OTHER VEHICLE

• Second production model to go on sale in China in 2014
• Retains elegant design and high specification of the Qoros 3 Sedan

The second production model from new international car brand, Qoros, will be revealed at the 84th Geneva Motor Show in March 2014.


The first view of the new model in the Qoros line-up reveals that it will retain the elegant design introduced on the brand’s debut model, the Qoros 3 Sedan, while also introducing distinctive features such as a subtly evolved treatment of the front grille and unique rear LED lamp clusters.

The debutant echoes the high specification and European quality standards of the Qoros 3 Sedan, and is designed to appeal to the young, modern, ‘always connected’ metropolitan customer, with state-of-the-art features including the innovative QorosQloud infotainment system accessed via an eight-inch touchscreen.


True to Qoros’ commitment to introduce a new model every six-to-twelve months, its second model will go on sale in China in 2014, hot on the heels of the market launch in China last month of the brand’s first production model, the Qoros 3 Sedan. The rapid sequence of model introductions is possible thanks to an innovative modular platform and flexible product development processes, led by experienced European senior engineers and supported by globally renowned engineering and systems partners.

The second member of the Qoros family is based on the same modular platform as the Qoros 3 Sedan, which made its world premiere at the 2013 Geneva and Shanghai Motor Shows to widespread acclaim.  It has been praised for its elegant design, refined driving experience, and European standards of quality. In September, it became the first car developed in China to be awarded five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests, and also earned the highest score so far in the organization’s 2013 assessment program. Qoros plans to expand its line-up steadily over the next few years with the ultimate aim of offering a comprehensive range across of models in all major vehicle segments.

It’s been one of the worst years for gold in a generation.

A flood of outflows from gold ETFs, endless tax increases on gold imports in India, and the supposedly improving economy in the U.S. have all contributed to the constant hammering gold took in 2013.

Perhaps worse has been the onslaught of negative press our favorite metal has suffered.
It’s felt overwhelming at times and has pushed even some die-hard goldbugs to question their beliefs… not a bad thing, by the way.

Last year’s winner of negative rhetoric was probably Goldman Sachs, calling gold a “slam-dunk sale” for 2014 (this, of course, after it’s already fallen by nearly a third over a period of more than two and a half years).  (more)

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Since February 2011, QNX Software Systems has been leading an international standards effort to help drivers interact safely with applications and services. And not just apps on phones, but apps running in the cloud, in roadside infrastructure systems, in the car itself, and other locations.

If you jump to the end of this post, you’ll find a list of use cases being targeted by this effort. For now, let’s look at Use Case 2, Scenario A (arbitration of external message), which illustrates how we are working towards a comprehensive framework for managing distraction and workload.

Keeping priorities straight
In this user scenario, a navigation maneuver is given priority over a social media status update message. The blue call-out boxes indicate where the ITU-T recommendations under development can enable safe interaction between the driver and applications. For instance, ITU-T recommendation G.SAM will define mechanisms for prioritizing navigation, while G.V2A will define the communications interface between the app and the driver-vehicle interface (DVI), and P.UIA will recommend characteristics of the auditory social media message.

Remember that the focus here isnt on how to implement social media in the car, but rather, on how best to manage workload and distraction.



Giving a navigation maneuver priority over a social media status update message

Often, I am asked how this effort differs from the MirrorLink standard being developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium. The simple answer is that MirrorLink addresses only some of the use cases listed below. For instance, the scope of MirrorLink is limited to applications and services running on nomadic devices. Furthermore, adaptation of the driver-vehicle interface and external applications and services in the current MirrorLink solution uses a simple two-state approach, driving or not driving, which limits the ability of the vehicle to control the timing and modality of communications with the driver. Also, MirrorLink doesn’t adequately address arbitration or integration of communications with all external applications and services.

In for the long haul
At QNX Software Systems, our aim is to:

1. Work with the relevant parties to identify solutions to the problem of technology-related driver distraction and workload. These parties include automotive, telecommunications, and consumer electronics organizations; standards development groups; academia; and government agencies.
2. Determine which aspects of the solution should be standardized, then help drive this standardization.
3. Align QNX product roadmaps as solutions develop.

To be clear, this is a longer term strategy that will take years to realize. Both the standardization process and the time it takes to deploy technology in vehicles must be factored in. Therefore, we are also pursuing shorter term solutions, some of which I hope to cover in future posts.

