Vehicles in 2010 are equipped with new safety technology, features that provide drivers with ultimate comfort and control and convenient innovations that allow drivers to integrate the technologies they are dependent on, like cell phones and iPods, with their car.
Chuck Sedenquist, salesman at Lynch Chevrolet and Cadillac of Auburn, said several new features are now available on different models. "Suspension systems have really improved, as far as ride comfort," Sedenquist said. "Now you've got a thing called magnetic ride control where the car actually senses the road and adjusts the suspension accordingly."
This feature is only available in upscale models for now, Sedenquist said. Larger SUV's are now equipped with back-up cameras, like the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, which starts at around $30,000. Bluetooth capabilities allow the driver to answer calls without touching anything but the wheel, Sedenquist said. A 30 gigabyte hard drive that is able to store music and other media is available on the Traverse and the Equinox as well, Sedenquist said.
Thomas Holloway, general sales manager at Carl Gregory Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, said Ford is now offering a cutting-edge program called Ford Sync. "Ford Sync is a voice-activated communication system where a consumer can take their bluetooth-capable phone and actually download all that information into the automobile, so when an incoming phone call comes in, they don't have to scramble around to find their telephone," Holloway said. "They just mash a button on the steering column to answer the phone call." Sync will also aid in safety, Holloway said.
"That system in 2011 is also coming with a program called 911-assist," Holloway said. "As long as your phone is on in the car and the 911-assist is turned on, in the event of an accident when an airbag is deployed in the car, it will wait two or three seconds, and it'll automatically dial 911 for you." The telephone company can use GPS to locate the vehicle even if the driver is unable to speak, Holloway said.
Another feature Ford offers is called Park Assist. "To do parallel parking, you pull up to the car that's in the front, you mash a button on the dash for the Park Assist, take your hands off the steering wheel and the car will park itself," Holloway said. In the Chevy Malibu, there is a normal power outlet in the backseat, Sedenquist said.
Malibu also features XM Radio and a USB port the driver can plug a music device into directly. Malibus currently start at about $21,000. New climate control options are common in most new vehicles. The driver and the passengers can now individually control their own temperatures and seats have the ability to be individually heated or air conditioned, Sedenquist said.
Jonathan Ryan, graduate student in mechanical engineering, is working on further development of Electronic Stability Control, a safety feature that vehicles will soon be equipped with. "It's a system on the vehicle that seeks to keep your car from spinning out of control," Ryan said. "The car with ESC can break the four wheels individually to try to control where your car is turning." In-car GPS systems are another new feature.
Ryan said cars that have GPS built into them not only help with navigation, but also provide the driver with other benefits. The information the GPS provides is also helpful to the safety systems like ESC. "If you report your vehicle stolen and you have GPS in your car, they know where it is," Ryan said. "Some companies can even power the car down, so you can get it back with no damage to the car and nobody gets hurt."
Lane departure warnings are another safety feature being developed. The car equipped with lane departure warnings would sense where the lanes are and warn the driver with a beeping noise when the car was leaving the lane, Ryan said. "I saw a car show where a very high-end Lexus would actually apply steering itself to keep you in the lane," Ryan said. "It's a system that will actually get involved, and that is a big difference from just a warning." Systems like this must be flawless to actually be available to equip vehicles on the market with, Ryan said "The fact that they have that fine-tuned enough to sell on the market to me is a big deal," Ryan said. "A system like that can't have any errors."
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