In Japan, the company is planning to sell 8000 sets per month, but Panasonic official Naohisha Morimoto said, “The catch is you need a special Internet-linking home with its own server that hooks up gadgets and lighting to work with mobile phones and products like Strada F-Class. Only about 2,000 homes in Japan have such Net-linking systems so far.” This basically means that Panasonic is planning to increase these kinds of homes in the country and therefore, the plan was 8000 sets.

Panasonic is planning to introduce an in-dash type navigation system which is the CN-HX1000D (planned to be introduced at June 13) and a 2DIN type which is the CN-HW1000D(planned to be introduced at June20). The features included in these two navigation systems would be the same but will have different price tags. By having two different models, Panasonic is planning to accommodate many different kinds of car models since the models differ in the way of placement.

Information about Panasonic

Panasonic started its operations in 1955 and soon grew itself into a multinational brand with a revenue exceeding 8000 billion yen.  This company is a major employer with over 340,000 workers worldwide and has a product range from TV sets to vacuum cleaners.

Information about Matsushita Electric Industrial

Matsushita Electric Industrial is a global multinational company founded by Matsushita Konosuke in 1918. The company is mainly known through the Panasonic brand, but they also own other companies such as National and Technics. With its huge industry, Matsushita was able to gain net sales exceeding 9 trillion yen and increase its research and development. BY having all of this, the company manages to have corporate offices in almost all of the major countries and stock market listings in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and New York. The company is based on Osaka with headquarters at 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka 571-8501, Japan.

Information from:

http://www.japancorp.net/article.asp?Art_ID=18154

http://panasonic.jp/car/navi/products/HX1000/contents_a/design.html

http://www.zonagps.com/

http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/satnav/panasonic-car-navigation-knows-way-round-home-368106

http://in.news.yahoo.com/associatedpress/20080514/r_t_ap_tc/ttc-worried-about-your-pet-forget-to-loc-02c743b.html

As stated before, the Genesis has factors that allow them to compete with cars thousands of dollars higher. According to the press release, the torsional rigidity of Hyundai’s body in white manufactured body is 14 percent higher than the BMW 5-Series, and the interior space is higher than the E-Class and both the 5-Series and the 7-Series. Both of these are huge facts for the company since the Genesis starts below the 30,000 dollar mark while the German cars that were compared starts well higher than the 40,000 dollar mark. The Genesis also has a close to even weight distribution, revealed as 47/58 percent. There is also one boosting fact to the car. The 17 speaker Lexicon audio system of the Genesis is part of the only two vehicles that have a Lexicon audio system and this other vehicle is the $360,000 Rolls Royce Phantom. It is so incredible that Lexicon enthusiasts have a secondary choice that enables them to experience a Lexicon audio experience without paying the extreme luxury price of the Rolls Royce. This Lexicon inclusion is one confident fact of the Genesis that attracts customers wanting an audio experience of the Rolls Royce. This is not the ending to the Genesis. The Hyundai also has its home made 4.6 liter V-8 engine known as the Tau, which creates an impressive 365 horse power and a 324 lb. of torque. The Genesis also uses a 6 speed ZF Friedrichshafen automatic transmission usually found on luxury European vehicles. By having all of these high-end performance features, Hyundai claims that the Genesis runs from 0 to 60 mph in just below 6 seconds. Other than this, the Hyundai further strengthens its competitiveness by including high end accessory features such as adaptive xenon lights, Bluetooth technology, iPod and USB inputs, adaptive cruise control, an HD Radio receiver, an excellent eight airbag system, heated and cooled front seats, and a similar front dashboard to BMW’s iDrive. Apart from this, the Genesis has reflective leather on the steering wheel to prevent it from heating. All of these features certainly stress many current luxury makers, creating a competitive market.

In terms of exterior design, the Genesis is not as original and therefore, it highly resembles many German styling cues. Its front fascia has a dividing line, which is highly similar to Mercedes Benz’s traditional design. This is a reason why some people already dislike the designs of the Genesis. The rear end of the vehicle also resembles the European makers by trying to imitate the elegance of Mercedes Benz and BMW. With all of these imitating looks, the Genesis looks like a mixture of Lexus’s L Finesse styling, BMW’s sport look, and the elegance of Mercedes Benz. All of this would probably create complaints from these automobile makers thus creating a new image of a controversial maker.

