Gone are the days w hen your car was jus t a mechanical contraption with four wheels that

got you from point A to B. These days, it is m ore like a supercompu ter on wheels, with possibly more th an 100 mini compute r systems controlling ever ythin g from the door lock s and brakes to

Technology 0n wheels

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DeFyinG Gravity Rolling backwards on an incline can be scary. Ask Jack. The last time he attempted to pull off on an incline, the car rolled back and he ended up rearranging the front bumper of the car behind him (that cars owner wasnt particularly pleased with the new arrangement). If you dont want to play bumper cars with the vehicle behind, your best bet is to pick a car with a Hill Launch Assist feature. It prevents your car from rolling back for up to three seconds as your foot travels from the brake to the accelerator pedal. As soon as sufficient engine torque is available, the feature releases the brakes

without the risk of stalling or rolling backwards. This also eliminates the need to engage the handbrake to hold the car momentarily, leading to a smooth and simple start when pulling away on a hill or in one of those multi-storey car parks. It transforms even the most junior of drivers into geniuses. Music on wheels CDs what are they? Cassette tapes never heard of them! You can now test the acoustics in your car and turn it into your personal rock concert by playing music from your MP3 player, USB stick or phone. You dont even have to worry about battery power on long journeys the system charges your device as you play it.

the starter and ignition system.

Cars are becoming more and more high-tech as automakers work towards making safer vehicles that are also easier and more enjoyable to drive. There is loads of car technology out there (some technology is more useful than the others!). Here are some of the most useful and fun features that you should consider having in your car.

Bye Bye to parallel parkinG woes For the fifth time, Jack is trying to reverse his car into that ever-so-tricky parallel parking bay. Will I ever get this right, he asks himself. In the meantime, a long queue of cars has lined up behind him. Some of the drivers are amused at the Jack parallel parking sideshow; others are getting dangerously hot

under the collar because theyre being delayed. As the stress builds up, Jack starts to think how nice it would be if someone could park the car for him or better still, if the car could just park itself. The thing is it can! If it has an Active Park Assist feature, that is. To activate the system, just press a centre console button which activates ultrasonic sensors that measure and identify a feasible parking space. It then calculates the optimal steering angle and quickly steers the vehicle into the parking spot for you hands free. The driver must maintain control of the vehicle by shifting the transmission and operating the accelerator and brake pedals. Yippee, hassle-free parking. Plus you never ever need be embarrassed at your parallel parking skills again!

Over 100
The number of mini computers in the average car

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Car of the future

What do you think cars will look like in the next 10 to 20 years? That was the question we posed to J Mays, group vice president of design and chief creative officer, Ford Motor Company. Heres what the designer behind Fords personality-driven Start concept car has to say

"From an exterior standpoint, its going to be more of the same. Exterior design is always going to be the thing that characterises first and foremost, what the car should represent in the customers mind. But over the last 10 years, interior design has become more and more important because thats where people spend all of their driving time."

look Ma, no hanDs One of the funkiest yet affordable features of new cars today is Bluetooth with Voice Control. This allows you to operate your mobile, climate control and audio system using voice-activated commands all wirelessly. Practically, this leaves you free to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. This feature helps Jack to drive safely, even as he chats with his buddies.
Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc., and is used under licence.

To activate the microphone that detects your voice command, Jill simply presses a button next to the steering wheel and speaks her command. If she wants to access her climate control system, for instance, she just says Climate. Or, for the phone, she says Phone and so on. The system allows Jill to receive and make phone calls, and also access her mobiles phone book and calling history all hands free. at one with your car The latest buzzwords in car technology are seamless integration, meaning that automakers are finding ways to help you connect with your car so that you wont have to leave your communications,

digital information or favourite music behind while on the road. For example, Ford has built on its award-winning SYNC device connectivity system to deliver an intuitive connected driver experience called MyFord. It replaces many of the traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges. With more

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voice commands, clear, crisp LCD screens that can be customised and five-way buttons such as those on cell phones and MP3 players, drivers can choose which information is front and centre through a button click, voice command or touch-screen tap. Developed with Microsoft, Ford SYNC is an advanced software platform that allows motorists such as Jack and Jill the convenience and flexibility to bring digital media players and Bluetoothenabled mobile phones into their vehicle and operate the devices via voice commands or with the steering wheels radio controls. In the U.S., it can even deliver personalised traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn directions and

up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather without the need for a builtin navigation system. The new thing that is probably going to dominate car design in the next 10 years is going to be the human-machine interface, where all the navigation takes place inside the car. The humanmachine interface will become increasingly sophisticated with voice activation and multi touch-screen technology. Cars are becoming more like rolling computers and thats going to transform the way people drive. Its also going to transform the way we design automobiles.

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