The end of the beginning
The first major milestone in this effort was achieved at the closing plenary of the ITU-T Study Group 12 meeting, held on March 28 in Geneva. Here, the final report and 4 deliverables of the ITU-T Focus Group on Driver Distraction were approved. There was also approval of a liaison statement communicating these results to a large list of organizations working on this topic.

This marks the end of the focus group, but is really just the beginning for QNX and ITU-T efforts in this area. In future posts, I will explore various aspects of this comprehensive strategy.

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Use cases and user scenarios targeted by ITU-T recommendations

Use Case 1: Interaction with external application/service
   a) Application on nomadic device
   b) Application on cloud-based server
   c) Downloaded Application
   d) Broadcast of roadway information
   e) Tethering
Use Case 2: Arbitration and integration of external message
   a) Arbitration of messages
   b) Integration of messages
   c) Both arbitration and integration of messages
   d) E-call
Use Case 3: Negotiation of network Quality of Service (QoS)
   a) Application selects network
   b) Application suspends interaction
   c) Application availability due to roaming
Use Case 4: Management of multiple dialogues
   a) Opening/closing an application
   b) Switching between applications
   c) Interaction with background application
Use Case 5: Adaptation of DVI (driver-vehicle interface) and external applications/services to driver abilities
   a) Driver with disability
   b) Dynamically changing driver capabilities
   c) Detection of impaired driver state
Use Case 6: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to roadway situation
   a) Driver busy notification
   b) Delay of message delivery in demanding driving situation
   c) Change message format based on road conditions
   d) Interruption of driver interaction
Use Case 7: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to vehicle status
   a) Vehicle enters safe operating condition (e.g., park gear, < 5 m.p.h., etc.)
   b) Driver adjusts vehicle controls (e.g., climate control, etc.)
   c) Suppression of hazard alert due to safe speed
Use Case 8: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to local regulations
   a) Application blocked
   b) Application suspended
   c) Interface modality disabled
   d) Age restriction
   e) Content restriction

For details on these use cases, download the FG Distraction Use Cases report.

• First test drive for Robert Kubica in the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé 
• Return to circuit racing at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Mercedes DTM car

On January 24, ex-Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica (Poland, 28) undertakes his first tests in a DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. During the day’s testing, Kubica aims to see how he fares in the cockpit after his long break due to injury.

Kubica sustained multiple injuries in an accident on the 6th February 2011 whilst rallying. He has taken part in various national rallies during the past few months in preparation for a possible return to motor racing. This test drive with Mercedes-Benz in the world’s most popular touring car series represents his first proper outing on a racetrack under actual test conditions since his time in Formula 1.

Kubica was a member of the Mercedes-Benz motor racing family right back at the start of his career; during the 2004 season, the Polish driver lined up in a Dallara-Mercedes on the Formula 3 Euro Series grid for Mücke Motorsport. Kubica took three podiums and 53 points running a Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine. That same year, he took second place on the podium in the prestigious Formula 3 Grand Prix at Macau’s Guia street circuit. Before his serious rallying accident in early 2011, Kubica had contested 76 Formula 1 races, winning his first grand prix – the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix – in Montreal.

Robert Kubica: “I’m really pleased that Mercedes-Benz is giving me the opportunity to test their DTM car and I’m looking forward to getting acclimatised to a race car again. It will be in proper testing conditions, on a permanent circuit, and it’s important because the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé has good levels of downforce. It’s still too early to make any statements about my future because of this one test. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow and we’ll see what happens after that.”

[Source : DAIMLER]

Paul Leroux

Smartphones and driving don’t mix, right? Normally, you would get no argument from me. Driving is the one activity where a half-second lapse in attention can translate into a lifetime of regret.

But you know, there’s more than one way to use a smartphone in a car. Take Honda, for example. They’ve been experimenting with an approach that may help prevent accidents, rather than cause them.

Let’s rewind a bit. A few months ago, I wrote a post on the potential benefits of adaptive cruise control. These benefits include a dramatic reduction of traffic congestion and safer distances between cars.

Well, guess what: it seems that a smartphone app can have much the same effect. Recently, Honda equipped a number of drivers with an app that monitors acceleration and deceleration. When a subject drives in a way that avoids causing a traffic jam, the app screen turns green; otherwise, it shows blue.

Simple enough, right? And yet, the results were dramatic: formation of traffic jams was delayed by up 6 minutes and fuel efficiency shot up by 22%. Not bad for a smartphone app.

I am, of course, skipping a few details. Read more about the study in Tech-On!, an outlet of Nikkei Business Publications.

Without a doubt, our Dads and Grandfathers are one of the most powerful influences on our life.

