Saabs Earns IIHS “Top Safety Pick” for its 9-4X and 9-5

Luck, it seems, is not without a feeling of irony: the range spoke by Morpheus in the first (and, perhaps, best) film of The Matrix trilogy certainly meets Saab’s situation stronger than spandex jeans.

The U.S. Insurance coverage Company for Freeway Protection (IIHS) has granted the 9-4X cross-over and the 9-5 automobile a “Top Protection Pick”, its greatest report for crashworthiness.

The IIHS assessments involve entrance affect (offset) and aspect affect collisions. Seat/head constraints are also examined in a simulated rear-end affect to review the minimization of whiplash accidents and the top framework is examined to review a car flip collision.

“Saab Vehicle is honored on its capability to create automobiles which concentrate on the protection of the motorist and its individuals in real-life situations”, said Per Lenhoff, Go of Protection Progression at Saab Vehicle. “It is worthwhile to be identified by IIHS for a Top Protection Select prize for two of our latest items.”

Now, if only the Remedial carmaker, which is waiting for next week’s the courtroom to master if it will remain, had any vehicles to produce, or could at least persuade GM to provide it its engineering or allow Saab to proceed developing the 9-4X, it would really create for a awesome element to put in its ads…

 

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New Suzuki Swift Sport with 136HP Priced from £13,500 in the UK

The overall performance main of the new Suzuki Instant design range will go on sale in the UK in The month of january of 2012 with a starting price of £13,500, the Western car maker declared today.

The 2012 Instant Game comes outfitted with a new Dollar 5 1.6-liter VVT gas engine that offers 136HP and a highest possible twisting of 160Nm (118 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm, with a recently designed 6-speed stick shift driving the entrance wheels.

Suzuki says that the Game does the 0 to 62mph (100km/h) dash in 8.7 seconds and clothes out at 121mph (195 km/h), while it dividends a mixed petrol usage of 44.1mpg UK (36.7mpg US).

The Instant Game also functions a stronger revocation create, a altered guiding system and trips on larger 17-inch aluminum wheels shod in 195/45R17 wheels to improve managing.

On the outside, the sportiest member of the Instant sequence profits an aero offer that has a unique entrance fender with a shiny black grill, side dresses, a top spoiler and a altered back fender that homes a popular diffuser / extractor and large longest tail plumbing.

As for the inside, features include the sports seating with an unique to this design clothing, and the three-spoke rim.

Among other features and safety measures, the Instant Game comes outfitted with standard auto ac, fog lights, force option start, vacation control, Wireless connection, HID Projector headlamps with headlamp rinse, ESP and seven safety bags.

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NHTSA Probes Chevrolet Volt after Battery Catches Fire

Federal safety regulators are seeking the safety of lithium-ion batteries after a Chevrolet Volt was on fire in a parking lot to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing center in Wisconsin.

An Agency official said the incident took place three weeks after the Chevrolet Volt went to a side impact test, May 12

The incident forced the authorities to ask the automakers to sell cars equipped with Volt lithium-ion batteries in the U.S., including GM, Nissan and Ford, the potential risks of fire, the sources said agency familiar with the matter.

Lithium batteries, such as turning on the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, are considered more efficient than nickel-metal units used in other hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius.

Even Toyota will move to its lithium-ion hybrid model Prius, RAV-4 EV and will soon launch in the U.S.

GM and the NHTSA tried but failed to replicate the event in May Volt falls in the month of June. GM spokesman Greg Martin Blooomberg said in a telephone interview that the company deals with the safety of the V and the battery after the incident, and added, "these had been followed, there was a fire."

Today, Jim Federico, chief engineer for General Motors for electric vehicles, issued the following statement:

"First let me say very clearly: .. Volt is a safe car, and we will work with NHTSA when it has completed its investigation, however, NHTSA said that according to available data, there is no more risk of fire with a voltage of a conventional engine gasoline car.

Security protocols for electric vehicles are clearly a concern in the industry. At GM, we have security protocols to depower the electric vehicle battery after a major accident.

