New cars are advancing their technologies in exciting ways each year. From the advent of hybrids to the addition of in-car iPhone and Bluetooth accessories, the auto manufacturers are heeding theconsumer’s needs and fo the best to meet them.

The latest and greatest in the motoring world was recently reported in Popular Mechanics Magazine. We chose our top 3 new car technologies because they make the current add-ons in our present cars look like ancient history! Take a look at these amazing new features that will hopefully be coming to a Volkswagen dealership in the very near future.

No Doze Camera

To prevent a driver from falling asleep at the wheel and driving off the road, Volkswagen has designed a special camera that will be able to read the lines on the road and determine if a driver is drifting outside the lines towards a possible accident. Additionally, the car can sense hand movement on the seat and steering wheel and detect heart rate, eye movements to determine if the driver is falling asleep.

An alarm sounds to wake the driver and alert him of the impending danger. Not only can this technology assist a sleepy driver, but can also help drivers who are prone to swerve due to the distraction of a cell phone, car radio, or a child. Volkswagen takes it a step further by also developing a car that will correct the steering for the driver. Unfortunately, Popular Mechanics reports that very few drivers agree that a car should have total self-steering capabilities. We’re sure they’ll work out the kinks soon!

New Forms of Fuel Combustion

Volkswagen’s BlueMotion TDI has an impressive 1.4 liter turbo spark-ignition engine. The appeal of this type of engine is that it uses a Combine Combustion System (CCS) and works with a designer gasoline in a quasi-diesel style fuel injection. Here’s how it works: the CCS begins fueling the injection system as the piston is in the rising stage of the piston’s compression stroke.

This early injection of fuel into the engine facilitates better air to fuel mixture and mixes it with more re-circulated exhaust gas than a comparable diesel engine. These types of engines are about 5% better in fuel economy…not too impressive. However, the big take away from this new technology is that the air to fuel mixture burns at a lower temperature, thus reducing the amount of NOx (nitrogen oxide) that is released into the air. The caveat is how they’ll be able to make the “designer fuel” more readily available and mass-produced for the public.

There’s Even New Technology for the Kids

The ever-present question “Are we there yet?” now has a good answer: an interactive navigation screen for the kids to keep up with the trip.

The screen is basically a standard rear DVD screen that has the added advantage of travel and game software and GPS that shows a little cartoon worm eating away at the roads and making progress towards the destination. In the meantime, the character plays games with the viewer, has several in-seat exercises, and goes on standby when the child is napping.

These three new technologies aren’t yet available, but with their amazing features come the promise that we’ll get to use these cool gadgets in new cars very soon!

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