“U.S. automakers led by General Motors Co. may lose share in their home market this year, a setback that might be assuaged by holding onto some of their gains against disaster-stricken Japanese rivals in 2011.

GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, coming off a year in which all three added share for the first time since 1988, may drop a combined 1.3 percent of U.S. market share in 2012, according to a Bloomberg survey of five analysts. As Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. recover from Japan’s tsunami and Thailand’s floods, they may find stiffer competition limiting their combined slice of the market to where it was seven years ago.

The U.S. automakers may each increase sales by less than the total market’s growth this year, according to all five analysts surveyed. While falling unemployment, rising consumer confidence and the need to replace aging vehicles will drive demand, increased Japanese output and improved competition from Korean brands and Volkswagen AG will test Detroit’s discipline on protecting profit rather than simply selling products.”

“According to a study, high fuel economy and robust smartphone integration are the features most important to Generation Y car buyers.

They came of driving age when hybrids were already mainstream, and to them a hybrid power train is as reliable as conventional internal-combustion-equipped cars. To find what this increasingly important demographic wants in a car, consulting firm Deloitt LLP conducted its annual review of Gen Y consumers aged 19 to 31 in the U.S., China, and Europe. While previous generations may have lusted after horsepower and engine, Deloitt found that these savvy consumers are eyeing high fuel economy and places to plug in their mobile devices.

Generation Y is poised to steal the buying power away from the aging boomer market, and their comfort with advanced vehicle technology could accelerate the trend towards fuel efficient and electric cars. An astonishing 89 percent of Gen Y consumers are considering buying a fuel sipper, reports Deloitt, and when compared against a conventional gas-only power-train vehicle, they’re willing to pay $300 more for each mile per gallon that a hybrid offers.”

“At CES 2012, Johnson Controls showed off its HUD technology, currently used in the Citroen DS5, and a conceptual 3D instrument cluster.

In a private meeting room, Johnson Controls had two bucks set up, stands with automotive instrument clusters showing off its latest technology. The company, which does big automotive business with things such as the HomeLink system for opening garage doors, is pushing its human/machine interface capabilities in new dashboard instrumentation products.

The head-up display (HUD) system relies on a small, clear panel sticking up out of the dashboard, above the instrument cluster. A projection shows speed, navigation information, and whatever else an automaker might want to display. A HUD can help drivers keep their eyes on the road by putting critical information within the view out the windshield.”

“That’s what Smart wants drivers to do with its zero-emission For-us pickup concept, a larger and more functional ride than the gas-powered ForTwo microcar.

Smart unveiled the Tron-styled two-seater at the 2012 North American International Auto Show along with the Smart e-bike, an electric bicycle with a battery-powered motor that can recharge off the car’s power supply.

It’s an interesting idea if you want to hit some bike paths outside the city but wouldn’t mind a little help with the pedaling.

And in this age of high gas prices and parking spots that seem to dwindle every day, the tiny, all-electric Smart seems perfect for active urban lifestyles.”

“At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, the General Motors-owned telematics provider announced that it is selecting developers to be given access to an OnStar API for the creation of vehicle-specific and vehicle-safe apps for future OnStar-equipped vehicles.

“We want to give people 1,001 reasons to keep their OnStar subscription active,” said Eric Litt, chief information officer at OnStar. “We feel that opening up our proprietary API to developers will ensure that OnStar continues to keep customers connected in ways they never thought possible.”

“Long car rides, typically of the road trip variety can often be exhausting in their monotony and isolation. We don’t often think of car rides as anything more than a means of reaching a destination. We become disassociated with the other people, cars and environments that are inevitably surrounding us.

GM’s new Windows of Opportunity project was begun to explore innovative ways to use interactive technologies to create a more interesting driving experience. The project, which was inspired by psychological studies that show passengers typically feel disconnected from their environments, uses smart glass to generate augmented reality digital layers over passing landscapes.”

“One of the hardest things about taking your young child with you when you do errands is dealing with the stroller.  The Origami Stroller from 4Moms opens and folds itself at the touch of a button, so you don’t have to fight with it yourself.  One of the wheels has a generator inside to keep the battery charged up; one short walk is enough to keep the battery charged, or you can charge it with AC power.  (You can also fold it manually).  It has safety features: seat sensor so it won’t fold when a child is in the seat, a 2-step fold process so you don’t start it accidentally, daytime “running lights” so other people see you, and pathway lights so you can see your way in dim lighting.  The generator even produces enough power to charge your cellphone (requires an optional accessory).  An LCD display shows you the status of the battery and even shows how far you’ve walked.”

From Lady Gaga to Karl Lagerfeld, driving gloves have become a very fashionable accessoire once again.

“The Appmates toys are used by dragging the toys across the top of the iPad in order to race and perform other activities. Each toy unlocks different features in the apps, making them a collectible draw. The app is going to be a free download and the cars will run $20 for a two-pack.

You lay the iPad down flat and place the toy on the screen. It interacts with the device by touch and will allow you to race down tracks, play games and activate special powers that will help you use it.”

“Black, mean and no-nonsense – the Arai helmet pictured here is the zenith of driver head protection: a mere 1,200g carbon-fibre shell that can withstand the crushing force of a 55-tonne tank without deforming, and an 800ºC fire for 30 seconds without its interior rising above 70ºC. This FIA-prescribed 8860 racing helmet reached such a peak after years of research and development led by the FIA Institute and the world’s leading helmet manufacturers.

It is a remarkable piece of kit, supplied to race and rally drivers by Arai, Schuberth and Bell since 2004. Yet the quest for perfection is unceasing. And this season, 8860 helmets can feature a new refinement, a Zylon strip across the top of the visor that significantly enhances protection in one of its unavoidably weaker areas – the visor, a polycarbonate medium that of necessity isn’t as strong as the overall shell (although the Institute and helmet manufacturers are working on it).”