We work with other automakers, the first, operators of tow and rescue organizations in order to implement industry-wide protocols. "

Story References: GM and Bloomberg

 

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Sure Reminds MY2012 Cadillac CTS Brake Repair Problem

General Motors has announced a safety recall campaign for certain models MY2012 Cadillac CTS the problem with the braking system.

The problem affects 674 vehicles manufactured between October 21 and October 26, 2011. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the [NHTSA], these vehicles may have a problem with the vacuum brake power boost to push the retaining nut, which can be tightened to specification.

In this case, the nut may be able to remove the push rod and the motor can be separated from the brake pedal, without notifying the driver, which in turn can cause loss of braking power and a possible accident.

GM said Cadillac dealers to examine the vehicles mentioned above, power vacuum brake boost conservation and nut, if the couple is the correct configuration, free of charge.

Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006 for more information.

 

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Toyota Invests in Safety, Demonstrates Hybrid Synthetic Sound Alert and More

Toyota has taken a lot of heat in the past couple of years over safety issues, especially in North America. But last January, the Japanese company announced that it will invest $50 million over five years in its Collaborative Research Safety Center (CRSC) to develop new safety technologies.

Recently, Toyota Motor Sales USA organized a Safety Seminar in which it displayed the technologies developed by the CRSC and its partners while also announcing plans to launch 10 new research initiatives with leading US universities and institutions.

One of the initiatives is a solution to the danger electric cars pose to pedestrians who will not hear them, since unlike conventional cars powered by internal combustion engines, they are silent.

Toyota's proposal is a synthetic motor sound alert that makes a humming sound that raises its pitch under acceleration and lowers it under braking, warning not only pedestrians but also bicyclists of the car’s presence on the road.

This system will equip the Prius line-up, the new RAV4 EV that was developed jointly with Tesla Motors, as well as other Toyota hybrids and EVs.

The Japanese manufacturer also demonstrated an autonomous-driving Lexus LS600h, which thanks to its advanced hardware and software, can detect pedestrians.

In addition, the company demonstrated a 35 mph head-on barrier crash test of its brand new Camry mid-size sedan, which sports 10 airbags and Toyota expects will earn top marks for safety both by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) as well as the IIHS (Insurance Institure for Highway Safety).

“The CSRC intends to publish as much of the research of its partnerships as possible to make it available to federal agencies, the industry and academia”, said CSRC’s director and Toyota Technical Center’s senior executive engineer Chuck Gulash.

Story sources: Toyota & Motor Trend

 

 

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IAA 2011: Audi Presents New A5 Coupe DTM Racer in the Flesh

Audi certainly has a rich history in the Deutche Tourenwagen Masters, the German touring car championship, more commonly known as the DTM. From the 1990 V8 quattro until today’s A4, the four-ring brand has raced only four-door models.

This is about to change as Inglostandt's new contender in the DTM is based on the A5 Coupe. Making its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this week, Audi’s 2012 racer was developed around three principles: maximum safety, 40% reduction of costs and an impressive bodywork design.

The last goal has undoubtedly been achieved, but this wasn’t such a difficult task since the donor model was already one of the most elegant coupes on the market. The A5 DTM’s carbon fiber shell builds on that with a wide body kit, a ground-hugging stance and a huge rear carbon wing.

Audi Motorsport has created a hybrid chassis, combining a carbon fiber monocoque with a steel cage that, it claims, ups the ante of safety for touring cars. The chassis is just one of the more than 50 components the new rules stipulate that will be identical to all DTM racers. This may restrict both designers’ and engineers’ freedom in developing the car, but it is what made the 40% cost reduction feasible.

Under the hood is a 460 HP V8 engine mated to a new, pneumatically operated six-speed transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. This new type of gearbox is not only more precise but also sturdier compared to conventional units, quadrupling its life expectancy to 24,000 km (15,000 miles).

The R17’s task, as is the A5 DTM’s codenamed inside Audi Motorsport, has a tough act to follow: the A4, which it replaces, has won four titles in the past seven years.

 

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