Tech my Ride

Having 12 TVs in your house: impressive. Having 12 TVs in your car: really impressive.High-tech electronics are moving from the home to the garage, and some of the craziest car tech options are on display at the Consumer Electronics Show. Manufacturers are showing off DVD players, navigation systems, stereos and other devices for gadget-loving gearheads.

They're chasing a growing market. Sales of electronics for automobiles are expected to reach $12.8 billion this year, a 12% increase from 2007, says the Consumer Electronics Association. "It's important to our customers," says Jim Buczkowski, director of electrical systems engineering for automaker Ford. "They see their vehicle as an extension of their home." Eager manufacturers have come up with some outrageous products. Stereo-maker Pyle built a 12-TV SUV, a $20,000 custom installation with a set in every door, plus a big one near the rear window for tailgating. General Motors (GM) showed off an electronics-packed experimental SUV that could drive itself. Sensors and cameras allow it to steer around obstacles. But there were plenty of products on display for everyday drivers. Among the most interesting :

More than directions. Clarion's Mobile Internet Navigation Device is a cross between a laptop and a global-positioning system. It features a Web browser and e-mail in addition to directions and maps. The device, about the size of a book, sits on a car dashboard, but can be pulled out for use elsewhere. It has a battery and wall plug in addition to the car dock.The basic $599 MiND connects to devices such as cellphones, via Bluetooth, and to the Internet via Wi-Fi when a hot spot is nearby. A $699 model can connect to WiMax, a new kind of cellular Internet backed by Sprint (S). WiMax users will pay a monthly fee for the Sprint service; rates have not been set. Both models should be available this fall. Tiremaker Goodyear (GT) has entered the market with models that have remote controls, to make it easier for drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

Magellan's new $699 Maestro 5310 contains hotel and other travel information from the Automobile Association of America. It also has an unusually large 5-inch screen. Weather reports. Satellite-radio company XM is putting the finishing touches on NavWeather, which adds real-time weather information to road maps. The first models should be out in late 2008. Rival Sirius, which is merging with XM (XMSR), is developing a similar technology called Travel Link. It also provides traffic updates and reports on local gas prices. Ford will offer Travel Link in some models later this year. Both NavWeather and Travel Link will require a monthly fee; prices have not been set. Better sound. Alpine Electronics, Dual Electronics and Sony are among those launching HD car stereos. Similar to high-definition television, HD Radio offers clearer-sounding broadcasts of about 1,500 local radio stations. It also picks up a few new stations offered only in HD. (Most HD stations feature commercials, but there is no monthly subscription fee.) Ford (F) said it would offer HD Radio in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in 2009. Jaguar and BMW also feature it on some models. Average cost for a HD car stereo is about $129, says Bob Struble, CEO of iBiquity, the company behind the technology.

New car stereos from Pioneer feature Advanced Sound Retriever, designed to work with Apple's (AAPL) iPod digital music player. The iPod, like most music players, uses a technique called compression to squish digital song files down to a reasonable size. The songs sound fine when played through a set of headphones, but slight imperfections can be heard when they're played through large car stereo speakers, says Pioneer training manager Harry Kroll. Advanced Sound Retriever makes up for that by adding frequencies likely to have been lost. The result is richer-sounding music, Kroll says. Pioneer stereos with the technology are available for around $200.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Just a few miles north of The Strip, Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert. One of the most complete racing complexes in the world, its 1,600 acres include road courses, a three-eighths mile oval, a dirt track and a state-of-the-art drag racing facility. At its heart, however, is the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, home of a 400-mile race on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, as well as Busch and Truck Series events. Construction of the $200 million complex began in 1995. Nearly 2,000 tons of concrete were originally used to build more than 100,000 seats. Shortly after Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track in 1998, it announced plans to add 22,000 seats in the Dale Earnhardt Tower overlooking the frontstretch.

The first NASCAR race held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a Truck Series event in 1996. The Busch Series held a race there in 1997, and a year later the Cup series made its first visit with Mark Martin picking up the victory in 1998. Construction of the Richard Petty Terrace in Turn 1 was completed in 2006, allowing fans a shot at 14,000 additional tickets and pushing the track's seating capacity to nearly 150,000. Additionally, the track saw several major changes in 2006, as the entire surface as reconfigured with progressive banking installed, as well as fan-friendly features in the infield and moving pit road closer to the straightaway. Beginning in 2007, officials made grandstand seating during NASCAR weekend smoke-free.

