Last week I took a trip out to Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey to see both their latest and future safety innovations.

I’m still adjusting to technologies that include lane departure warnings, programmable speed controls, parking assist etc. etc. Mercedes-Benz is into all of that and also way beyond it. Their ESF 2009 (Experimental Safety Vehicle 2009) is based on the Mercedes S400 HYBRID, it features more than a dozen future safety innovations:

Oh, and besides all the mind-boggling technology, I did learn that I am doing one thing correctly. I signal before changing lanes—no matter how far back other cars are—and I always take a look over my shoulder. And I’m told that’s a good thing!

Now on to future with safety solutions from Mercedes-Benz:

Braking Bag: If the vehicle’s sensor system concludes that an impact is unavoidable, the Braking Bag, a “pillow” located underneath the car, is deployed and helps to slow down and stabilize the car.

Interactive Vehicle Communication: Talking cars? Vehicles equipped with this technology will be able to communicate directly with other vehicles using “ad hoc” networks and WLAN radio technology. For instance, if your auto sees an accident, heavy ice or traffic up ahead, it can transmit a message to the car behind it.

PRE-SAFE Pulse: When onboard sensors report that a side impact is inevitable, this active restraint system moves the driver and front passenger towards the center of the vehicle. Air chambers in the side bolsters of the seat backrests are inflated within fractions of a second giving the occupants a slight nudge in the ribs. The impulse is enough to move them out of the danger zone by up to 2 inches.

Child Protect System:
Designed with the restraint system specialist, Takata, this seat is suitable for children aged between three and 12 years. A tubular frame construction claims better support and greater rigidity than versions of molded plastic during a side impact. Prominent side bolsters in the shoulder and head area keep the child in place and prevent them from coming into contact with vehicle components penetrating the interior or with the passenger in the adjacent seat.

The Belt Bag is a combination of a seat belt and airbag. When the crash sensors detect a serious impact, the airbag control unit activates the Belt Bag. A generator inflates the double-layered belt (nearly doubling its width) within fractions of a second. The belt’s width increase also spreads any pressure over a wider area, reducing the risk of injury. This is especially useful for older passengers with less flexible ribcages.

Inspired is the word that Infiniti is using to describe the all-new 2011 Infiniti M line. Along with inspired you can count in trumped up performance, mind-boggling technology and luxurious design. From the soft touch leather seats, hand-polished and buffed silver-powdered interior wood accents to the 420 hp direct inject 5.6-liter V8 engine, Infiniti M is coming on strong for 2011.

Infiniti’s marketing gesture- a set of brush strokes that captures the essence of a car, suggests the outline of the M design. The rear-wheel drive sedan, with its sculptured sides, high front fenders and a low-slung grille, long hood and short deck, is lower and wider than its predecessor. But nothing on the inside has been lost—there’s still class-leading interior and cargo space.

In the cabin, attention is focused on detailing. New switches, Japanese Ash wood trim to all-new switches, lights within the front door handles and a flow to the center stack give the interior a feeling of discreet class. And then there are those available extras like the Forest Air System which mimics a natural breeze and the Bose 16 speaker surround system.

The 2011 Infiniti M comes in four models: M37 (available with sport package), M37xAWD, M56 (available with sport package) and the M56xAWD. Packages range from the Premium with Navigation and climate controlled front seats to the Technology Package with Intelligent Cruise Control, Intelligent Brake Assist, Blind Spot Intervention and Eco Pedal.

The 3.7–liter DOHC V6 puts out 330 hp and 270-lbs-ft of torque; the M37 does 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway; the M37x does 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.

That inspired performance comes from the 5.6-liter DOHC Direct Injection V8 with 420 hp and 417-lb-ft of torque. The M56 dolls out 16 mpg city/25 mpg highway and the M56x does 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

Standard features include 7-speed automatic with available magnesium sport shifter, a drive mode selector with standard, eco, sport and snow, a rear view monitor, active noise control, which generates sound waves to cancel low-frequency engine sounds and bi-xenon headlight.

With the enhanced sport package: dark finish headlamps and grille, 20-inch alloy wheels, bolstered sport seats, aluminum pedal accents.

When you go to check out the Infiniti M line be sure and take a test drive of the technology—even if it’s a run— with the Intelligent Cruise Control or the Blind Spot Intervention system. Like candy, even if you don’t think you need it, you might want it.

Prices start at $46,520 for the M37.

Among the top “most emailed news photos” in Yahoo today? It’s NOT what’s trending right now– the Academy Awards and NASCAR. It is, in fact, the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid concept car shown at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show running through March 14.

If you’re a car lover, you certainly understand. Even the most blinged out stars can’t compete with a set of wheels that look like this…

“Our goal was to stand out,” explained Andre Hudson, Design Manager for Hyundai North America. Sweeping his eyes along the long, low profile of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, he pointed out the dark chrome grille, the large headlamps, the chrome strips that extend flank to flank and the 6^th back window that was put in to stretch out the loins of this lovely looking vehicle.

“We didn’t want to have something overly macho,” said Hudson, who noted that the team looked to nature for what they call fluidic sculpture. Their design cues came from visuals like snow drifts or sand dunes—full volumes with hard creases. “We wanted to translate that into metal and glass.”

And there you have it. The Sonata, priced to start at under $20,000, is a surprisingly elegant eye-catcher that has a lot going for it.

The brand new sixth generation Sonata mid-sized sedan is lighter, tighter and quieter than its predecessor. Engineers shaved off 26.4 pounds, improved body rigidity with a 25% increase in torsion and streamlined the NVH with tricks like narrowing door gaps and reducing the space between the rear glass and trunk.

