HONDA’S ARCHITECTURAL WONDER
JUST AS architects sometimes design cars, automotive designers have been known to think architecturally. The Honda Unibox, exhibited at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, sets a record in this regard. … Continue reading
CLEARING THE FUEL-CELL AIR
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve been enthusiastic about automobile fuel-cell propulsion since the early 1990s when I learned about this means of producing electric energy. Not that my enthusiasm has been universally … Continue reading
CAR STYLING: KATSURA OR NIKKO?
THE FASHION of automotive styling is an evolving thing, and I sense we were in the midst of a swing from Nikko to Katsura and are now heading back to … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW 2014
AUTO SHOWS are good fun, whether they’re overflowing with live-action glitz or merely new-car curious tire-kickers. Here are some tidbits from our local show of international status, the Los Angeles … Continue reading
ELECTRICALLY FORCED INDUCTION
FORCING MORE air and fuel into the combustion process enhances power on demand, a great idea in these days of downsized engines for better mpg. Hitherto, forced induction has been … Continue reading
CARBON FIBER TIDBITS
CARBON FIBER’S time has come. This is not only in aerospace and high-end sports like Formula 1, but in automotive uses where material costs are typically figured in pennies rather … Continue reading
TALK TO ME, IRIS
WE’RE FAMILIAR (sometimes irritatingly so) with autonomous voices and their menu-based options. “Hello, your call is important to us,”—but apparently not enough to employ a real person. What’s more, whether … Continue reading
MAZDA MIATA AT QUARTER CENTURY
MAZDA IS celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Miata at the New York International Auto Show, taking place April 18 – 27, 2014. Given my personal involvement with Miatas, it’s … Continue reading
AN AUTONOMOUS CAR FUTURE
SCIENTISTS AT MIT, Stanford and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have explored implications of the driverless, autonomous car. Their paper, “Toward a Systematic Approach to the Design and … Continue reading
FIA FORMULA E—PLUGGED IN FOR 2014/2015
BERNARD NICLOT, Technical Director, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, spoke on February 11 at the SAE 2014 Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Symposium in La Jolla, California. His topic was “Growing Importance … Continue reading
