Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Drivers, Makers, Cars, and Ideas



A Little Information of Today:
Sales of Toyota's cars in the US market in the first half of 2007 are 1,331,074 units (record-high for Toyota), while GM has sold 1,880,718 cars. Following the two is Ford with the sales of 1,285,442.

The total market share of the American Big Three is now 50.2%.

Toyota should now start to think about building car factories in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A Little Thought of Today:
"Prius was first embraced by Hollywood stars and other celebrities and remains in vogue long after most cars have lost their buzz. Owners have included Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billy Joel, Bill Maher and Larry David."
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/04/business/04hybrid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

I wonder if Ms. Paris Hilton's case offers another chance for Japanese car makers to develop and promote a new type of safety cars, such as, "No Drinking & Driving Car."

Various car technologies are reportedly under development to prevent drunken driving. For example, Volvo is designing a system that only allows for start of an engine when a driver breathes into an alcohol detection device installed in a seat belt to prove his soberness.

If an automaker succeeds in introducing such a system into their cars and Ms. Paris Hilton, if drastically repentant, takes part in advertisement of such a model of cars, indeed we may find an answer as to why Ms. Paris Hilton has to be so much focused on with expectation of her drastic repentance. We may even say that it is for glory of God to be revealed!

With advent of such technologies to prevent drunken driving, thousands of lives will be saved every year all over the world.

Anyway, the success of Toyota's Prius may tell something important to those, including people of poor countries and Muslims, who wish to succeed in the U.S.

A Little Ideas of Today:
One of my ideas about a new car system is an ejection seat. A moment before a car is crashed, the seats inside a car with parachutes should be vertically launched high through a blown-off roof, though except in a low tunnel. Rocket seats may become a must in future.

Another idea is to install, along a road, remote detection equipment which can measure a state of soberness or intoxication of a driver by monitoring his or her physical conditions, such as movement of an eyeball, through a window or based on behavior of a car, and sends the information to patrol cars. For example, a high-resolution tracking video camera linked with a computer system running a real-time analysis program
may be used. Especially, British police may like to adapt it for their specific needs.


(Independence Day reminds me of the lunar landing by the crew of the Apollo 11 rocket and also battles in Vietnam, both together having been reported in those days. Where were you then? On the moon or in a jungle? Where were you?)

"...They will be as famous as wine of Lebanon..."