The 2011 Sonata is offered in three trim levels; the base GLS, SE sporty version and Limited with leather and other premium features. Classed as a large car by the EPA last year, the Sonata has a generous 120.2 cu ft of interior volume with 16.4 cu ft of trunk space.

The four-cylinder lineup launches with a 2.4-liter direct injection GDI engine with six-speed transmission (manual or automatic) and an estimated mpg of 23 city and 35 highway. Its198 horsepower is standard; the SE trim pushes it up to 200 hp. The 6-speed automatic with Shiftronic transmission is available on the GLS and standard on the SE and Limited.

By year-end 2010, a 2.0-liter turbocharged GDI and Hybrid Blue Drive models will be added to the fleet.

Standard features include: Eco Indicator, XM Satellite Radio, HD Radio, Bluetooth and iPod/USB.

Extras include an Infinity 400-watt audio system, 6.5 in touch screen and rearview camera.

Stand-out exterior colors include Black Plum, Iridescent Silver Blue, Phantom Black and Venetian Red. On the Limited, you can order up a wine-colored leather interior. Sweet!

Hyundai’s 2009 motto: “Never waste a good crisis” bodes well for the future of this company. They’re coming into 2010 with a strong line of products.

What happens when super-model Naomi Campbell and the Lotus Evora get together? Obviously, a super car. And one for a good cause.  Eight special edition “Naomi for Haiti” Lotus Evora sports cars, will be auctioned off with proceeds from the auction going to help the relief effort in Haiti.

The  high-performance, mid-engine Evora sports car has been specially designed by Lotus Design Director Donato Coco with input from Naomi Campbell. Bespoke styling combines the flag of Haiti with a dramatic color scheme.

The “Naomi for Haiti” Evoras will be auctioned at Campbell’s Fashion for Relief charity show on February 18th during London Fashion Week. Any remaining supercars will be auctioned off from the website: www.naomiforhaiti.com.

The amount raised for the charity and the highest bidders will be announced by Naomi Campbell at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2, 2010.

2010 Lotus Evora Cup race car

“Best today, still better tomorrow.”

Harvey Firestone Founder of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.

Harvey Firestone founded The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in 1900. Little did he know that the “still better tomorrow” simple rubber tire would evolve into an eco-tire built with compounds that make your ride more fuel efficient.

Bridgestone’s news at the Chicago Auto Show was about Ecopia, the company’s green line. They introduced the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia, its first ever tire for SUVs, CUVs and light trucks and Ecopia EP422, an all-season, low rolling resistance tire for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Why do we care? Ecopia technology features Bridgestone’s latest low rolling resistance which helps drivers get better fuel economy without sacrificing wear or wet handling performance.

How is Ecopia green? The Ecopia EP422 uses post-consumer recycled rubber. Both the Ecopia EP422 and the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia are built with a new Fuel Saver Sidewall compound that lowers rolling resistance by returning more energy back to the tire (instead of generating heat) than a conventional sidewall.

Good for the planet and the pocketbook:

The lower rolling resistance for these Ecopia tires can result in roughly 4 percent better fuel economy when compared to a conventional Bridgestone tire. With gasoline averaging $2.70 per gallon and a vehicle with a 15 gallon tank, a driver who fills up once a week could save about $85 a year on fuel costs (using Bridgestone Ecopia tires versus conventional Bridgestone tires); over four years that’s $340.

That’s almost enough to cover the cost of the tires.

Super Bowl commercials included Motorola’s 30-second clip with  23-year-old sexpot Megan Fox tweeting steamy pictures of herself in a bathtub on the Android powered  smart phone.

Hot, but, hey…how can you compare that with Audi’s tongue in cheek eco piece? The clip showed green police arresting people for everything from foam cups, light bulbs and over-heating a hot tub. In a traffic hold-up, the car ” good to go”? The Audi A3 TDI clean diesel.

Kia showed off its goofy side for their 2010 Super Bowl advertising.

“How you like me now”, a song  by the Heavy, a British indie/rock group, was the background music on Kia’s whimsical video featured during Superbowl 2010.

Kia, known for its marketing genius (aka the Kia hamsters) had fun with this ad. The video stars funky YO GABBA GABBA characters and  a sock monkey doing everything from driving the Sorento in Las Vegas, dancing in a nightclub to getting a tattoo.

One of the other reasons why we like BMW is because of their long-standing involvement in the arts.

BMW’s Art Car program, now in its 35th year, has featured such notables as Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg and Alexander Calder.

Jeff Koons , known for his wildly colorful balloon animal sculptures among other unusual works, has been picked to create the 17th BMW Art Car. At an event held at the his New York City studio, Koons remarked, “I always thought it would be an honor to work on a BMW Art Car. I look forward to participate in a tradition set forth by such great artists as Calder, Lichtenstein, Stella, and Warhol.”

The Koons BMW Art Car will be revealed later in the year.

Want to invest $45,000 to a good cause?  That’s the starting bid for a customized, one-of-a-kind 2010 Acura ZDX four- door crossover is up for auction  on eBay through February 8, 2010. All proceeds from the auction of the Acura ZDX will go to MusiCares- the official GRAMMY Foundation charity that provides critical assistance for music people in times of need and uses the resources of the music industry to issues that impact the health and welfare of the music community.

The ZDX  is dressed with Acura’s 20-inch wheels/tires and custom leather seats and floor mats imprinted with the GRAMMY logo. Additionally, the  signatures of the artists performing at MusiCares Person of the Year Gala will grace the interior— making the ZDX the ultimate collector’s item!

Powered by a  3.7-liter VTEC V-6 , the vehicle puts out 300 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. And, as to be expected, the ZDX features the Acura/ELS Surround 435-watt, 10-speaker Premium Audio System, which was personally tuned by multiple GRAMMY® winning producer/engineer Elliott Scheiner.