Chrysler is turning cars and trucks into wireless hot spots.
The company announced Thursday a new feature that will let people purchase a "Uconnect" in-car wireless system as part of a dealer upgrade in 20 various 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models.
The system offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity within the car to allow people to sync their cell phone address books with the car's 30GB hard drive or control their Apple iPods using the radio and steering wheel controls. And it provides navigation and real-time traffic features that can be controlled by voice recognition or a touch screen.
Using a cell phone network, the Wi-Fi hot spot can also be connected to the Internet, allowing passengers using laptops to surf the Web. My guess is that other Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as the iPhone and iPod Touch will also be able to use the in-car Wi-Fi to connect to the Net.
Chrysler didn't mention which cell phone network will be used to provide the Internet access. And it didn't list prices for the service, which will likely charge a monthly fee, according to an Associated Press article.
But pricing could be comparable to what is charged for the OnStar navigation and emergency roadside service. That costs between $17 and $70 per month. Or it could be priced similarly to satellite radio, which costs just under $13 per month.
Using Wi-Fi as the Internet access technology inside the car is a good idea, since almost every consumer electronic device these days has a Wi-Fi chip embedded. Wi-Fi is also shipped as a standard feature in most, if not, all laptops today. By contrast, the market for pre-installed 3G wireless in laptops has been relatively small.
I saw a similar in-car wireless system work with WiMax as part of an Intel/Motorola sponsored demonstration at CTIA in Las Vegas earlier this year. The purpose of the demo was to show how well WiMax works, but it used Wi-Fi inside the car to connect laptops and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Net using WiMax.
I have to admit, turning the car into a hot spot was pretty cool. I was able to access Web sites and listen to the Web rebroadcast of National Public Radio's "Morning Edition." It was also easy to access Google Maps on the Web for navigation. And in this particular demo they showed how video could be streamed to watch movies on demand. Of course, Chrysler's system uses the 3G cell network instead of a high-speed WiMax network, so streaming audio and video won't likely work well. But it's still a very cool feature.
That said, I think price will be a major factor in whether the new feature and service are a success. As gas surpasses $4 a gallon in much of the country and the economy hits the skids, car sales are already in a slump. And if current trends continue, consumers will likely be more interested in getting better gas mileage than a potentially pricey in-car Wi-Fi system with Internet service that charges a monthly fee.
A more high-tech interior may be in store for future Chrysler models, Bob Nardelli, Chrysler's new chief executive officer and chairman, hinted during an interview at the annual conference of the Magazine Publishers of America on Monday.
"Look, I'm not a designer, but I am a consumer," he said at the Webcasted event.
Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli
(Credit: Chrysler)"The interior and aesthetic of a vehicle today has to be your most favorite room under your roof. It has to be tranquil. It has to have all the latest technology onboard and it has to be self-tutorial in the education of that technology," Nardelli said in response to rumors that he nixed several interior car-designs-in-progress after being with the company for only 100 days.
As car computers get more complex, many are concerned over their usability with consumers.
Nardelli is known as something of a technophile. While CEO of Home Depot, he had Webcams installed in every store and did regular checks from his office.
"It was great. One day I called up a new store and I noticed an aisle was blocked. I called the store manager and he really didn't believe it was me," said Nardelli.
Jim Press leaving Toyota for Chrysler
(Credit: Chrysler)Chrysler has named Jim Press as a president and vice chairman, CEO Robert Nardelli said Thursday.
Press, former president of Toyota Motor North America, was the first non-Japanese person to be appointed to Toyota's board of directors in the company's history. He was appointed to the board in June, after working at Toyota for 37 years.
Press' resignation from Toyota is effective September 14. That same day, Shigeru Hayakawa, the current Toyota Motor North America vice president and managing officer, will become president, according to Toyota.
Press leaves Toyota to serve under Chrysler's Nardelli, alongside Tom LaSorda, who is also a vice chairman and president at Chrysler.
"Part of my new responsibilities will be strengthening and energizing the dealer body. This is something I was passionate about at Toyota and will be passionate about at Chrysler," Press said in a statement.
