The latest news for Chevy is that General Motors will keep its new subcompact car production in the US.  GM originally planned to make the new car in China, basing it on the Chevrolet Spark set for sale next year in Europe. But in May, GM agreed to make the car in the United States in exchange for UAW concessions in advance of the automaker’s June 1 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in New York. Although two of GM’s factories will still close, the automaker’s Orion Township, Mich. Factory will be retooled and will make as many as 160,000 small and compact vehicles a year on two shifts. The Spring Hill and Janesville plants, which had been candidates for the small car, now face the prospect of indefinite idling.  Stamping for the new car will take place in Pontiac, Mich., GM said in a statement. The small car, which GM said it plans to start producing in 2011, will save about 1,200 jobs in Orion and 200 in Pontiac.

The Orion Township plant currently makes the Chevy Malibu and the Pontiac G6 sedans and was scheduled for standby idling in September. GM is phasing out its Pontiac brand by the end of 2010, and the automaker also builds the Malibu in Kansas, City, Kan.

GM’s plant location for the car became politicized because the U.S. government is slated to own 60 percent of GM once the company emerges from bankruptcy protection. Last week, the Michigan congressional delegation launched an all-out lobbying effort to land the plant.

As more technologies become standard in everyday life and people are more and more on the go, multitasking while driving has become the norm on American roads. Automakers, meanwhile, are caught between growing consumer demands for more capabilities and conveniences — and the safety and legal concerns that might encourage auto designers to discourage multitasking.  The list goes on: shaving, changing clothes, fixing hair, eating and texting.

The obvious problem with this trend is that it without a doubt distracts drivers; about 80 percent of all crashes are related to some form of distracted driving, according to the U.S. government.  Car designs have made great strides in making occupants of the car safer in an accident, but they can only do so much.  Furthermore, carmakers battling for sales are turning to convenience and technological features to gain the upper hand. The automakers view is they have a responsibility to provide consumers with what they want; it is the consumer’s job to use these safely. The automakers have taken steps, on their part, to encourage a safer multitask drive. With Navigation systems, none are designed so drivers need to lower their heads more than 30 degrees from a straight-ahead position. Also, many automakers won’t allow front-seat occupants to enter destination addresses manually while the vehicle is in motion.  Including Bluetooth in vehicle design is another way automakers are addressing this issue. Drivers will never stop talking on their phones while in motion, so having hands-free technology available in the car is important.  Voice recognition technology is also making multitasking safer.

Right now four states and the District of Columbia already outlaw the use of handheld phones while driving, and at least 38 states currently are debating bills that would specifically regulate text messaging while behind the wheel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Highway designers are trying to add more rumble strips on highway shoulders to startle those who’ve strayed to the side, and creating greater numbers of safe rest spots along the nation’s roads.

There is a thin line between citizen’s personal property rights and the government’s right to make roads safer.  Add into the mix automakers and the technology industry and there is a lot going on.  Hopefully, in the future a common ground will be found and multitasking, for however we take it, will be safe.

To get a high quality audio system, factory installed in a vehicle, often means a price tag of a luxury car.  Yet, there are a few makes that are both inexpensive and loaded with top of the line audio equipment.  Here are two options:

Jeep Compass

An option on the  Jeep Compass base Sport trim is a premium Boston Acoustics sound system. This setup comes with two articulating liftgate speakers.   This very unique feature allows the speakers to be adjusted so they face outward.  This will provide perfect sound for any occasion of open-air entertainment. You’ll also find six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Sirius Satellite Radio with a 1-year subscription provided by Sirius, and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls.  This audio system is offered for $795 more to the price.  A stripped-down version,  featuring just the two articulating liftgate speakers and six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer,  is offered for $495 on the more luxuriously outfitted Limited trim. The base-model Compass goes for $16,475.

Dodge Caliber

To get the best sound, skip the base model.  The Caliber SXT starts at $16,620, and offers an optional stereo upgrade for an additional $495. For this extra fee, you get six Boston Acoustics speakers with subwoofer and a Musicgate Power sound system. You also get two articulating rear liftgate speakers.  In this case, its all about the tailgate party, and with this vehicle, you would be all set for sound. The Caliber R/T starts at $18,395, and also offers this upgraded sound system as standard equipment.