NASCAR Foundation Launches its 2008 Track Walk

The NASCAR Foundation launches its 2008 Track Walk season with its first ever event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2 at 8 a.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch and the Kyle Busch Foundation will join the efforts to support Boys Town Nevada, a non-profit organization that provides support for abandoned, abused and/or neglected children in Southern Nevada. The event as well as the first six Track Walks of the season will be presented by Officially Licensed NASCAR Foods by Williams.

In a press conference today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing, Kyle Busch announced his participation. I am very excited about being a part of The NASCAR Foundation Track Walk here in Las Vegas in March. I always thought it was a unique event that benefits worthy causes like the Boys Town Nevada initiative and I am proud to be able to help give something back to my hometown.

Boys Town Nevada opened its Treatment Family Homes in Las Vegas in 1991. Today more than 30 youths live in this caring and safe environment. The event proceeds will also go to benefit the NASCAR Foundation and Speedway Children`s Charities, a long-time partner of The NASCAR Foundation. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the UAW-Dodge 400 on Sunday, March 2 (FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET).

Our NASCAR Foundation Track Walks provide a great opportunity to involve the local community in the excitement of gaining access to the actual track where the action happens and to make a difference in meaningful causes, said Sandy Marshall, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation. Speedway Children`s Charities is a part of The NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities. The NASCAR Foundation embodies the compassion of the NASCAR Family and its commitment to serving communities. The Foundation uses the strength of the sport and its people to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

The first six walks in the 2008 NASCAR Foundation Track Walk season include events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 2), Texas Motor Speedway (April 6), Dover International Speedway (May 31), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 28), Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug 22) and Lowe`s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. (Oct 10). Registration fees for the walk are $30 for each individual if registered online prior to the walk, and children under the age of 14 are free with a paying adult. Registration is $35 the day of the event. Participants are able to register as individuals or teams and are encouraged to raise money through friends, family and colleagues. Registered walkers at each walk that raise over $150 through team online fundraising are eligible for some unique NASCAR-themed prizes.

LVMS to Host NASCAR 2008

LVMS to host NASCAR Preseason Thunder Jan. 28-29; Nationwide test session scheduled for Jan. 30-31 Monday, December 17, 2007 The 2008 edition of NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas will mark the first time NASCAR will conduct an open test on a 1.5-mile track for its "Car of Tomorrow." The "COT" will be used in all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races beginning in 2008. It was used on tracks less than 1.5 miles in length, with the exception of the fall Talladega event, in 2007. The UAW-Dodge 400 on March 2 will be the first race for the new car on a 1.5-mile speedway. NASCAR's Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series teams will test Jan. 30-31 on the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval. Both tests will be open to the public. The speedway also will allow race fans attending the test access to the Neon Garage. "We're looking forward to having the world's best drivers out here in January to test this new car on a relatively new speedway," said LVMS general manager Chris Powell. "The track has really settled in since we increased the banking from 12 to 20 degrees prior to the 2007 NASCAR Weekend. More laps and more testing should help make the 2008 event one of the most exciting races we've ever had." Tickets for the Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend are on sale by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to www.lvms.com. Race fans also can purchase tickets to the new Neon Garage as well as Driver Introduction passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes.

You won't find any air conditioning in Tata's Nano, or power steering or power windows. Instead, what you will get is a four-door, five-seater car with an engine of 625 cubic centimetres. To keep costs low, the company has said that if you want any of the extra add ons you're more than welcome to buy the deluxe versions - but the basic model will sell at the original price of one hundred thousand rupees. That is half the cost of the world's cheapest car on the market. But many are now wondering that if you shave off all the bits of a car and sell it at such a low cost - how are you supposed to make any money from it? Analysts say it will be challenging - initially. India is fast becoming a major market for the world's carmakers. "It will be very difficult for them," Darius Lam of Autocar International tells me at the Auto Show.

