GM's Intriguing New Pedestrian-Detection System Uses Wi-Fi

Pedestrian-detection is nothing new -- automakers like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz have been developing such safety systems for years. So what makes General Motors' new pedestrian technology interesting?

For starters, it works via your smartphone.

GM's pedestrian-detection system is based on Wi-Fi Direct, a technology that allows wi-fi devices to communicate with one another. But this is different than having two laptops "talk" over a network. Wi-Fi Direct requires no network at all, permitting wi-fi gadgets to interact directly (as the name implies).

How does it work?

If you've ever used Bump or CardFlick, you have an inkling of how this works. With Bump, for example, two new friends open the requisite smartphone app, then "bump" phones to exchange contact info. 

GM's new pedestrian-detection system works in a similar way. Pedestrians download an app to their smartphones, which runs in the background anytime the phone is on. GM's next-gen cars then use Wi-Fi Direct to "see" any app-using pedestrians in their path.

The difference between short-range apps like Bump and GM's new tech is that Wi-Fi Direct can connect devices up to 656 apart. In crowded urban areas, GM vehicles could keep track of hundreds of nearby pedestrians. 

The good, the bad

This technology, which is still in the formative stages, has a number of advantages:

However, the technology isn't without its shortcomings. Most notably, it requires that pedestrians download the associated app. If there's no app, Wi-Fi Direct can't communicate with it.

Our take

All in all, this sounds like a very intriguing tech development. While it's not perfect -- a perfect system would be passive, requiring no input from pedestrians -- it strikes us as an innovative concept that could, over time, serve as the basis for many safety improvements.

Also, pedestrian-detection stands to be hugely important in the future. Between the continuing surge of urban populations and the growing popularity of super-silent hybrids and electric cars, pedestrian-detection tech will become even more crucial in preventing accidents.

Courtesy of The Washington Post

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Camaro leads the way for Chevy app, nav integration

When we saw demonstrations of Chevy's MyLink system last year, it looked like the company finally had a solid competitor to Ford Sync. MyLink not only offered advanced voice command over phones and MP3 players, but also integrated smartphone apps.

However, as we saw in the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, Chevy hadn't built a MyLink head unit that was compatible with a navigation system. The result: buyers had to choose between having advanced voice command or onboard navigation.

The 2013 Camaro seems to solve that little problem. A press release notes that the new car will come standard with "MyLink and color-touch radio" on LT, SS, and ZL1 models. The release goes on to say that buyers will be able to option navigation into that system, although the parenthetical "late availability" suggests Chevy engineers still have some work to do on the system.

It may be coming out later than the car, but that did not stop Chevrolet from posting a photo of the new navigation system on Facebook. The image shows a very clean interface, something Chevrolet has done well with in the past. The maps look bright and clear, while a translucent information bar along the top shows the current music playback. Along the sides of the LCD are what look like touch buttons, another nice feature for a clean interface.

We have few details about this system, but it seems likely the maps would be stored in flash memory. Without the navigation option, it seems like the screen will still be present in the car, used only for the stereo, phone system, and apps. MyLink supports Pandora and Stitcher initially, and the LCD should support functional interfaces for these apps, such as being able to select stations and give current tracks a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. MyLink can coexist with satellite radio, so it is possible that the navigation system will rely on this source for traffic data.

This new MyLink/navigation system also represents the first instance of an onboard navigation system for the Camaro, which until now has relied on OnStar turn-by-turn directions. With all the bugs and integration worked out in this system for the Camaro, we should see it roll out into other models as they receive updates, and find its way into Buick-brand models, as well, which use a MyLink-parallel system called IntelliLink.

Courtesy of Cnet.com

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Chevrolet Launches Try-Out Program, Year-End Incentives

General Motors' Chevrolet Division today launched what it is calling its Chevy Confidence program that offers car buyers a "Love it or Return it" try-out on 2012 and 2013 model vehicles they purchase. In addition, Chevrolet is offering special no-haggle prices on the leftover 2012 models they buy.

Chevy Confidence allows customers to buy a new 2012 or 2013 model and, if they don't love it, return it between 30 and 60 days of purchase if it has less than 4,000 miles on it and has no damage. In an effort to clear out 2012 inventory for the new model year, Chevy also is offering what it calls "special preferred prices" in addition to all current vehicle-specific incentives on all 2012 models. The prices basically are no-haggle; the price you see is what you pay, Chevy says.