As a vehicle designed to revive the company’s poor image, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis is something that may do the job. With all of the performance features and the high end options, the Genesis directly competes with expensive luxury vehicles from European manufacturers. However, the Genesis maintains a low price which allows the car to appeal to a larger range of customers. The controversial styling of the Hyundai is not a big problem for the company since price beats the customer’s mind. Also, the controversial image may be easily defeated with future releases of vehicles. At the end, this introduction of the luxury vehicle may finally catch the population’s attention, triggering a new positive era for the company.

Controversial front styling Lexus looking rear

Information from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Genesis

http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2007_new_york/0703_2007_hyundai_genesis_concept/index.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/what_s_new_for_2009/2009_hyundai_genesis_sedan_auto_shows

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/detroit/2008/2009hyundaigenesis.html

This powerful vehicle has a base price near the 70,000 dollars, which is quite low for its high specifications. The car boasts an All Wheel Drive system and a 50/50 weight distribution, creating balance in the car. The new high end Bridgestone Potenza RE tires adds excellent grip to the vehicle and its use of nitrogen in the tires adds stability to the vehicle when used in rapid speeds. Even with all of these positive aspects, the car’s performance may become lower because of its bulky 3800 pound weight. However, surprisingly, the GTR reaches 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and the 121 mph mark at 11.6 seconds. If compared, the launches were higher than the expensive Porsche 911 which ran from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. By looking at this, it is clear that the vehicle has excellent performance that is comparable to the European makers while mantaining a low price. But there is one major option flaw into this vehicle: the lack of a manual transmission option. Many supercar owners still prefer the old but controllable manual transmission that allows the driver to experience a better drive. The car only has an automated manual transmission, but none that represents a completely manual transmission. Other than this, the car has excellent performance equipment. This car includes as standard equipment the high end Brembo brakes with 15 inch rotors while also including six piston calibers at the front brakes and four piston calibers in the back.

In terms of exterior design, the car may seem something that is not as attractive. However, with its excellent specs, this is something that people could get through. Supposedly, according to Hiroshi Hasegawa (Chief Designer of the car), the GTR is designed to resemble the Japanese culture. Hasegawa tried to design something unique that will show that the vehicle is completely from Japan and not like others, that has designs that are influenced from the European styles. This supercar has clear influences from the Japanese “manga” Gundam by having the box style design and the unique front fascia. Credit could also be given to its excellent aerodynamics with its high speed down force at both ends of the car and the incredible drag coefficient of 0.27. For information, drag coefficient is a measure that shows the amount of “aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow”.

The Nissan GTR’s interior is driver based with all of the main features located near the driver’s seat. The center console is located high with a slight tilt towards the driver’s seat. The steering wheel of the vehicle has a special GTR label on the center and has control buttons on it. The car also includes excellent technology features such as a customizable monitor that measures the car’s performance, a hard drive navigation system, and the option of an 11 speaker Bose sound system. The car is also incredible for its inclusion of a second row of seats, allowing the vehicle to be a 4 seat vehicle. However, the back row seems to be too small for a fully grown adult and thereby suits only the little ones. Apart from this, the seats are made out of high quality leather, allowing the vehicle to have a touch of luxury. The Nissan GTR also includes as standard equipment a safety system with front side airbags, roof mounted air bags, stability controls, and traction controls.

As one of the most anticipated vehicles in the United States and its excellent value, it is clear that the GTR is the next generation of Nissan’s image. The car has excellent performance that matches many European cars that have prices that are thousands of dollars higher. Even with its few minor flaws, this vehicle could become an excellent showcase for the automotive industry and the delight of the supercar lovers.

Information from:

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/gtr/2009/review.html http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/what_s_new_for_2009/2009_nissan_gt_r_first_drive_review/(page)/1

From this, the Hydrogen 7 was produced involving many new technologies. According to BMW, the Hydrogen 7 was the “world’s first production-ready hydrogen vehicle.” The car boasts an internal combustion engine (ICE) with a double engine that allows the driver to switch between a more traditional gasoline fuel from a hydrogen fuel. When the automobile is in hydrogen mode, the car could drive distances up to125 miles which is sufficient enough for many cases. Even more incredible is the fact that this car rates “well-below super-ultra low emission vehicle standards.” According to Science Daily news website, the car actually cleans the air by burning harmful gases in our atmosphere. This is possible since the car uses a more conventional engine that uses ICE, while other hydrogen vehicles in testing uses FCEV, which is a type of engine that has no burning in the process. By simply hearing that the car uses burning, people will assume and question the truth of this research. However, the burning of hydrogen only creates water vapor, which certainly does not harm the environment. After the car test was taken, one of the mechanical engineers involved in the testing commented, “The BMW Hydrogen 7’s emissions were only a fraction of SULEV level, making it one of the lowest emitting combustion engine vehicles that have been manufactured.” In my opinion this will be a great help on alleviating our environmental problems if people start to buy it. Sadly, BMW is currently not planning to mass produce the vehicle and are only intending to sell it to some famous and privileged people. Currently, there are only about 100 of these magnificent cars that are produced.

