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Range Rover's Sentinel SUV can survive virtually any attack
It's not uncommon for dignitaries and the super-wealthy to get armored vehicles, but Land Rover's new Range Rover Sentinel may be the protected luxury ride of choice -- especially if you're traveling through a warzone. The hand-built SUV looks exactly like the Autobiography it's based on, but has a slew of hidden upgrades that make it impervious to all but the heaviest attacks. On top of expected upgrades like bulletproof glass (it can handle armor-piercing rounds), the Sentinel has a high-strength steel passenger cell that protects against explosions from 33lbs of TNT from the side, and grenades on the floor or roof. That doesn't make it completely impervious, but it would take some deep, deep trouble to put your life at risk.
Phone-controlled Range Rover helps you get out of a jam
Never mind those dreams of using a handheld device to steer your car from the back seat, James Bond-style -- the real purpose of remote control may be to get your vehicle past a muddy trench. Jaguar Land Rover is developing smartphone control technology that lets you pilot a car (in this case, a Range Rover Sport) at very low speeds while you're outside, helping you get past difficult terrain or tricky parking spots. You have to operate everything manually at the moment, but the hope is that this will eventually bring a level of push-button autonomy where you simply tap a button to get around some rocks or back out of your garage.
Future Range Rovers could tell the city about local potholes
Jaguar Land Rover has revealed that it's working on technology that'll alert the authorities whenever your car finds a bump in the road. It's one of several high-tech initiatives the outfit has been working on, including heads-up displays in the windshield and "transparent" cars. Once an issue, like a pothole or broken drain, has been discovered, its location will be uploaded to the authorities who can then send a maintenance crew to come fix it. In the meantime, the information can be shared with nearby vehicles so that motorists in the vicinity can avoid damaging their car.
Jaguar Land Rover's latest project uses in-car alerts to protect cyclists
Jaguar Land Rover has done quite a bit of work in automotive safety with its Virtual Windscreen project, but now, the company is looking to protect cyclists. Bike Sense, the automaker's newest R&D concept, uses a series of in-car alerts to warn the driver of an approaching cyclist or motorcyclist. Sensors on the outside of the car detect the biker's movement, and when they get close, a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn blasts from the speaker closest to their location. When someone is coming up from behind, an air cushion inside the seat "taps" the driver on the shoulder on the appropriate side. There's also a collection of LED lights on the window sills that change from yellow to red when the bike approaches, and their movement shows the path that person is going to take.
Jaguar's smart windshield will eliminate blind spots
It's hard to spot every possible road hazard. Mirrors and cameras will show what's behind you, but your car's roof pillars can still hide careless pedestrians and aggressive drivers. They won't be issues if Jaguar's 360-degree Virtual Urban Windscreen comes to fruition. The update to the company's windshield project uses cameras to create "transparent" pillars which highlight threats you can't see, giving you an extra moment to take evasive action. It promises distraction-free navigation, too -- the screen generates a ghost car that shows you where to turn, as if you're simply following a friend. The technology is still in mid-development and probably won't be as sleek as Jaguar's concept video suggests, but it hints at a future where you're rarely caught off-guard while driving.
Jaguar Land Rover brings the boardroom to your dashboard with in-car infotainment system
The boundary between your smartphone and your car is growing thinner by the day, and Jaguar Land Rover is the latest in a long line of car companies trying to work out the ideal balance between the two. The company's InControl Apps system has been in the works for months now, and we got to take a lot at their progress (in a spiffy new Range Rover Evoque, no less) at the New York International Auto Show. Here's how it works: after you load the companion app onto your Android device or iPhone (don't worry, the experience is the same for both), you connect it to your car via a USB port nestled in the center console. After that, your handset basically becomes inoperable, while all of your compatible apps appear on your car's display.
Linux Foundation forms Automotive Grade Workgroup, aims to open-source your ride with Tizen
It doesn't take much driving to notice that many in-car infotainment systems are custom-built and locked down tight. The Linux Foundation sees it differently and wants our cars to embrace the same notions of common roots and open code that we'd find in an Ubuntu box. Its newly-formed Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup is transforming Tizen into a reference platform that car designers can use for the center stack, or even the instrument cluster. The promise is to both optimize a Linux variant for cars and provide the same kind of years-long support that we'd expect for the drivetrain. Technology heavy-hitters like Intel, Harman, NVIDIA, Samsung and TI form the core of the group, although there are already automakers who've signaled their intentions: Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Toyota are all part of the initial membership. We don't know how soon we'll be booting into Tizen on the morning commute, but we'd expect in-car systems to take a step forward -- just as long as we don't have to recompile our car's OS kernel.
EU automaker loan may lead to fuel-sipping hybrid Jag XJ
Don't call it a bailout. The European Union has agreed to fund a £307 million loan to the newly minted Jaguar Land Rover conglomeration, known as JLR by those on the inside -- like Tata who owns it. However, unlike the US's rather open-ended (and dire-looking) cash infusions, this offer was made specifically to help the company up its eco-cred. JLR pledges to start with a so-called "Limo Green" version of the next generation XJ luxury sedan (that's the current, decidedly dark one pictured above). The model will use a Volt-like series hybrid drive train, in which the electric motor (or motors) powers the wheels and an onboard gasoline engine serves only to recharge on the go, a combination that should deliver 57 mpg -- three times the current machine's 19 mpg combined figure. The only question now is whether this future-Jag will still smell like leather and tweed smoking jackets, or will the whole thing reek of ozone and patchouli.[Via GM-VOLT]