Keep Your Pet Safe While Traveling

It is amazing what people in this country will do for their pets, from spending thousands for medical treatment, to buying bottled water or special ice cream.  One may think that bringing the family pet on a car trip is a great idea – you get to skip asking friends to look after your pet and you can avoid the costs and concerns that go with boarding and kennels.  Yet, traveling with pets in the car takes planning and preparation, and there are special challenges that go along with the trip.

Guidelines for Dogs

Dogs riding in a car should not ride in the passenger seat if it is equipped with an airbag, just like a child should not.  It should never be allowed to sit on the driver’s lap, as this poses a danger to both the driver and their pet.  Dogs should not be allowed to ride with their heads outside car windows, as dirt or debris can enter the eyes, ears, and nose, causing injury or infection.    If they seem to have car sickness, there is a medicine the vet can prescribe that can help this.    Today, there are many vehicle safety products for dogs.  Read more about these below.

Guidelines for Cats

Cats should always be in a cat carrier.  This allows them to feel secure and prevent them from crawling under your feet while you are driving.  Before going on a long trip, take the cat on some short trips around town, if it does not usually ride in a vehicle, or it is especially nervous when riding.

Car Travel Products for Pets

Personalized Pet Car Seat: This is designed for small dogs (less than 10 pounds).  It is an elevated, square carrier that will easily attached to any seat.  This not only allows smaller dogs to be able to see out the window, but there is also a safety harness that will keep him in one place.

Pet Travel Hammock: This could also be called a safety. It attaches to the back of the front-seat headrests and drapes down across the back seats, creating a hammock. This prevents your dog from tumbling onto the floor during quick stops or unexpected swerves.

Travel Harness: This is sort of a seatbelt that fits around the back of a dog’s front legs.  Many models attach to seatbelt buckles, while others tether through the vehicle’s round bar. This protects your dog, and it also prevents a distracted driver, as the dog can no longer be jumping from front to back seats and back again.

Dog Ramp: This ramp is especially useful for older dogs that have a hard time getting around. It allows your pet to enter and exit cars without having to leap, jump, or be lifted.

You must take into consideration your pet’s health, happiness and safety – everything you deal with at home, and these things need to be addressed as much, if not more, while on the road.  Only give small portions of food and water. Plan to stop every two hours for a bathroom break and exercise, which you will need a leash for.   An identification tag should always be on the pet, but in addition put one on that includes a mobile phone number. Bring your animal along on a trip can be convenient and even ‘fun’, as many animals are considered part of the family.  It is easy to make things go smoothly; just come prepared and ready to alter the way you normally travel.  Always pay attention to the pet while on the road.  Be aware of any change in your pet’s appetite, energy, and disposition.

Bluetooth in Cars

Bluetooth is a word that just about every knows, and it has taken the technological world by swarm, enabling multi devices to communicate.  Bluetooth is a standardized short-range wireless communication technology that uses a low-power radio frequency. It has a list of benefits such as: it’s low-cost, its low energy consuming, and it’s interoperable, even if gear is made by different manufacturers. This gear may include your cell, laptop, PDA, and can involve the car stereo if the vehicle is equipped.  The transmission range between devices is about 30 ft. The Bluetooth allows one type of device, such as a headset, to communicate wirelessly with another type of device, like a car stereo. Any devices with the same Bluetooth “profile” can communicate.

A big breakthrough for Bluetooth has been to include Bluetooth-enabled stereos that can sync with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone into vehicles. While you’re in the car, link the phone to your stereo and talk through the stereo speakers with the vehicle’s built-in microphone. You don’t even have to touch the phone. If the phone you have has Bluetooth capabilities, then this will work anywhere. For vehicles without the Bluetooth included, a hands-free car kit can be installed. With this technology you can also sync all your devices, like editing your address book, or putting a date in on the calendar, it can all be done wirelessly.  There is no special software or cables, no docking stations, or extra monthly fees.  In a world when owning so many different devices are common, Bluetooth is the answer.

The advantage of Bluetooth over WiFi is that you can be totally mobile, and walk around where you want. The possible developments with Bluetooth are endless, so who knows what we will be using it for in the coming decades.  Until then, it will become a standard feature in many vehicles, from many different automakers.

Teen drivers are the number one age group that is involved in vehicle accidents.  The statistics about teens and accidents go on and on, and they are astounding.  According for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths in the age group.  The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group, and per-miles-driven teens ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.   IIHS statistics also show that 16- and 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger.  Parents have a large responsibility in preparing their teens to drive, instead of just adding them to the family insurance policy and handing over the keys. They should know every time their child is driving and where they are going.  They should also be aware that, although one day seminars may help, it takes weeks of conversation and driving with your teen for them to be truly ready.

