Technology has taken a completely different direction. Cars already do what we need them to do. Hovering would be cool, but wouldn’t really serve any other purpose. The police are busy trying to slow drivers down because our cars already go more than fast enough. In fact, in many places there’s so much traffic that cars can’t use the speed they already have. Aesthetics are still important, but rather than buying the flashiest possible car, people are choosing streamlined, attractive cars. After market upgrades are made to blend in with the original – boring – look of the car. Huge improvements in reliability and safety have become more important than other considerations.

What do cars still leave to be desired? Fuel efficiency – even more practicality. The price of gasoline has soared in recent years, and it’s expensive just to drive around town. Cars that run on less gasoline, or none at all, are the hot sellers. Automakers have a lot of choices for reaching this goal, from hydrogen to biofuel to propane. All of these technologies have challenges, especially in keeping their costs down enough that they will be economically comparable to gasoline powered cars.

In the last few years, one technology has taken the lead and reached the car dealership: electricity. Hybrids were the first to hit the market and fully electric vehicles aren’t far behind. Toyota was the first to get its hybrid, the Prius, to consumers at a reasonable price. The other automakers followed closely on their heels. The Ford Escape, Infiniti M35, Honda Civic and Nissan Altima are just a few of the offerings. Hybrids don’t have to be small anymore, either, as evidenced by GMC’s Sierra and Cadillac’s Escalade. The government has encouraged the use of cars that consume less gasoline and don’t cause as much damage to the environment by offering financial incentives. You can go buy one of these cars today at your local Riverside Ford Dealer, Georgia Honda Dealership or Orange County GMC Dealership with no problem.

The next development we’ll see is the fully electric vehicle. They’ve been out in very small numbers until now, seen at car shows or as part of a fleet of cars driven by the local electric company. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are finally hitting showrooms. Limited range and battery price are not completely resolved yet, but clearly this is the direction that new cars are going.

Good old fashioned fuel efficiency is getting overlooked to some degree. A car can run on gasoline, but use a lot less of it. This is a technology that’s been slowly but steadily improving for many years. Look at the non-hybrid version of the Honda Civic, which gets 34 MPG or the Ford Focus with its 35 MPG highway. This was unimaginable back in the 80’s when gas was only $1.35 a gallon and we loved our V8s.

So while we’re unlikely to see cars like the DeLorean from Back to the Future or Kitt from the Knight Rider, cars will continue to evolve to meet our ever-changing needs. America’s love affair with the automobile is far from over.

Give her a little rev and see if she wants to play?  Grandma just looks over and shows you her dentures.  The light turns green and you pop the clutch on your Bad Ass Orange County Ford Mustang and get a great jump….you roll through first gear…yeah she’s dust you think.

Just then you hear the awesome roar of a SuperCharged Corvette V-8 with 556 horsepower fly by.  It feels like you are standing still.  Little Grandma continues to pull like a bat out of hell until she reaches the max top speed of 191 MPH!  Ridiculous!

This car eats up the pavement like its going out of style.  The Cadillac CTS-V has posted the fastest lap time (V-8 Sedan on Stock Tires) at the famed Nurburgring in Germany.

Thats right…faster than any BMW, Supercharged Mercedes AMG….anything and everything.  This BEAST is Definately a FREAK of NATURE!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCgQljQ7W44]

• Make sure you have a heavy-duty ice scraper and snow brush in your vehicle. A whiskbroom also makes an excellent snow brush.
• Cold weather reduces tire pressure, so check tire pressure often. See your Owner’s Manual for directions and details.
• In severe winter temperatures, you may have to change the grade of your engine oil. Check your Owner’s Manual for the viscosity grade recommended for your vehicle’s engine.
• Put on snow tires if you live in major snow belt areas. Check your Owner’s Manual for details and recommended practices.
• Check your wiper blades. Cold temperatures can make blades brittle, and ice on the windshield can cause nicks in the blades, decreasing performance.
• If you’re planning a trip, take a blanket, extra-warm clothing, a collapsible shovel, a bag of road salt and an extra bottle of windshield washer fluid.

- Information provided by GM Goodwrench

Well take heed you naughty teenagers because technology is hot on your tail. For the 2010 model year, this Riverside County Ford dealer will have a feature available to all their cars called the MyKey. This ingenious key has a computer chip integrated into it. When put into the ignition the car will recognize this key and set certain limits on the car.

• First on the list is a speed limiter which keeps kids from feeling the need for speed! And parents can choose the speed they wish to limit.
  
• Next is an audio volume control, yeah we all thought Vanilla Ice was so cool back then that all the neighbors had to hear it; but now that we are old it’s just tasteless.
• Finally the car will play a ridiculously annoying chime if the seat belts are not fastened.  Thank-goodness because for some reason kids don’t understand the importance of wearing a belt; High School Physics has let us parents down!

All this sounds like a great start at keeping our most precious gifts safe. And with other car manufacturers jumping on the band-wagon the sky is the limit with what precautions we can take. Grandma is going to be so happy she doesn’t have to chaperone anymore!

Source:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27053080/

Below are just a few of the many ways to keep that money in your pocket:

Properly Inflate Tires: Under inflated tires can cost your 1-2 miles per gallon.  This is the most common problem affecting drivers on the road.  You should check your PSI level once a week at least. This is also a good time to check your tread wear.  Your tires are the only thing connecting you to the road after all!

Slow Down: Gently accelerating tells your car that there is no hurry and in turn you will use the least amount of gas possible.  But even MORE IMPORTANTLY reducing your freeway speed will net you a 15%  increase in gas mileage.  Why?  Because at higher speeds there is more wind resistance!

Limit Carrying Unecessary Items:  The lighter the car the better gas mileage it will get.  When you add up all that extra stuff in your trunk or in the back of your car; it really adds up.  And if you can shed some pounds by doing a little cleaning, your engine will not have to work as hard.

Get your Chevrolet Car Serviced: A regular tune-up will have your car running in tip top shape.  That means that not a drop of fuel will be wasted in the combustion process!

You can find many more Gas saving techniques at my blog.

Looking for an Inland Empire Chevrolet Dealer?  Singh is a Riverside Chevy Dealership, stop by for a great deal on a new or used car.