It was a scant few years ago that we were testing the brand new 911, codenamed 997. The 997 had more power, thanks to all-new direct-injection engines and a kick-ass dual-clutch transmission with the longest name in the history of transmissions - the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, or, PDK for short. It was the ne plus ultra in the history of the model - for a time.That's all history, thanks to the brand-new and better than ever 2012 Porsche 911, designated the 991.
Amphibious vehicle designs always sounds great on paper, but in practical use they tend to sink more often than swim. It's not so much that they don't work, but that they tend to handle either land or water well, with the other being an afterthought (not to mention they solve a problem that most people simply don't have). But we'd be lying if we said the Iguana 29 didn't catch our eyes.
Without a doubt, the best part of an auto show is the test drive - you can sink into the cushiony driver's seat, behold the beautiful control panel, feel the steering wheel slip comfortably between your fingers. At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, that won't happen. Test drivers will sit in the back seat of an autonomous Prius, letting the car drive them around by itself. It'll probably be worth the back seat view.
Researchers at the Ishikawa-Oku lab at the University of Tokyo have gone one-up on augmented reality with a system they call "invoked computing." Basically, that means computers will be embedded everywhere in your daily life, and you'll "invoke" operations, so everyday, non-computerised objects - like a banana - can be given computer-like capabilities. This is all leading up to a real-life bananaphone, obviously.
We like cars. We like cool heads up displays. We like jet planes. We like colour. BMW have cleverly combined these in brand new and interesting ways, by taking their 5-series heads up display, shaking it around, adding a drop more of colour, and making it available on practically its entire car lineup.