The big car audio companies chose to sit this round out. Fortunately, there was still a lot of cool tech at the 2009 SEMA Show.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)With the absence of the major car audio OEMs at the 2009 SEMA Show, it would be easy to assume that car tech has taken a backseat to tuning and muscle. However, the more compact electronics section allowed smaller companies with truly innovative products to shine. We found ourselves spending more time learning about cool products like the PowerSafe jumper cable, instead of rushing from booth to booth looking at amplifier after amplifier.
For example, On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) interfaces were a major part of the tech scene at SEMA. From add-on modules for your GPS device to standalone OBD-II devices to Wi-Fi dongles that transform your iPhone into a handheld diagnostics station, there were dozens of different devices that allowed users to listen in on what their vehicle used to only share with a mechanic. These devices allow tuners to search for more power, greenies to eke more miles out of a gallon, and regular consumers to feel more confident when they take their cars in for maintenance.
Other cool technologies that picked up awards were rearview camera interfaces, off-road iPod cradles, and a funny little device that actually makes all of those cupholders useful.
Check out our gallery of award-winning new products at the 2009 SEMA Show for more details and pics.
The EcoRoute ESP will connect your Garmin Nuvi to your vehicle's diagnostics port.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)We stopped by Garmin's booth at the 2009 SEMA Show expecting a new GPS device or news of another OEM integration deal, but we stumbled upon something even better. Sometime next year, Garmin's Nuvi GPS devices will gain the ability to communicate with your car through ESP. In this case, we're not talking about psychic extra-sensory perception, but the EcoRoutes ESP module for Nuvi navigation devices.
The ESP module is a small hideaway box that communicates with Nuvi units via Bluetooth.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)The ESP module is a hideaway box that connects to (and is powered by) your vehicle's OBD-II diagnostics port. The device gathers information about your vehicle's performance and relays that info via a Bluetooth data connection to your Garmin Nuvi GPS device atop your dashboard.
Using the Nuvi's touch screen, users can view a set of customizable gauges, view and clear fault codes when the Check Engine light comes on, and monitor real-time fuel economy and emissions data. The unit also provides data logging for users who want to track their performance and interfaces with the EcoRoutes software that's already present on current Garmin devices.
Garmin's representatives were happy to give us a quick demo of the system in action at their booth on the show floor and it looks pretty slick. Pricing and availability were unavailable at the time of publication, but we're told to expect more information at CES in January 2010, so stay tuned.
GM's reconfigurable performance display is mounted on vehicle's A-pillar.
(Credit: GM Tuner Source)When we looked at the Nissan GT-R, we were impressed by the amount of engine information available through the vehicle's touch-screen display. It seems that Nissan really understands that the performance enthusiast is very interested in what the vehicle is doing behind the scenes.
Now Chevy Cobalt and HHR drivers can pretend they're behind the wheel of the GT-R with GM's new Reconfigurable Performance Display for use with Ecotec engines, according to GM's Tuner Source Blog. Intended for use with performance Ecotecs, such as the turbocharged mills in the Cobalt SS or HHR SS, the display gives information about the operations of the engine, including boost, air/fuel ratio, spark advance, cam angle, engine torque and horsepower, g-force, temperature, battery voltage, and barometric pressure.
(Credit:
GM Tuner Source)
In addition to displaying vehicle information, the touch-screen display will also allow the driver to enable/disable traction, stability and launch control, or activate a Competition mode for sport driving. Shift lights can be set for each gear individually and, like the display in the GT-R, the device will be configurable to display various combinations of these outputs.
Unlike the GT-R, the Performance Display looks like it will mount on a vehicle's A-pillar, instead of being integrated into the dash. The device will most likely pull its date from the OBD-II port that all new vehicles have. Our only concern is that the OBD-II port is designed to be a diagnostic port and can vary in the sensors measured and rate at which the readings are refreshed. Considering, however, that the display is a dealer-installed option, we're relatively sure that it will work as advertised. With its ability to control aspects of the vehicle in addition to displaying gratuitous amounts of information, the Performance Display looks to be a pretty good deal for the Ecotec tuner.
The $295 Reconfigurable Performance Display will be available at an as-yet-undisclosed time in 2009.
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