Passion Gear: Autos Appeal to Emotions This Week at the New York City Car Show [Slide Show]
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BUMBLEBEE The Transformer known as Bumblebee—capable of folding himself into the shape of a late-model, canary yellow Chevy Camaro—was in attendance at the auto show, standing about 4.5 meters high and greeting gearheads as they passed... LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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... 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... LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
INDYCAR Honda Performance Development, Inc., Honda's racing company in North America, parked its IZOD IndyCar Series racer at the auto show for a pit stop. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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AUTO PROJECTION GMC's display area featured a device that projected the image of a 2011 Sierra Denali HD as it scanned across the truck's chassis and drive train. 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... 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
PRIUS CONCEPT Toyota's Prius C hybrid concept car is a four-seater aimed at urban drivers. The company says Prius C's design and specifications have yet to be finalized. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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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 ... 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
FAST AND FURIOUS CADDY GM also displayed its 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car on the show floor. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
CHOOSE YOUR FUEL Mazda's RX-8 H2 Hydrogen car operates on either gasoline or hydrogen, depending on which fuel is most readily available to the driver. The RX-8 H2 is currently being leased in a handful of places in Japan... LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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PONY UP Not everything at this year's auto show was about fuel economy and sustainability. This 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, with its 5.0-liter, 4V TiVCT, 444-horsepower V-8, added some muscle. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
TOPLESS The 2011 Chevy Camaro convertible is available with either a 3.6-liter, 312-horsepower V-6 or a 6.2-liter, 426-horsepower V-8 engine. LARRY GREENEMEIER/SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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