Saab PhoeniX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s been about one year since and parted ways, and the automaker is hellbent on showing the world what it’s capable of creating on its own means. In addition to an , Saab is showing off a major concept for the brand at this year’s – a design that will preview the future face of the automaker, penned by famed designer Jason Castriota. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Castriota has created such pretty creations as the and .
Castriota’s latest creation, the Saab PhoeniX, is a sleek hatchback concept that uses the automaker’s new ‘aeromotional’ design language. Saab describes this as “a visual evocation of the aerodynamic design principles and passion for innovation that inspired the creators of Saab’s first car, the iconic Ursaab.” Long story short – absolute gorgeousness. The concept uses butterfly doors that reveal a two-plus-two seating arrangement, and the modern interpretation of the Saab teardrop shape is seriously attractive.
Under the shapely metal is Saab’s 200-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four mated to the automaker’s XWD all-wheel-drive system. Inside, the PhoeniX uses the new Saab IQon infotainment platform that uses the Google Android operating system. The car itself may be totally conceptual, but we’ll see IQon make its way into Saab products in the coming years (stay tuned for more details).
for Saab’s full press release, and see the sleek new PhoeniX concept in high-res glory in the image galleries below.
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Live photos copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL
For safety’s sake, most of what we hear about phones and cars in the same news piece is about not dialing or texting while driving. The rest is usually about connecting your phone to your car… so you don’t have to dial or text while driving. But once in a while it comes down to phones inspired by cars. has done a few, and so has – with a range of manufacturers from to . The latest, however, is the product of Maranello’s partnership with Taiwanese computer firm Acer.
The tie-in has already spawned a number of laptop computers, but as phones get smarter and smarter, they’ve evolved into small computers to the point that computer companies are becoming some of the biggest players in the mobile phone market. Acer’s flagship model is the Liquid E, a touchscreen smartphone with a Snapdragon processor running Google’s Android 2.1 mobile operating system. Now they’ve done up a special edition for Ferrari, decked out all in Rosso Corsa and coming paired up with a similarly trimmed Bluetooth earpiece.
Aside from the racy color treatment, the Ferrari edition Liquid E comes emblazoned with the Prancing Horse badge surrounded by carbon fiber trim, a microphone cutout designed after the air intake on the side of a Scuderia Ferrari F1 car, and will surely come packed with Ferrari-themed wallpapers, icons, screen savers and ring-tones. The model’s just been unveiled at the Computex trade show, so no word on pricing just yet, but expect that to be suitably Ferrari-inspired as well.
Roewe 350 with Android – Click above for image gallery
With the developer’s conference going on and about the and its Android-integrated smartphone app for the , there’s been a fair amount of virtual ink spilled over the search giant’s mobile software and its integration into automobiles.
However, Roewe has taken the biggest leap yet and .
The system, developed in conjunction with the Chinese automaker and Inkanet, employs a 3G internet connection through China Unicom to deliver everything from weather to stock market information, and connects to phones and other multimedia devices through either a cable or Bluetooth connection. As you’d expect, GPS and traffic data is integrated into the system, and users can make phone calls, along with sending and receiving emails and text messages. An on-screen QWERTY keyboard is incorporated into the custom user interface, and unlike some of the hack jobs we’ve seen on netbooks and vaporware tablets, it’s actually an attractive implementation of the Android operating system.
The whole package will set Chinese consumers back around $600-900 when it arrives later this year, and includes 24 months of free service through China Unicom. Check the gallery below for a walk through of its features.
Back in January, announced that OnStar would to be used in conjunction with the . The app allows owners to keep track of charge status, remotely lock and unlock the vehicle, along with providing diagnostic reports and a host of other features.
Last week, reports surfaced that about implementing the search giant’s Android mobile operating system into its vehicles, and while that may still come to fruition, GM’s announcement tonight is far less dramatic.
The app that GM demonstrated on Android-powered headsets earlier this year will now be available with a “navigation” tab that ingrates with OnStar to provide turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions, along with vehicle location (think: finding your Volt in a parking lot) and allowing users to perform voice searches through their Droid, Incredible or other Android smartphone.
While tapping Google’s massive location-aware search is an important inclusion, it’s less than revolutionary, particularly when is in the . Furthermore, GM says that the new functionality won’t be available on the Volt app at launch, but will be rolled out in the 2.0 version of the software. So if you’re keeping track, we’re talking about a yet-to-be-released feature for a yet-to-be-released car. Make the jump for the full details.
2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery
The interwebs are rife with rumor that the mysterious is none other than Google itself. Motor Trend is reporting that is currently courting the search guru in order to use the Big G’s Android operating system in its vehicles. If successful, the company should have a telematics system that’s more than capable of taking it to Sync – the excellent /Microsoft mashup currently available in most Blue Oval products.
While MT claims that GM wants to out and out buy Android, we doubt that’s the case. Google hasn’t exactly made a habit of selling anything it produces – opting instead for an advertising-based revenue stream. What’s more, Google is making major inroads into the consumer electronics marketplace with Android. Still, that doesn’t mean the open-source Android couldn’t find its way into the next generation of smart-phone capable vehicles from Detroit.
If the rumors prove true, we should first expect to see some iteration of the system on the upcoming . GM has already said that owners will be able to monitor things like battery life and charging from their smart phones. They’ll also be able to start and unlock the vehicle via a Volt app. Similar usability will likely trickle down into the rest of the GM ranks.
BMW iDrive BlackBerry connectivity – Click above to view the video
Research In Motion has been hard at work bringing new ways to integrate the functionality of its BlackBerry devices into the automobile. We recently brought you news of , but before that partnership comes to fruition, several automakers (most recently , for example) have been working with the Canadian electronics firm – now one of the top five mobile phone-makers in the world – to bring the BlackBerry into the cabin in a distraction-free manner.
The latest collaboration revolves around ’s iDrive system, which has now been linked up with the BlackBerry to provide limited functionality while behind the wheel. Connecting through Bluetooth, the iDrive controller will now be able to read email messages aloud to the driver and occupants, and initiate calls either from the email sender or from the phone’s contact list, displayed on the dash-top screen. The feature is being rolled out first on the new Pearl 3G, but is slated to arrive to all new devices running the new BlackBerry 6 mobile operating system.
to watch a video of the feature in action, as demonstrated on a .
Google and the Chinese government are having a little row right now, but that hasn’t stopped China’s love for Google goods. The production lines for the Roewe 350 have started rolling out sedans, and the little four-door, designed as a sign of SAIC’s automotive futur,e is certainly headed for hundreds of thousands of Chinese homes. In the process, it will employ Google’s Androidoperating system, up until now only seen primarily on mobile phones and a handful of cheap PCs.
Android was developed from Linux, and is a highly customizable OS with a huge range of adaptability. In the Roewe 350, the Android interface running through the DVD system will give occupants web access and even online chatting, in addition to mundane things like real-time traffic. It’s a neat choice to make, and with Android’s app possibilities it might mean you could share information from car to car and skip the step of reading directions and other information from your phone. And if there’s a virus… well, we won’t worry about that just yet…
