Passion Gear: Autos Appeal to Emotions This Week at the New York City Car Show [Slide Show]
The New York International Auto Show features a fleet of vehicles with brawn, brains and an environmental conscience
![Passion Gear: Autos Appeal to Emotions This Week at the New York City Car Show [Slide Show]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/0881BD08-3FB1-4C47-ACF41840DA046FBD.jpg?w=590&h=393)
Passion Gear: Autos Appeal to Emotions This Week at the New York City Car Show [Slide Show]
- SEAT BELT AIR BAG Jim Buczkowski, a Henry Ford Technical Fellow, shows off one of his company's safety innovations—a rear seat belt that features an air bag in the strap that crosses the chest. In a collision a compressor inflates the bag by pushing air through the buckle and into the seat belt strap. Ford introduced the belt in 2009. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- NAKED VOLTAGE GM put its Chevy Volt on display at the New York International Auto Show, in this case to highlight how it works. This stripped-down model displayed the gas–electric hybrid's lithium ion battery, charger port, electric drive unit and engine generator. The Volt beat out the BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics Edition, Nissan Leaf and others to win the title of 2011 World Green Car of the Year. The Leaf did win 2011 World Car of the Year (minus the "green"). LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- GMC INFOTAINMENT GM announced at the auto show that its 2012 GMC Terrain (pictured), Buick Verano, Regal and LaCrosse will be feature the IntelliLink infotainment system. IntelliLink is actually a renamed version of MyLink that will be used in the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox. IntelliLink, like most infotainment systems on display at the auto show, features a touch screen roughly 18 centimeters diagonal that offers access to the Pandora Internet radio and Stitcher SmartRadio apps. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- DISCO DAIMLER Daimler's Smart brand showed off this flashy, disco-ball mirrored two-seater electric car. The car is completely covered in reflective glass tiles and was conceived by the band Apparatjik, which features a-ha guitarist Magne Furuholmen, bassist Guy Berryman of Coldplay, Mew singer and guitarist Jonas Bjerre, and producer Martin Terefe. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- SCION CONCEPT Toyota made a splash with its FR-S concept car, co-developed by Subaru. The FR-S, actually a version of the Toyota's FT-86 coupe, will be marketed under the company's Scion banner when it debuts in 2012, according to AutoWeek.com. The car features 51-centimeter wheels and a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
- CADILLAC CONCEPT GM put its urban luxury concept Cadillac on display at the auto show. Despite its diminutive dimensions (wheelbase 247 centimeters, overall length 384 centimeters and height 145 centimeters), GM is positioning this as a luxury vehicle, complete with doors that open and close up and down like scissor blades. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