"We have transformed the Chevrolet lineup, so there is no better time than now to reach out to new customers with the love it or return it guarantee and very attractive, bottom line pricing," said Chris Perry, Chevrolet global vice president of marketing. "We think customers who have been driving competitive makes or even older Chevrolets will be very pleased by today's Chevrolet designs, easy-to-use technologies, comprehensive safety and the quality built into all of our cars, trucks and crossovers."

He added: "Research has shown customers respond positively to the confidence companies demonstrate with programs like this and appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the option of being able to return their vehicle," said Perry.

Chevy Confidence is clearly an effort by GM to clear out 2012 inventory, close the model year on a high note and kick-start the 2013 model year for its highest-volume brand, yet do it in a way that doesn't scream "fire sale," but rather stresses value.

GM executives have been sensitive to criticism this year that its U.S. sales have not been outstandingly strong. That has generated headlines noting GM's market share has slumped to levels not seen in a century. Meantime, long-time company officials have argued that hefty incentives to move the metal hurt resale values and average transaction prices that GM has worked hard to improve to maintain profits and image.

GM, and specifically Chevrolet, has a host of new models coming in the 2013 model year, including the completely revamped Chevrolet Malibu, the all-new Chevrolet Spark microcar and a freshened Chevrolet Traverse crossover.

In the 2013 calendar, Chevrolet starts rolling out its all-important, completely redesigned full-size pickup truck, the Chevrolet Silverado, and the full-size SUVs — the Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Suburban — that spring from the pickup truck's architecture.

Courtesy of The Inside Line

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In celebration of Corvette's 59th birthday, we look forward to the 60th anniversary of the Corvette by looking back through 60 years of America's favorite sports car.

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Chevrolet Corvette Roars Into Its 60th Year

On June 30, 1953, the first of a new kind of Chevrolet – indeed, a new kind of American car – rolled off an assembly line in Flint, Mich.

The car had only two seats. There were no roll-up windows, or exterior door handles, for that matter. Its body wasn’t stamped from steel but, rather, molded from reinforced fiberglass.

While the postwar Baby Boom was in full swing, this was definitely not a family car. This was a very personal vehicle, one that promised a driver and a passenger all of the thrills of the open road.

Skeptics gave the car little chance of lasting beyond an initial run of a few dozen units. However, 60 years later the Chevrolet Corvette survives – and thrives – as an American automotive and cultural icon.  

“Through the years, Corvette certainly offered state-of-the-art features, designs, technologies and performance,” said Tadge Juechter, vehicle chief engineer for Corvette. “However, I think what has made the Corvette such an enduring concept is the exciting experience of driving one.

“No matter what your station in life, when you’re behind the wheel of a Corvette, you’re an Olympic athlete – able to go faster, stop quicker, and turn better than everyone else,” Juechter continued. “Very few cars can match that experience. And no other car has delivered that experience as well, or to more people, than the Corvette.”

Barely five months before Tony Kleiber, a Flint plant body assembler, drove that first Chevrolet Corvette off the line and into automotive history, the icon in the making was little more than a designer’s dream.

Corvette was first created under the code-name XP-122 to provide Americans with a glimpse of a European-style sports car designed for this side of the Atlantic. It was one of several concept cars unveiled in January, 1953 at the GM Motorama show in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

With a world war not far behind them, people wanting a glimpse of the automotive future lined up around the block to view the new concept vehicles. At the Waldorf Astoria – and at every other Motorama stop across the country -- Chevrolet’s sporty little roadster ignited many Americans’ imaginations.

In fact, the Corvette was so popular that Chevrolet executives decided to thrust the two-seat roadster into production, albeit on a very limited basis.

Initial plans called for about 150 Corvettes, primarily to help draw potential customers into Chevrolet dealerships scattered across the U.S.’s then-48 states. Overwhelming demand doubled the first-year production to 300 units. The following year, the Corvette moved to a GM assembly facility in St. Louis, Mo., where 3,640 Corvettes were built for the 1954 model year.

Those first Corvettes sparked Americans’ 60-year love affair with the Corvette. Since 1953, more than 1.5 million Corvettes have been built. Those cars have become synonymous with   American performance – from cruising down Americana on Route 66 to taking the checkered flag at the world’s most prestigious road race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

During the coming months, Chevrolet will kick some tires, open the hood, and climb behind the wheel to highlight 60 years of Corvette design, performance and technology milestones. We hope you enjoy the ride.

Courtesy of GM Media