And sometimes you are lucky enough to catch it on video.  Check out young Dylan with Granddaddy Jack earlier this year.


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Since February 2011, QNX Software Systems has been leading an international standards effort to help drivers interact safely with applications and services. And not just apps on phones, but apps running in the cloud, in roadside infrastructure systems, in the car itself, and other locations.

If you jump to the end of this post, you’ll find a list of use cases being targeted by this effort. For now, let’s look at Use Case 2, Scenario A (arbitration of external message), which illustrates how we are working towards a comprehensive framework for managing distraction and workload.

Keeping priorities straight
In this user scenario, a navigation maneuver is given priority over a social media status update message. The blue call-out boxes indicate where the ITU-T recommendations under development can enable safe interaction between the driver and applications. For instance, ITU-T recommendation G.SAM will define mechanisms for prioritizing navigation, while G.V2A will define the communications interface between the app and the driver-vehicle interface (DVI), and P.UIA will recommend characteristics of the auditory social media message.

Remember that the focus here isnt on how to implement social media in the car, but rather, on how best to manage workload and distraction.



Giving a navigation maneuver priority over a social media status update message

Often, I am asked how this effort differs from the MirrorLink standard being developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium. The simple answer is that MirrorLink addresses only some of the use cases listed below. For instance, the scope of MirrorLink is limited to applications and services running on nomadic devices. Furthermore, adaptation of the driver-vehicle interface and external applications and services in the current MirrorLink solution uses a simple two-state approach, driving or not driving, which limits the ability of the vehicle to control the timing and modality of communications with the driver. Also, MirrorLink doesn’t adequately address arbitration or integration of communications with all external applications and services.

In for the long haul
At QNX Software Systems, our aim is to:

1. Work with the relevant parties to identify solutions to the problem of technology-related driver distraction and workload. These parties include automotive, telecommunications, and consumer electronics organizations; standards development groups; academia; and government agencies.
2. Determine which aspects of the solution should be standardized, then help drive this standardization.
3. Align QNX product roadmaps as solutions develop.

To be clear, this is a longer term strategy that will take years to realize. Both the standardization process and the time it takes to deploy technology in vehicles must be factored in. Therefore, we are also pursuing shorter term solutions, some of which I hope to cover in future posts.

The end of the beginning
The first major milestone in this effort was achieved at the closing plenary of the ITU-T Study Group 12 meeting, held on March 28 in Geneva. Here, the final report and 4 deliverables of the ITU-T Focus Group on Driver Distraction were approved. There was also approval of a liaison statement communicating these results to a large list of organizations working on this topic.

This marks the end of the focus group, but is really just the beginning for QNX and ITU-T efforts in this area. In future posts, I will explore various aspects of this comprehensive strategy.

---

Use cases and user scenarios targeted by ITU-T recommendations

Use Case 1: Interaction with external application/service
   a) Application on nomadic device
   b) Application on cloud-based server
   c) Downloaded Application
   d) Broadcast of roadway information
   e) Tethering
Use Case 2: Arbitration and integration of external message
   a) Arbitration of messages
   b) Integration of messages
   c) Both arbitration and integration of messages
   d) E-call
Use Case 3: Negotiation of network Quality of Service (QoS)
   a) Application selects network
   b) Application suspends interaction
   c) Application availability due to roaming
Use Case 4: Management of multiple dialogues
   a) Opening/closing an application
   b) Switching between applications
   c) Interaction with background application
Use Case 5: Adaptation of DVI (driver-vehicle interface) and external applications/services to driver abilities
   a) Driver with disability
   b) Dynamically changing driver capabilities
   c) Detection of impaired driver state
Use Case 6: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to roadway situation
   a) Driver busy notification
   b) Delay of message delivery in demanding driving situation
   c) Change message format based on road conditions
   d) Interruption of driver interaction
Use Case 7: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to vehicle status
   a) Vehicle enters safe operating condition (e.g., park gear, < 5 m.p.h., etc.)
   b) Driver adjusts vehicle controls (e.g., climate control, etc.)
   c) Suppression of hazard alert due to safe speed
Use Case 8: Adaptation of DVI and external applications/services to local regulations
   a) Application blocked
   b) Application suspended
   c) Interface modality disabled
   d) Age restriction
   e) Content restriction

For details on these use cases, download the FG Distraction Use Cases report.

There are rumors that the next version of the popular MINI will be an SUV. This fall MINI is going to release a third version of the MINI called the Clubman, which is essentially a stretched MINI. BMW is considering other models of the small car, such as the MINI SUV that could be named the Colorado.