Press will be responsible for "North American and international sales, global marketing, product strategy, and service and parts" for Chrysler, while LaSorda will be responsible for "manufacturing, procurement and supply, employee relations and global business development and alliances."
Is diesel the answer to more stringent emission standards?
Apparently it is, at least from the perspective of automakers.
Ford India announced Wednesday that it is launching a diesel version of the Ford Fiesta, the latest in a string of similar announcements in the industry.
"(This car) will dramatically change customers' perceptions about the traditional diesel vehicle. The car is designed to deliver responsive acceleration, outstanding fuel economy, and reduced emissions consistent with future norms," Scott McCormack, vice president of Ford India, said in a statement.
While environmentalists, consumers and politicians continued to discuss ethanol, hydrogen and electricity, the auto industry, it seems, had already decided and has been making plans for its short-term answer to the energy problem.
It's been sitting under our noses at the highway pump the whole time.
In the past month, several major car companies have announced that they are either beefing up their diesel-engine lines or partnering on technology to develop better diesel engines for both commercial trucks and cars. Some are even thinking diesel-electric hybrids.
Honda announced an Accord that will get 62.8 miles per gallon for the U.S. market by 2010. Peugeot announced earlier this month that it has a hybrid diesel-electric car in the works that should get about 70 mpg, according to reports.
Toyota has said that it will make an announcement this July concerning its much-anticipated collaboration on diesel technology with Isuzu.
DaimlerChrysler is partnering with Fiat to improve its diesel engines for light-duty commercial trucks, and then possibly move on to low-emission diesel vehicles for cars.
Audi has said it hopes its win with a diesel-powered race car at Le Mans, will help change the perception of diesel among consumers, especially in the U.S. where old diesel engines fell out of favor as emissions standards rose.
With an infrastructure already in place due to commercial trucks never leaving the diesel fold, diesel seems like an obvious solution to help fulfill automakers' immediate needs--to sell more vehicles while meeting emissions standards and consumer demand to save on fuel.
Today's diesel engines and diesel fuel itself have come a long way. Advances in turbocharging and fuel injection have boosted performance. New kinds of particle traps and low sulfur diesel fuel have reduced the emissions and soot-producing byproducts.
Whether car companies will be able to overcome the association with diesel as the sooty diesel engine trucks and cars of the 1970s and 1980s is another matter.
DaimlerChrysler, looking to meet tighter emission standards, on Tuesday announced a deal with Fiat for diesel engine technology.
The German-American company said the partnership will result in Fiat supplying 80,000 diesel engines per year beginning in 2009 to DaimlerChrysler's truck group, Mitsubishi Fuso. The group includes the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Fuso trucks brands.
Daimler said that it saw the deal as a way to more easily save money and accommodate future emission standards as they come due.
"Today's and future emission regulations demand a high level of investment and technological specialization. This agreement provides a value added for both companies," Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of DaimlerChrysler, said in a statement.
Mitsubishi Fuso's Canter
(Credit: Mitsubishi Fuso)The initial 80,000 diesel engines will be used in Fuso's Canter, a light duty model truck.
The companies are also considering collaboration on diesel engines for other markets.
This has been a big month for those rooting for diesel as the next "alternative" fuel.
Last week Toyota said that it would be making an announcement in July regarding the development of low-emission diesel engines for cars with Isuzu, a company known for its diesel engine expertise. The Nikkei newspaper also reported that Isuzu is setting up a Japanese plant to supply Toyota with 200,000 diesel engines per year by 2012.
And on Sunday, two diesel-powered race cars took first and second place at 24 Hours of Le Mans, the legendary French endurance race.
Hydrogen cars rallying, Vancouver, Canada
(Credit: International Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Conference)Biofuel. Hybrid cars. Electric cars. Hydrogen. Those are some of the bright ideas in the future of car tech. Many proponents of the hydrogen fuel cell gathered in Vancouver, Canada, recently to discuss their problems and the promises.
This video from that conference shows hydrogen cars on the road. Models from four manufacturers made a 150-mile round trip during the meeting. DaimlerChrysler predicts that by 2015 there'll be millions of hydrogen cars on the road. The company claims that's not just a lot of hot air.
- prev
- 1
- next
