Remember October 2001 when Toyota and Sony collaborated to make a new car concept that explores the potential for communications between people and their cars? Well, it’s the POD concept, which according to Toyota, is more like a tool than a car, because it is a partner that shares your moods and grows with you - just like your family and friends.

The car features LED on its front panels. This special Toyota part translates the mood of the driver to the car. For example, a cheerful expression can be appreciated by putting on orange colored LEDs. The vehicle uses red LEDs when the car (or the passenger) is angry. The car has a special feature which has the capacity to express 10 different emotions. It does have a tail that wags like a dog's tail to express a feeling of excitement.

The car also features a handy terminal called the "mini pod" and it was developed by Sony. It recognizes and memorizes musical and TV program preferences based on the driver's activity in the home, and by processing that information, it chooses background music and provides shopping guidance as well.

The Pod also detects the driver's emotional states as it also provides advice on driving. Unlike the other cars that have recorded voice data, this Pod can display on the monitor words and icons of praise or warnings. It can even improve the driver's skill in driving by helping him out.

The Toyota personally styled the exterior auto parts of the Pod. It’s quite unusual, for me it looks like a robot but according to the auto maker, it is quite friendly. The front, rear and side views are systematic. It shows off a cute image and yet, at the same time, it also sends off an image suiting an IT concept car.

She Thought The Car Was Her Daughter’s February 13, 2007 Kate Anderson thought so and she accidentally became a car thief. What happened was that she went to pick up the car of her daughter which the latter left in a building in the Ohio University. The car was a Toyota Camry painted nickel-gray. She simply opened the door, put in the keys in the ignition, started the engine, and drove home. But she never did realize that the vehicle looked like her daughter’s but was not really the very unit that her daughter owned. That car really belonged to Charlie Vansant and he realized it was missing when after school, he went to the parking lot to find an empty space where his car used to be. He then filed a theft report when the police did not have any records of the vehicle being towed. Now, Kate’s daughter did take a look at the vehicle and discovered that it was not hers. But she did look around and see pieces of information that shed some light on whom the vehicle really belonged to. The good thing here was that there were no charges against Kate. After all, Charlie was blaming the manufacturer of the vehicles and not exactly Kate. Kate’s daughter’s car keys sure did fit – not only her own vehicle but Charlie’s as well. He says, “Her key fit not only my lock, but my ignition as well – so high five for Toyota, I guess.” Ouch. funkylimos wrote @ 07:44 PM || Add a Comment The Oscars Goes Eco-Friendly February 26, 2007 The Tesla Roadster will be the hottest new vehicle that will represent the Oscars Academy Awards coming this Sunday. The two-seater electric car is said to be the most sought after green car at the upcoming show. Almost 30 environment-friendly cars are prepared by Global Green USA. And among these cars, the celebrities who will be attending the said event will be choosing which one they are going to arrive in. Reuters reported that the Tesla has received an enormous 330 orders for its cars and the list of those who ordered a unit includes the actor George Clooney. The Tesla is priced at $92,000 but the sedan edition will be available for prices between $50,000 and $65,000, just enough for a green car capable running on a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 kph) in four seconds. Stars like Justin Timberlake, Matt Damon and more stars will be bringing their very own hybrid cars to the show. They also get the chance to choose the Tesla as their official car on the Sunday event. This was the idea of Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev's Green Cross International, to make millions of people aware that there are many options other than the conventional fuel propelled cars. They are propagating the use of these green cars to preserve our nature and the environment. These green cars are installed with a catalytic converter which is a chamber that filters the engine are passed together with excess air so that carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon pollutants are oxidized to carbon dioxide and water, for more clean emissions. funkylimos wrote @ 07:41 PM || Add a Comment « 2007/01 | 2007/03 »