The International Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is strict in terms of safety of the vehicles made in the US. This is why car makers are making all the safety car parts available on the cars they made.

Before, having an Acura CL vent visor or some airbags are enough but now, car makers are planning to make more safety features and these are the new safety equipments of the future. These are the car safety features of the future.

Top 10 Safety Features for the Future as released by the Forbes.com:

• Electronic Stability Control 
• Collision Mitigation 
• Blind Spot / Lane-Departure Warning
• ‘Smart’ Cruise Control
• Rear-Looking Cameras and Radar 
• Tire Pressure Warning Gauge 
• Two-Stage or ‘Smart’ Airbags 
• Rollover Protection
• Active Head Restraints 
• Post-Collision Assistance

Forbes Auto online released the top ten hottest sedans in the US. Here is the list:

Audi S8
With an Italian heart and a German body, the new S8 is a hot-blooded stunner.

Audi RS 4
Performance is everything for Audi’s four-door wild child.

Infiniti G35
Added gloss and a boost in power nudge this lean sport sedan closer to its main rival, the vaunted BMW 3 Series.

Lexus ES 350
It has more power, more luxury and crisper handling, but it’s still a dressed-up Camry.

Lexus LS 460
A technology powerhouse, the new LS promises to be even more of a threat to the Mercedes S-Class.

2008 Lexus LS 600h L
Instead of creating from scratch a V12 for its top model, Lexus concocted the creme de la creme of hybrids.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Mercedes-Benz’s smallest sedan looks to be bolder than before and hotter on the tail of the BMW 3 Series. 

Mercedes-Benz S-Class
It’s still the car to beat for big-sedan bragging rights.

Toyota Camry Hybrid
Powertrain aside, the differences from an ordinary Camry are subtle, but the difference at the pump is not.

Volvo S80
As usual, safety’s first for Volvo’s priciest and plushest model, but now there’s more added style for the fashion-conscious. 

I was looking for an Acura car but I didn’t find any. They are the famous makers of the Acura CL tie rod.

The Chevrolet Malibu resurfaces with a threat. Nissan, Toyota, Honda and the rest of Malibu’s rivals in its class should all watch out because this ride is lavishly tempting! The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu mid-size sedan comes with the most advanced and splendid styling, a dependable brake pad set and features that will surely snatch our attention.

According to The Auto Channel, the initial reviews and evaluations of the Malibu have been generally positive. Actually, everybody has agreed that the Malibu ought to have a place on consumers’ shopping lists.

“It’s a more competitive ‘retail’ Malibu compared to the ‘fleet’ Malibu we’ve seen before. It could start to sway some buyers who were focused on leaders in the past, but we’ll have to wait until next year to see how it does and where trade-ins come from,” says Doug Schuster, J.D. Power and Associates’ executive director of global forecasting who predicted a bright future for the Malibu. He also believed that the midsize leaders will retain their positions.

Schuster predicts the Malibu as the extra indication of a “renaissance” in the midsize division that highlights superior performance and style along with a firm concentration on value. “We saw that with the Volkswagen Passat and Mazda 6, and then later with the new Camry and Accord,” he said.

“Consumers continue to demand more value and features from their midsize sedans, and, unlike the past, stylish design has become a competitive differentiator,” Soga said. He added that "reliability, value, ride quality, and overall comfort and safety remain top purchase motivators".

Who wants more power? Sure you’ll like the new offer from Chevy…

The Tahoe is joining its GMC and Cadillac GMT900 platform mates in offering the 6.2-liter V-8 as an engine option for the 2008 model year. So far, it is the most powerful engine available for the Tahoe.

The engine for the LTZ trim package is only available for two-wheel-drive models and is rated at 380hp and 417 lb-ft. The engine is also available on the Denali trim GMC Yukon while a slightly-uprated version is standard equipment on the Cadillac Escalade.

"Tahoe LTZ’s new 6.2L engine highlights the wide range of choices available to Chevy customers," said Ed Peper, the Chevrolet general manager. "It also reinforces the Tahoe’s position as the most capable full-size SUV on the market."

The block is mated to GM’s six-speed Hydra-Matic 6L80 automatic transmission, which has a tapshift gear select system located on the column shifter. It’s not the most graceful setup in the world, but at least they can say they have one. The vehicle will have a towing capacity of 7,900 pounds, GM said.

Like all Tahoe models, the new LTZ with the 6.2L engine is built on a sturdy architecture that features a stiff, coil-over-shock front suspension, boxed frame, rack-and-pinion steering and a superb interior that boosts comfort, capability and overall quality. Wide front and rear tracks augment handling and lower the center of gravity for a more confident ride.