Even with these positive aspects, the car still has some negativities. One of the negative things is the refilling problem. Currently, there are only 5 hydrogen refilling stations managed by BMW in the world. Owners would find the refilling of the vehicle’s hydrogen as something that is highly difficult. Apart from this, if the car heat gets too high, the hydrogen will start to vaporize. This happens since the hydrogen needs to be super cooled to be in a liquid state. If all the hydrogen evaporates, there is no meaning on having a hydrogen powered automobile. This car also faces price problems since it uses technological equipments that have high production costs. It is said that if the car goes on sale for the general public, the price will be significantly higher than the other cars in their current lineup, becoming the most expensive car in BMW.

In conclusion, BMW’s Hydrogen 7 has many positive aspects, such as a bivalent engine and the ability to clean the air, but still has some negativity. However if all the unwanted aspects of the car are corrected, the vehicle will become something that people will desire and will turn into a revolutionary vehicle.

Information from:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070103.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Hydrogen_7

In this era, we are facing many environmental issues caused mainly by our treatments to our surrounding. Prices of petroleum are going up rapidly. In 2003, crude oil prices were only 25 dollars per barrel, but this price went up dramatically and in March, 2008 oil prices reached 105 dollars. In this situation, many people are paying this high amount of money to get fuel in their cars. This was the start of the “boom” selling of environmentally friendly, fuel efficient vehicles. In this category, hybrid cars were selling in an extraordinary way. Hybrid cars are vehicles using both electricity and conventional fuel in order to power the car. Now, car companies are considering this technology as the future of the automotive industry.

In this century, buying a hybrid vehicle helps reduce the amount of CO2 in the air and satisfy the buyer’s environmental and oil price concerns. This type of vehicle usually has less noise when driving, creating less noise pollution in the surrounding. By considering this, hybrid vehicles are a perfect choice for the people who have problems with neighbors because of the sound the automobile emits. After buying this type of car, the neighbors won’t have problems with the noise and complaints will vanish. However, there are also negative facts about hybrid vehicles. While you pay less money for the fuel, the prices of the hybrids are more expensive than conventional ones. According to Toyota USA, the normal Highlander Limited has a base price of 32,000 dollars while the Hybrid Highlander Limited has a base price of 40,000 dollars (price as of March 9, 2008). That’s about 8,000 dollars more than the conventional one! By looking at this, it is easy to identify that the car is not a perfect choice for people who are low in budget. Another negative thing about this car is the fact that these cars have less power than the ones powered by fuel. This happens because of the car’s use of an engine using both electricity and gasoline. Electricity is not a power-oriented source for an automobile; and therefore, the vehicle’s energy output is far lower than a car that uses gasoline as its sole source. For this reason, hybrid vehicles are not intended to sell for a wide range of people. Many power oriented minded people would not consider such a car that has a low energy output.

In conclusion, hybrid automobiles are a great choice for people who are concerned about the environment and the ones that are willing to pay the extra money. However, this is not an excellent choice for people who require lots of power in their vehicles and the ones that are low in money.

Information from:

www.wikipedia.org www.toyota.com

Personal thoughts

In the past few years, my parents were considering the Prius, a Toyota made hybrid, for their next automobile. However, they easily erased this choice from their list because of the negative facts of this type of vehicle. First of all, we often travel on rugged roads. A car that lacks the energy required to run smoothly on rugged terrain is not a good choice for these kinds of people. Since I was the first person in the family that suggested this choice, I was disappointed by this decision. I felt like this because I strongly believed that our earth is being damaged severely by the pollutants derived from automobiles. In the future, if people continue like this, our world will soon be filled with disgusting little dangers flowing through the air. It is true that companies are starting to produce some sort of energy efficient vehicle, but if the thoughts of people doesn’t change, a high amount of car pollution will be produced. Currently, a large population of the world is highly concerned about the environment, but there are still some stubborn people who ignore the environmental problem. As stated before, these are the remaining human population that may continue to create pollution and increase the energy consumption in the world. In order to stop the world’s upcoming danger, I strongly believe that every single human being must understand that all people must contribute and know that we are facing environmental problems. In this case, the introduction of hybrid vehicles was a positive action that may be considered as one of the contributions to the alleviation of the pollution problem. Buying this type of car is one way to reduce and help our environment.