Apple tops car makers

Industry

The long model cycles of cars will prevent manufacturers from ever being able to compete with computer giant Apple for cutting-edge in-car technology, according to the man behind the new Citroën DS4’s interior.

Sean Johnson, who also designed the new C4’s interior, said car makers should be more concerned with their core business and there are some consumers who are “not interested” in advanced control systems and functions for the interior.

“We have to find the balance of making interiors not too complicated and easy to use, with better interfaces,” he told Autocar. “But for the automotive industry, it’s hard to keep up with Apple. Technology that may be radical at a car’s launch will be out of date two weeks later.”

Some of Citroën’s recent concepts have had radical interiors, most notably the rainbow-coloured Hypnos, and Johnson said the firm would “continue to innovate”.

“But any innovation needs to be justified,” he said. “Our DS cars are perfect for exploring this. We plan to keep pushing boundaries with DS and a lot is possible. We’re open and will give anything a go.”
Source:www.autocar.co.uk

McLaren to tweak MP4-12C

The first McLaren MP4-12Cs to reach customers this week will come with a raft of changes designed to bolster the “emotional appeal” of the new £168,500 supercar.

McLaren has been stung by criticism from the car’s press launch. Almost all the world’s major automotive press, including Autocar, placed the MP4-12C below the Ferrari 458 Italia in tests because it lacked the aural drama and sense of occasion to match its pace and dynamic ability.

See pics of the McLaren MP4-12C

Chief among the changes are an improved throttle response and a “fruitier” exhaust note. A McLaren spokesman said these were changes that had been planned anyway, but the press criticism — and McLaren’s “Formula 1 mentality” — had “upped the pace” of development.

“We want drivers to enjoy the car a bit more,” he said. “The changes don’t lead to any performance increase, but they do lead to an emotional increase when you drive the car.”

Read our full road test of the McLaren MP4-12C

The changes apply only when the MP4-12C is in Track mode. Many of the tweaks are to the car’s Intake Sound Generator, which controls the amount of noise coming from the engine bay into the cabin. A tube containing a butterfly valve runs from the engine’s plenum chamber to the cabin. The valve now opens wider in Track mode.

“It was a bit too sensible before,” said the spokesman, “You won’t notice the changes in normal mode, just when you’re really having fun and pushing it.”
Source: www.autocar.co.uk