The LTZ is Chevy’s top trim level in the Tahoe lineup. The vehicle comes with a long standard feature list and a number of available upscale options, including:

• Power-release fold-and-tumble second-row seat
• Remote vehicle starting system
• First- and second-row heated seats
• Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist
• Rearview camera system
• Touch-screen navigation system
• DVD rear-seat entertainment system with larger, eight-inch screen and enhanced features
• Articulating running boards

Polished 20-inch wheels are standard on the LTZ and an available Chrome Appearance Package includes a stainless steel exhaust tip, chrome recovery hooks and the choice of 1 of 6 chrome 20-inch wheel designs. Also, Tahoe is engineered with a 360-degree safety system of occupant protection and crash-avoidance technology, with features such as standard StabiliTrak stability control system with rollover mitigation technology. Other standard safety features include head-curtain side impact air bags.

GM is pretty much busy lately with the ongoing development of the Chevy Volt especially in their aero lab wind tunnel area wherein GM’s gigantic fan is set into full mode as the group’s engineers and designers are gravely working to make sure that the best aerodynamics for the vehicle are applied. 

According to The Auto Channel, the Volt’s design team, now with its personal studio committed to the improvement of vehicles power-driven by the E-flex force system, has been working with aerodynamicists, engineers and other experts to build up an energy efficient Chevrolet Volt by bringing out the best of its aerodynamics.

“One of the ways design can contribute to the efficiency of any vehicle is through the aerodynamics of the body shape,” says Ed Welburn, VP, GM Global Design. “The collaboration between a designer and an aerodynamicist cannot only contribute to improved fuel economy or extended range, but can produce beautiful and different body shapes.”

“The electric range of the Chevrolet Volt is most sensitive to improvements in aero, which is in contrast to a traditional vehicle program in which mass typically plays a larger role,” stated Frank Weber, Global Vehicle Line Executive and Global Vehicle Chief Engineer for the E-Flex System.

“I’m proud to say that after extensive aero development of the Volt, and more to come, we have achieved a vehicle that had a coefficient of drag that is more 30% lower in drag than the original concept,” said Welburn. “It’s not easy, but it is a necessity.”

“We are now in the midst of a new period of aero exploration,” Welburn continued. “There has been a significant effort by all our program teams to improve fuel economy and now to extend the range of electric vehicles for the future.”

There have been many new technologies installed on car models today. The demands of these car buyers on optional car equipments pursued many makers to build more gadgets that make car navigation so easy. GPS is one among those gadgets available on cars today. This particular gizmo tracks every corner of the street that you want to reach. If you don’t know the way to your destination, simply track the place using this machine and wallah! You will be guided to the place.

On the latest news, Chevrolet and Loc8tor collaborated to make the K.I.T.T.Y. car kit available in your car. This gadget displays the tag: Key Innovation That Talks to You. The collaboration does not include making the Acura CL ignition coil available on Chevrolet cars.

The new device is amazingly small like a hand bag since almost everybody is going crazy over small and handy gadgets. It has a sound recorder where you can personalize messages like, “Hey, I’m here!” or "Heyah boy! Come over here and get me!”

The new gadget makes it easier for those who usually forget where they park their cars or for those who usually misplace their cars.

It was Chevrolet’s choice to make it available on their cars. They found out on a survey that almost half a million of car owners lose their cars at least once a fortnight - that is like one for every five car owners.

The new K.I.T.T.Y uses a wireless technology and directional, audio and visual cues to help motorists find their way to their vehicle. The gadget can only function on a 600 foot distance. K.I.T.T.Y will be trialed in various Chevrolet initiatives over the coming months.

Have you noticed the latest trend in naming cars? Less is more that is. Brevity is the current trend.

"You are seeing the names of existing cars condensed and new ones shortened," observes Michael Barr, president of NameLab, a San Francisco name-consulting firm responsible for Acura and Olive Garden. "We live in an over-communicated world, and in a crowded marketplace where product differentiation becomes more difficult. So, they are making car names shorter because that makes them more memorable."

When Chevy resurrected the Impala and the Malibu, it not only gave vehicles a dose of instant recognition from the old car names, it reinforced a sense of a long Chevy tradition.

Let the name game begin…

Philly has this to say:

The Acura Integra is now a TSX, and the names of those fresh Saturn models (Vue, Ion and Sky) contain a lot fewer characters than that weird western bar in Star Wars. But wait, it gets worse: A European offering called the Ford Ka has only two letters, and the new Infiniti M is down to one.

