With thanksgiving just around the corner, the winter season is almost upon us. As all drivers should know, driving through winter poses risks and challenges that can be overcome with a few simple tips and pointers. Here are some important winter driving tips from Car Care Council.

Check antifreeze level to protect engine, radiator, and hoses against freezing

Carry emergency kit, heavy bag of sand in trunk; weight will lend traction on icy roads

Check battery; winter weather can cut life in half

Replace windshield wipers if cracked, torn; use specialized winter blades in severe conditions

Keep tires properly pressurized; use specialized tires in extreme climates

Maintain gas tank at least half full to prevent gas lines from freezing

Via Car Care Council

For Volkswagen, a bumper sticker should say more than just a clever proverb or a humorous quip. Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory is developing a high-tech bumper sticker that will let drivers indicate their mood. The wafer-thin, highly-flexible programmable foil sticker will display text and images like a computer screen. It will continuously update what the driver’s emotional state is, so that the following drivers will know.

This shows how Volkswagen, as well as other automakers, is hard at work to improve communication between drivers. “You can let the traffic behind you know how you are feeling or say whatever you want to say as the mood takes you”, says VW’s ERL based in Palo Alto California. Other ideas on the drawing boards include an on-board heart rate monitor or other vital signs monitor that lets other drivers know the driver’s condition.

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The latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, is set to open this week with Daniel Craig portraying the suave British spy for the first time. Of course what would a Bond movie be without a bevy of Bond girls? For Casino Royale, sexy French actress Eva Green is Vesper Lynd and sultry Italian Caterina Murino is Solange. But one other “co-star” is just as sexy and head-turning – the 2008 Aston Martin DBS. With stunts such as doing seven consecutive cannon rolls, the Aston Martin DBS is set to wow audiences in the film.

The Aston Martin DBS is only the latest car to be the Bond-mobile.Ever since the very first 007 movie (Dr. No, 1962, starring Sean Connery), the cars are as memorable as the Bond girls - from the Sunbeam Alpine in Dr. No to the stunning Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day that features invisibility cloaking device and an artillery of guns and missile launchers popping out from nowhere. ForbesAutos.com recently released a list of the top ten Bond-mobiles. It’s a veritable wish list of some of the best sports cars ever.

There is a growing demand for PCs and Web Access on automobiles. Last September, a survey conducted by CNW Marketing Research revealed that 14% of prospective buyers under 30 years old would like to have in-car email and web access, a figure that double the number of people who said they wanted this feature back in 2004. Because of this demand, we will see more and more automobiles equipped with access to internet via an on-board PC.

Initially, these auto PCs will connect through regular cellular phone signals. However, the technology is expected to shift to WiMAX, a high-powered Wi-Fi that covers broadband access across urban areas. At present, Ford offers web access in its F-Series pickups through Fordlink, a $2,999 option. Meanwhile, KVH Industries features TracNet 100 system lets drivers view web pages on vehicle navigation and video screens. The TracNet 100 system equipment costs $2,000 while the monthly connection is $79.

At the recent Convergence Conference held at the Cobo Center in Detroit, General Motors Corp., through luxury brand Cadillac, demonstrated a technology that can revolutionize vehicle safety in the future – vehicle to vehicle communication technology or V2V. This V2V system will enable a vehicle to detect the position and movement of other vehicles on the road, even up to a quarter of a mile away. In effect, V2V equipped cars communicate their relative positions to each other.

A V2V-equipped vehicle can anticipate and react to whatever driving situations there are on the road. It will warn the driver through chimes, visual icons and seat vibrations once it detects any potential collision. If the driver fails to respond to these signals, the vehicle can bring itself to a safe stop, thus avoiding a collision. “V2V technology gives drivers a sixth sense to know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow,” says Larry Burns, GM vice president of research & development and planning.

