Japanese Cars

Nissan recently received the PACE (Premiere Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) “Collaborator Award” for their Around The View Monitor Technology in Detroit, Michigan last April 14, 2008. Xanavi and Sony Corporation collaborated with Nissan and received the PACE Award (Product Category) for the development and the commercialization of the Around the View Monitor. This technology utilizes four ultra-wide angle high resolution cameras mounted at the four sides of the vehicle and synthesizes the image to provide a bird’s eye view of the vehicle. This is great news for drivers who are having a hard time parking their vehicle rear first.

FIA Institute and Toyota Motor Corporation developed a high-tech simulator that will help high-speed racecar safety. This computer simulation recreates accidents due to high-speed racing and their effects to the human body. With the new Total Human Model Saftey (THUMS) system, FIA and Toyota were able to study the type of injuries that are difficult to obtain from conventional crash-test dummies.  As of this moment, the results of this study are in the process of completion.  Indeed, this is a great step for road safety and thanks to car manufacturers like Toyota who takes initiative in providing service for their consumers.

When the Toyota board announced back in 2007 that they have created a special committee that would create interesting cars it sparked rumors. Now, Toyota says that a new interesting car is on the way. This new car will be powered by a Subaru horizontally-opposed boxer engine with rear-wheel drive. This new compact sports car will arrive in dealerships by the end of 2011 and will be branded as both a Toyota and a Subaru. No specifics have been released yet buy there is much room for speculation as the name for this new sports car is still unknown.

The SUV that can make you drool is the new 2009 Infiniti FX. Aside from its sleek design it is equipped with a powerful 300+ HP 3.5L V6 or a 350HP 5.0L V8 engine. You don’t have to worry about braking too soon, it is equipped with cruise control which can maintain distance that slows, speeds up or go to a full stop, depending on the proximity of the vehicle in front. It can also keep the vehicle from drifting to other lanes and it has an around the view monitor which displays a 360 top view of the car when parking. This SUV also has climate control which can filter fumes from the outside.

It appears that the current trend today in developing new cars is by making them environmentally friendly at the same time maintaining the cool factor of the car. Japanese carmakers are making their concept cars boxier, bubblier and definitely cuter at the same time making them greener by putting alternative fuel and hybrid technology together. One of which is the Nissan Pivo 2, which looks like a bubble with wheels. It has lots of glass, round corners and a cabin that can revolve 360 degrees. With this vehicle, one can enter or exit the parking space in any direction.

Good news for all the Agent 007 wannabes because Nissan is developing a vehicle that can change color with a flick of a switch. Now it will be more difficult for police to apprehend traffic offenders with an auto paint that changes color when applied with an electrical current. Nissan is developing a paramagnetic iron oxide paint polymer that when applied with an electrical charge, the arrangement of iron-oxide crystals can be tweaked and thus changes the color of the vehicle. When the car is parked or turned off, it turns white. Nissan claims the technology to be out by 2010.