Part and parcel to this quest for the succinct is the rise of alphanumeric designations - often at the expense of traditional, proprietary names. The alphanumeric approach caught on first in Europe, and became well-known here largely through its use by two classy German marques, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Because of its economy and European cachet, it eventually migrated to Japan (Lexus LS460) and, in a popular, three-letter variation, to the United States (Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKZ, Chevy HHR)

Besides being short and pregnant with EuroStatus, the alphanumeric names employed by Mercedes and Bimmer are at once informative and hierarchal. (Consider the BMW 325i. The 3 tells us this is BMW’s entry-level 3-Series car. The 25 signifies a 2.5-liter engine, and the I indicates that engine is fuel-injected.)

"That name is also a philosophical statement," said NameLab founder Ira Bachrach. "It says the car is functional and efficient, rather than decorative. And it adds to the car’s mystique: It sets the owner apart as someone belonging to that set that has enough special knowledge of cars to know the difference between the models."

While the new short kids in town are muscling their way onto America’s marketing playground, traditional model names are not exactly facing extinction. Even if they are more than one syllable, nobody’s about to deep-six the recognition factor of names like Camry and Accord, let alone iconic titles like Corvette and Mustang.

"For Americans, the word mustang now means car and, secondarily, horse," Bachrach said. "People see a lot more Mustang cars than mustang horses." Indeed, the recognition factor in old names like Mustang is what causes automakers to keep them - and revive them.

Certainly, naming a car is a big deal. But still, this leads us to a truism: A good car is not hurt by a bad name. And a bad car can’t be boosted by a good name.

Douglas resident Johnny Arevalo, also recognized as ‘Johnny Hopper’, has its 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe which is going to be seen on the January 2008 edition of Lowrider magazine, now on sale. The owner and the owner’s car was given the leaf spread on the magazine and he was tagged as “Mr. Magnifico”. He said, “Building low-riders has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. Back in 1977.”

“I founded the ‘Low Persuasion’ car club and had the privilege of owning the first low rider in town to have hydraulics. Back in those days there were only three car clubs in Douglas: ‘Low Persuasion,’  ‘The Midnighter’, and ‘Low Brothers’. Having hydraulics in your car was new to the area and I was king of the streets in my 74 Montecarlo. I really miss those Sunday afternoons hanging with friends, hopping, and cruising the streets of Douglas. This tradition will soon be brought back as my son Johnny Jr. plans to bring back the car club and the good times we had.Lowrider magazine granted me the title of Best Lowrider Bomb in Douglas.  It had always been my dream to have one of my cars featured in this awesome magazine and I am proud I can represent Douglas,” Magnifico said.

He said that he want the youth to follow their dreams and never give up on it. “Hard work and dedication to the sport of lowriding is all it takes. You’ll always encounter obstacle but if you’re persistent, it pays off in the end,” he stated.

“I want to thank my wife for her continued support over the years. It hasn’t always been easy but she has always been there for me. Building lowriders takes a lot of time, patience, and money. My motto has always been, ‘You have to pay the cost to be the boss.’ I wish to thank those who have had a hand in helping me build cars. A special thanks goes out to all my friends for all the work performed on my ‘Lady in Red’ hopper which  won several trophies at local hopping contests."

Arevalo also told the mag that he is also putting his attention on the “Impala generation" and that he has "a 1964 convertible in the making".

“Whatever he builds in the future, Johnny knows that it will be difficult to top this 1939, and he plans on showing the black beauty some time before considering it for retirement. This bomb is my pride and joy, next to my family,” he proudly shared.

I just wish he would also put some tune up on Mazda cars with the Mazda steering rack.

We can’t avoid the Christmas rush this month so we tend to forget our stuff because of our busy shopping schedule. The holiday season is likely to be the shopping time for car thieves as well. So we better be cautious about our stuff and valuables inside our car. Even an Acura CL brake booster is not an exemption! We better take some action before we end up crying over our lost valuables this Christmas. It’s time to H.E.A.T. things up…

"Thieves look forward to the holidays when people are distracted and made careless by hectic schedules, countless tasks and mile-long shopping lists. Shoppers often take unnecessary risks such as leaving their vehicles unlocked or stowing gifts and shopping bags in open view instead of in the trunk," says Terri Miller, the director of H.E.A.T.

Here are the useful tips from H.E.A.T. as posted in my source:

• Do not park in dark areas! Seek for nearest sidewalks or walkways where your car can be visibly seen by people. Do not park next to a large vehicle like trucks or large vans.  These impediments reduce your ability to see the space near your car clearly. Thieves or carjackers could be hiding somewhere in that area.
• Spend some dime for valet service if you went shopping at the mall all alone at night.
• Place your gifts in the trunk or in storage bins wherein your valuables are secretly unseen. 
• Make sure to keep one hand open with the other hand holding your car keys as you walk toward or leave your car so you can easy maneuver if you meet a thief or carjacker.
• If threatened by a crook with a gun or any deadly weapon, just GIVE UP THE CAR.  DON’T ARGUE.  A LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT than any vehicle.