2008 528xi Premium Pkg Heated Dakota Leather Cold Weather Pkg Xenon Moonroof on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The next-generation wearable will be your car

This year's CES has had a heavy emphasis on the class of device known as the "wearable" – think about the Apple Watch, or Fitbit, if that's helpful. These devices usually piggyback off of a smartphone's hardware or some other data connection and utilize various onboard sensors and feedback devices to interact with the wearer. In the case of the Fitbit, it's health tracking through sensors that monitor your pulse and movement; for the Apple Watch and similar devices, it's all that and some more. Manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality. As evidenced by Volvo's newly announced tie-up with the Microsoft Band 2 fitness tracking wearable, car manufacturers are starting to explore how wearable devices will help drivers. The On Call app brings voice commands, spoken into the Band 2, into the mix. It'll allow you to pass an address from your smartphone's agenda right to your Volvo's nav system, or to preheat your car. Eventually, Volvo would like your car to learn things about your routines, and communicate back to you – or even, improvise to help you wake up earlier to avoid that traffic that might make you late. Do you need to buy a device, like the $249 Band 2, and always wear it to have these sorts of interactions with your car? Despite the emphasis on wearables, CES 2016 has also given us a glimmer of a vehicle future that cuts out the wearable middleman entirely. Take Audi's new Fit Driver project. The goal is to reduce driver stress levels, prevent driver fatigue, and provide a relaxing interior environment by adjusting cabin elements like seat massage, climate control, and even the interior lighting. While it focuses on a wearable device to monitor heart rate and skin temperature, the Audi itself will use on-board sensors to examine driving style and breathing rate as well as external conditions – the weather, traffic, that sort of thing. Could the seats measure skin temperature? Could the seatbelt measure heart rate? Seems like Audi might not need the wearable at all – the car's already doing most of the work. Whether there's a device on a driver's wrist or not, manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality.

Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and our new long-term Acura TLX | Autoblog Podcast #661

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. This week, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and Audi A4, as well as the recently departed long-term Volvo S60 T8 and the new addition to the long-term fleet, an Acura TLX. In this week's news, they talk about the Stellantis merger completion, some more thoughts about GM at CES, BMW announcing an electric M car, an upcoming electric Lincoln Corsair and the possibility of an electric-only Ford Mustang in 2028. Autoblog Podcast #661 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 2021 Audi A4 S Line 45 TFSI Quattro 2020 Volvo S60 T8 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec News:Stellantis is a thing now More thoughts on GM at CES BMW announces electric M car is coming this year Electric Lincoln Corsair-E coming in 2026, report says The next-gen Ford Mustang reportedly going all-electric, arriving in 2028 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

BMW reveals Concept Compact Sedan in Guangzhou

While our eyes were fixed on Los Angeles, BMW turned its attention to Guangzhou, China, where the German automaker unveiled the Concept Compact Sedan. The show car envisions a Bavarian rival to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Audi A3 sedan. Munich released little in the way of technical details. Instead, the Concept Compact Sedan is all about the design. Relative to its form, the show car rides on a long wheelbase, with the wheels pushed to the corners, and a greenhouse set back behind a long hood. The details are distinctly Bimmer, from the signature double-kidney grille to the Hofmeister kink in the C-pillar. The horizontal lines of the front and rear fascias are designed to maximize the vehicle's visual width, and the muscular design integrates touch-sensitive door handles below the swage line for a cleaner look. All that is rendered in liquid metal bronze paint, offset by polished aluminum brightwork and 20-inch split-spoke alloys. Geared towards the "life of a generation of youth in China," the interior is designed around the driver, but also seeks to maximize rear-seat space despite the vehicle's compact footprint. The horizontal treatment continues inside to give the impression of space, with upscale materials like three-tone Nappa leather, open-pore wood, and brushed aluminum trim with orange accents and ambient lighting. All the auxiliary surfaces are controlled by touch panels on the steering wheel, center stack, center console, and door handles. There's a panoramic roof, a head-up display for the driver, and an 8.8-inch screen in the dashboard. The sum total is a compelling preview of what a four-door addition to the 1 Series and 2 Series could look like. And to our eyes, it looks like it would be just as home on American roads as it would be in China, Europe, or anywhere else for that matter. Check it out in the high-res image gallery above and the details in the press release below. BMW Concept Compact Sedan. Sporty, elegant, exclusive – the perfect statement-maker. 20.11.2015 Munich/Guangzhou. The BMW Group has chosen Auto Guangzhou 2015, one of the largest international motor shows in China, to present a very special new development to the global public: the company's vision of a four-door sedan for the compact segment. "The BMW Concept Compact Sedan reveals the potential we see in a compact sedan," says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design.