Test Drive Auto Connected Car by Renting, Says Enterprise

enterpris e connected carRecently, I rented a car with a full navigation and smartphone connectable Bluetooth head unit. It was a delight to listen to iTunes while driving in areas where there is bad radio reception. It helped me realize how important a connected car can be people who are on the road for long periods of time.

A recent study by Enterprise Holdings reported that younger Americans, especially Millenials see renting a car as a test drive and a way to discover new technology.

Renault Kwid Lauches Bird’s-Eye View of Connected Car with Flying Copter Drones

Kwid Renalut with DroneWe drivers in low riding compact cars often wish we had bird’s eye view of traffic like SUV and truck driver’s see. In the future, a car may send out a flying quadro-copter flying companion drone that will eagle scout dangers and traffic on the road ahead.

Renault besides its auto-connected concept car, the “Next Two”  also showed the Kwid copter concept car at the Chicago auto show.

Sears Drive-Through Car Hop Service App

Sears announced that its Show Your Way mobile app, lets people pick up their Sears order with in 5 minutes without leaving their cars for

AUTO Connected Car Review of Chicago Auto Show News: Hyundai, Aha, Connected Car 2014 & Next

renaultLet’s see the latest announcements for AUTO Connected Car readers from the Chicago Auto Show.

Hyundai America announced the enhanced Blue Link system Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.  Today, Hyundai announced the same Google location search will be part of an update for 500,000 Hyundai owners with the previous version of Blue Link. It offers voice Google search and navigation along with Google Glass integration.

Cars and Infotainment are Over-Connected?

nscEven though Gen Y through Boomers want connected cars, the National Safety Council today warned of the dangers of too much infotainment going on while driving and support initiatives by car companies and after market manufacturers to limit infotainment functionality when requested by the driver and or parents.

dash App Better Driving with Car Info & Bluetooth for Android Like Automatic

DashappandroidscoresHere’s an easy inexpensive way to connect to the data in car on Android via Bluetooth. Dash claims it can “make any car, a smart car.”

Dash is similar to Automatic, using Bluetooth and a connection to the OBD-II port to gather driving information and make suggestions. Automatic, however, currently only works with iPhone(Android coming soon) while Dash works with Android and will be available for iPhone in the future.

Virtual Test Drive Nissan Rouge on Google Maps

Nissan Detour

Nissan has launched a multimedia detour ride using Google maps and images. Enter your starting address and destination address for visual virtual Nissan Rogue ride.

Audi Knows When Traffic Light will Change

auditrafficlighdashAudi’s new Smart City Traffic Light Assistance tell you when the traffic light will turn green.

Traffic Light Assist or TLA uses the car’s network connection, GPS and municipal traffic control information. It displays a countdown timer in the dash to show how many seconds there are before the light changes.