The number of teens on the road is increasing, and the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  Considering this, it can be expensive to add a teen driver to an insurance policy. Further more, according to a recent report from AAA, car accidents involving drivers 15 to 17 cost society more than $34 billion in medical expenses, property damage and related costs in 2006.

AAA has also been instrumental in advocating graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems that ease teens into driving in three stages: a supervised learner’s-permit period, an intermediate license that limits driving in certain situations except under supervision and finally a license with full privileges. Under GDL requirements, many states restrict teens from driving at night or with more than one teen passenger in the car. A handful of states have comprehensive GDL systems, with substantive night-driving and passenger limits and mandatory practice times for teens. But the vast majority has gaps.

This all goes to show how essential teen driver training is.  While kids spend many more hours a week training at sports, only 50 hours of driving experience is for a driver’s license in some states.   Parents, educators, and teens themselves are beginning to realize the need for more instruction before a license is obtained.  Special ‘schools’ are popping up everywhere, offering teens those extra hours needed.  Courses blend classroom and behind-the-wheel experiences.  A class may, for example, have the teens study the dynamics of driving, learn accident avoidance skills, and practice driving in emergency situations.  They are also taught how to drive in a variety of foul weather conditions.  Another key skill that may be taught is how to become more aware of traffic situations and to look far enough ahead to anticipate the actions of other drivers.  Students maneuver their own cars through a course laid out with orange traffic cones in closed parking lots. Participants repeat the exercise several times to learn from their mistakes and to improve their skills.  The ‘schools’ are often one day programs, some are free and some can cost up to a few hundred dollars. There are many steps to be taken to make teen drivers safer.  It involves not only teens themselves, but also their parents, lawmakers, and teachers.  Working together is the only way to decrease the astounding statistics surrounding teen drivers.

Today, the most successful way of driving ‘greener’ is with a hybrid vehicle.  Every year, more and more hybrids are coming on the market; and in every shapes and sizes.  Whether a hybrid is right for you depends on your needs and also your perception of value. You’ll pay more for a hybrid than its conventionally powered counterpart. You may, or may not, make up for this extra cost in fuel savings over the years. But recapturing the added cost of a hybrid is not necessarily the primary motivation for purchasing one. The ability to not have to worry so much about high gas prices every time you fuel up is a powerful attraction on its own.

Economics aside, gasoline/electric hybrids appeal because they reduce fuel consumption. Conserving fossil fuels such as gasoline made from petroleum is crucial because fossil fuels are non-renewable, meaning that once we’ve used up the Earth’s supply, that’s it, no more. In 2004, the U.S. produced 9 percent of the world’s total petroleum output, held 2 percent of the world’s crude oil reserves, but consumed 25 percent of petroleum produced globally, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That’s a staggering consumption rate of 20.5 million barrels of oil per day.  It’s not hard to see why many large companies in the automotive industry and others are increasingly focusing on hybrid-electric technology.

And let’s not forget the other crucial hybrid advantage: extremely low emissions. Drivers of hybrid vehicles actively improve air quality on a personal level without doing anything more than driving their cars. Gasoline/electric hybrids make this possible in several ways, one of which is by splitting power between an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, thereby reducing fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions simultaneously.

Another way that hybrid vehicles help reduce pollution — arguably the one with greatest impact — is by shutting down their internal combustion engines in idle traffic, which is when exhaust emissions and fuel consumption are at their highest (you get zero miles per gallon in a gridlock). Some even leave the gasoline engine off at low speeds, relying solely on power from efficient electric motors for motivation from a standstill up to around 25 miles per hour.

Some of the hybrids of today include the Mercury Milan Hybrid, the Chevy Malibu Hybrid are excellent examples of sedan hybrids.  Not so long ago, the environmental advantages of conserving fuel and reducing exhaust emissions represented the primary reason many buyers would step up to cutting-edge and comparatively pricier hybrid vehicles. That’s changed with spiking gas prices and politics around dependency on “foreign oil,” both of are spurring interest in fuel efficiency. Together, the dual advantages of higher fuel economy and lower emissions present a compelling case for considering a hybrid as your next vehicle.