahei Hirai, Managing Officer of Design Center. “That is also why we like to collaborate with leading artists and designers instead of just working with our own automotive designers. This way, we inspire each other and we can go much more in depth. However, even if we keep the same consistency at the same time we change the way we represent our design philosophy over the time.”