New Hyundai Car Play: CES 2015 integrates Android, iPhones

good news for hyundai user!

At CES 2015, Hyundai will show off its Display Audio head unit, integrating both Android Auto and Apple Car Play, designed for the lower end of its line-up.

Android Auto appears on Hyundai's new Display Audio interface when an Android phone is plugged into the car's USB port Hyundai.

Although Hyundai didn't manage to get Apple CarPlay into its production cars this year, the Korean automaker still pushes hard on smartphone integration, promising to show its new Display Audio head unit in January at International CES 2015. This new head unit, designed for Hyundai's least expensive models, will integrate both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay let drivers plug in their smartphones to a car's USB port, then mirror navigation, audio and other apps on the car's LCD. Drivers can use the car's touchscreen or voice controls to access apps, make phone calls and send text messages. Both Android's and Apple's car integration features were announced earlier this year.

The new Display Audio head unit will give the lower end of Hyundai's model line-up an edge over competitors, as the touchscreen will not only allow advanced smartphone integration, but also show standard stereo controls. Display Audio also incorporates the newest version of Hyundai's BlueLink telematics service, which connects the car through 4G. Owners will be able to use a smartphone app to remotely unlock their doors, turn on climate control and monitor maintenance needs. BlueLink also includes a Stolen Vehicle Recovery feature.

Two notable exceptions to the Display Audio unit's feature list are a CD player and embedded navigation, both made unnecessary by the smartphone integration.

Hyundai will use CES 2015, opening in Las Vegas on January 6, to show off its new head unit.

Bugatti Veyron :Electric Turbos (288 MPH)

The future of high performance vehicles is electrification, whether that means full-on plug-in hybrids like the Porsche 918 Spyder, or more subtle technologies like supercapacitors. While the jury is still out on just which path the Bugatti Veyron successor will take, Automobile Magazine says a pair of electric turbochargers could help push it past 1,500 horsepower.

Likely to be called the Bugatti Chiron, engineers have decided to focus on shedding weight versus designing an entirely new drivetrain. That means the fuel-gulping 8.0 liter W16 quad-turbo engine is going to carryover from the Veyron, but not entirely unchanged. A pair of electronic turbochargers will replace two of the conventional turbos, pumping up low-end power in particular and, along with direct injection and an increase in boost, will bring the horsepower level from 1,200 to around 1,500 galloping ponies. 

Bugatti’s parent company Volkswagen has made electric turbos a priority on their next-gen engines, with Audi leading the way in adoption of this new technology. Rather than running off of the engine’s exhaust gases, electric turbos spool instantaneously, eliminating entirely the concept of turbo lag. This will also let Bugatti engineers add much larger standard turbochargers to the 8.0 liter engine, which could bring top speed to 288 MPH, tantalizingly close to that 300 MPH milestone.
Another factor in the highest speed will be a lower weight, with some 92% of the Veyron’s parts redesigned for extra structural rigidity and less weight. Cabron fiber will play an increasingly large role in keeping the pounds off, with power sent to all four wheels through a new seven-speed DSG transmission, which will be beefed up to handle the estimated 1,100 lb-ft of torque.

None of this is set in stone though, and there’s still the chance the next Bugatti could go down the hybrid route. Believe it or not, 2015 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Veyron, and with its successor scheduled for 2016 at the soonest, there’s still time to embrace plug-in performance. Rivals like the Tesla Model S P85D and Rimac Concept_One may not match the Veyron in top speed, but in terms of raw acceleration these electric supercars can stand shoulder to shoulder to the legendary Bugatti. 

Electric turbos are a baby step in the right direction, but if Volkswagen truly wants to plug into the future, the next Bugatti should be a hybrid at the very least.

Car Review 2015: Toyota Prius Five

Inside the 2015 Toyota Prius Five

  

 

Engine:

 

The biggest visual difference between the 2nd-generation Prius and the newest 2015 model is in the dashboard. New for 2010, the third-generation Prius introduced the more organic, “swept” look for Toyota interiors (above) that has since influenced the designs of the new-for-2014 Corolla, 2015 Camry, and the upcoming 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car. Comparing the 2015 car to the 2nd-gen, then, would be tough. Luckily, my mother-in-law’s 2012 Prius was also handy- and it was here, with a visually similar interior, that the improved plastics, textures, and leather seating materials of the Prius Five really stood out.

In the 2015 Five, the dash and door plastics have a sort of “wave” pattern etched into them. The effect is almost invisible at a casual glance, but is tactilely rewarding to the touch and gives the whole interior a very artsy, Japanese sort of feel.

Also worth noting was the LATCH-placement in the rear seats of the third-generation car. For some, non-obvious reason, these easily accepted my daughter’s rear-facing Recaro seat, which is something that the second-generation car simply won’t do.

Driving the 2015 Toyota Prius Five

The energy monitor said we were doing well …

    

Despite the many detail improvements over the 2nd generation Prius, the 2015 Toyota Prius Five still drives like a golf cart. An under-powered golf cart, in fact, and not in the same sort of giddy fun way that the Chevy Spark feels like a golf cart. In EV mode, the Prius leaves the line slowly. It gets up to speed slowly, too, without any hint of the “on demand torque” that EV enthusiasts (myself, included) often cite as the best thing about driving an electric vehicle.

That’s not to say that the Prius is a bad car. Sure, it’s a slow car, but the Prius effectively took my family all over the Chicagoland area for some early holiday shopping in reasonably-spacious, climate-controlled comfort. So, while the performance was a bit of a let down, that’s forgivable in a car that is definitely not about performance.

What wasn’t forgivable, in my case, was the Prius’ fuel economy- since I never got close to the car’s claimed 51/48 MPG figures (according to the car’s “ECO Savings Record” dash function).

We never took a trip- even around town- that returned better than 46 MPG. That was surprising, given that the last high-MPG Toyota products we tested (here, here, and here) all exceeded the manufacturer’s claimed fuel economy figures in my real-world testing (as much as Oak Park is the real world, anyway).

Final Thoughts on the 2015 Toyota Prius Five

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If you put a sporty-car enthusiast behind the wheel of a new Prius for a few days, then ask him/her what they thought of it, they’d report a miserable, slow, and insipid driving experience. This isn’t a car for enthusiasts- and that’s OK, because enthusiasts (and journalists) don’t buy new cars.

The people who do buy new cars- the people who matter to Toyota, in other words- can’t get enough of the Prius. Further, the sales manager at my local Toyota dealer told me that the pricey, top-of-the-line Five model was the fastest-selling version of Prius. “We can’t keep them on the lot,” he said, more-or-less confirming that people who buy Prius don’t necessarily do so to save money.

So, the big question: should you buy a 2015 or wait for the new 2016 model? As for us, when it came time to buy her next car, the wife picked out one of the new, AWD Volvo wagons for its all-wheel-drive, bigger cargo capacity, and its superior performance and horsepower. So, make of that what you will.