Tata Group's People's Car Retailing at Around $2,500

Necessity is the mother of invention - and for 35-year-old Vijay Pawar that means turning his two-seater motorbike into a ride for the whole family. Mr Pawar is worried about the risk of wobbling in traffic with his family. Manoeuvring his machine around the mean streets of Mumbai is no easy task - the city's relentless traffic makes the daily school run a dangerous journey for his two kids Roshan and Sakshi. But he does not have much of a choice - he cannot afford much else. "Let's face it, I don't make that much money. I can afford this motorbike, but I am worried about the safety of my family," he says "All four of us have to get on this motorbike and this is how we drop our kids off to school, it's just not right." But this week at the Delhi car show - the answer to his prayers. A revolution in the small car market - the Tata Group's People's Car. A tiny, jelly bean-shaped automobile, retailing at around $2,500. This an ultra cheap, ultra small car, created for the common man in India - and it is an attempt to give millions of Indians the chance to participate in the benefits of India's strong economic growth. It was a promise the chairman of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata, said he had made to the Indian public - and to the world - and one he was not going to break. Don't expect them to make any money from this car for another two or three years. "Since we made the decision to build the one lakh (100,000 rupees) car the price of lots of raw materials like steel, has gone up," he tells a jam-packed room of journalists, onlookers and Tata fans in Delhi. "But the dealer price of this car - the Nano - will be 100,000 rupees. Because a promise is a promise - and we know how to keep ours." Keeping that promise meant making a car that has the bare minimum in add ons or perks.

"They will have to ramp up production of their Nanos, and they will have to sell lots of these before they make any money from it," he says. "But it's a good thing for their reputation, their image - and it's likely that's one of the reasons they've done this. "But don't expect them to make any money from this car for another two or three years." But for millions of Indians that is an insignificant consideration. This car will give India's masses a chance to be part of the great Indian dream and an opportunity to finally participate in the benefits of economic growth. Indian streets may never be the same again.

Gone in Sixty Seconds

LAS VEGAS - March 17, 2006: She's fast, fun and fabulous. She's Eleanor. And she's for sale. Eleanor has returned to The Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino. The 1967 Mustang GT500 stole the show in "Gone in Sixty Seconds," the 2000 action hit starring Nicolas Cage. The popular pony car is actually one of 11 built for the movie. Of those, two were destroyed in the climactic bridge jump and junkyard crusher scenes. Because certain cars were needed to do different maneuvers in the film, no two Eleanors were alike. All the Eleanors only acted the role of being Shelbys while really they were modified Mustang fastbacks. And, although in "Gone" the car is supposed to be a four-on-the-floor, most of the Eleanors were automatics because it's easier to act and do stunts when you don't have to manually shift gears. The Mustang muscle magnet will remain on display between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until it's sold. Eleanor was previously on display in June 2003 and remains one of the all-time most crowd-pleasing attractions in The Auto Collections.

The Auto Collections is the world's largest classic car lot with $100 million worth of inventory on display and for sale. It includes antique, muscle, famous, infamous and historically significant vehicles. Open daily, 9:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $6.95 for adults, $3 for seniors and children 5-12 and children under 5 are free. The Imperial Palace is home to the award-winning tribute show "Legends In Concert" and the Dealertainers(TM), celebrity impersonators who deal blackjack. Imperial Palace is the most central stop on the Las Vegas Monorail. In addition, the resort is famous for "Five-Star-Friendly Service" and includes a race and sports book, 2,640 rooms and suites, world-class gaming and amenities, a seasonal poolside luau, 40,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, 10 specialty restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, business center, concierge service, medical center, chapel and reception facilities.

China1s Automotive Electronics Development

The upgraded consumption, industrial transfer and fast updated automotive technologies contribute to the prosperity of automotive electronics industry. Nevertheless, the industrialized level and R&D capability of China's automotive electronics industry still lags far behind its foreign counterparts. In-car electronic equipment is the ideal cut-in for China's automotive electronics industry. China now is the world's factory of automotive audio and its exports take a share of about 30% in global sales volume. Core technologies, however, are absent particularly in the R&D of IC chip, laser head and core parts, etc. And the production (with poor control on cost) is hardly industrialized. Chinese market of local automotive audio grows rapidly with huge potential.

Yet, it also gets inflicted by the declining profitability of whole vehicle producers. In addition, there is a steady full kits layout of China automotive audio OEM market, and the after market is with huge potential. Chinese producers have to advance the building of their brands and expand sales channels. They can promote the brands by setting up brand experience stores and realize the network layout and terminal sales by 4S stores. As for domestic manufacturers, they should continue the investments into the R&D, keeping technical and cost advantages over the rivals. Meanwhile, the efforts ought to be made for the R&D of senior electronic technologies like motion control technology and control system technology. By segmenting the market, they can be involved in the development of products with functional portfolio.