Last October 27, 2006 at the Arena Civica in Milan, Italy, the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen Eos and a host of other stunning automobiles emerged victorious at the XIV L’Automobile più Bella del Mondo or The World’s Most Beautiful Automobile” competition for 2006. The international jury led by Bruno Alfieri, the Italian journalist and editor who created the awards back in 1993, chose the best looking cars in various categories such as city cars and compact cars, mid-size hatchback, limousine, coupe, spider, station wagon, concept cars and many more.

After examination of the various new models introduced in 2006, the jury proclaimed the winners in their respective categories. However, upon a closer look on the list of winners, one can see that Japanese and American cars are conspicuously absent from the list. Europe does offer some of the most stunning of automobiles, but do they have the monopoly when it comes to aesthetics? We don’t think so. Still, the list offers a veritable showdown of some of the most beautiful cars ever to grace the road.

City cars and compact cars: Mini Cooper

Mid-size hatchback cars: Volvo C30

Mid-size sedans: Volvo S80

Limousine: Bentley Continental GTC

Coupé: Mercedes CL

Coupé-cabriolet: Volkswagen Eos

Spider: Alfa Romeo Spider

Sportscars: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Station wagon: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

MPV: Citroën C4 Picasso

Crossover: Audi Q7

Specials: Studiotorino RK Coupé

Concept Cars: Renault Twingo Concept

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A leaked “global master plan” revealed Toyota Motor Corp.’s plan: to take a 14% share of the world car market by 2010. The report by the Wall Street Journal said that Toyota, currently the second largest global automaker, is on track to overtake GM as the world’s biggest car maker by grabbing 14% of the global automotive market, up from 11% in 2005.

The plan expects that Toyota’s global auto ales will reach 73 million vehicles by 2010. In 2005, Toyota sold over 65 million vehicles worldwide. To meet this burgeoning demand, the report said Toyota will increase production its plants in China and India. A new minicar that is geared towards families in developing countries is supposedly also in the works.

Meanwhile, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco declined to comment on the supposed plan adding that the Toyota has no concrete plans yet to offer a new minicar model. However, he confirmed that Toyota is indeed targeting developing markets including Russia, China, India and Brazil.

Rumors reached fever pitch that Toyota is set to green light its futuristic Endo supermini, when the tiny concept car was spotted during testing in Japan. The Endo is Toyota’s answer to the Smart fortwo. It amazingly offers space for four passengers, including the driver, in its compact size. The stubby looking concept debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Other unique features of the Endo include a vertical tailgate, wrap-around windscreen, two-tone body work and doors that hinge away from the car’s body to improve access to the cabin. The concept car even featured an avant-garde flat screen dashboard. However, if the Endo will indeed see production, it will have to be in a more conventional approach to keep the costs down. As for now, the Endo production model is expected to hit the markets as soon as 2007. Or will it? We’ll see next year.

In the very near future, drivers may be seeing things in a different light – literally. That’s because of the growing interest automakers have on LEDs or light emitting diodes used for headlights. In fact, as early as next year, LED headlights will be available in at least one new vehicle model, the new Lexus Hybrid LS. Technological breakthroughs have made LEDs bright enough to be used as headlights and daytime running lights. Unlike conventional lamps which use filaments or gas, LEDs use semiconductors to release electrical energy in the form of light.

LEDs offer several special characteristics and advantages over conventional lights. First, LEDs are power-efficient. For instance, LED running lights from Hella consume only 10 watts compared to the 150 watts it takes for a conventional headlight to light up in low beam. Second, LEDs offer more than just a single light beam. They can be dispersed into different interesting and exciting patterns to add to the aesthetic aspect of vehicles. Third, LEDs take up less space than conventional headlights freeing up more space for safety equipment in the vehicle’s front.

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Because of its unique combination of positive improvements especially in its powertrain, chassis, ride and handling and interior amenities, the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado is named as the best redesigned vehicle for the year by Kelly Blue Book’s kbb.com. The Silverado bested over 40 other redesigned vehicles for this year. Following the Silverado were the following finalists: Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chrysler Sebring, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon, Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Toyota Camry.

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