During this year's Open Championship, Mercedes-Benz presented the "Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart".

Hundreds of golf as well as automobile fans took part in an international competition by submitting their ideas for a golf cart of the future. This invaluable input provided the basis for a visionary golf cart design study created by the Mercedes-Benz design department. As well as reflecting the innovative and forward-thinking ideas and wishes of golf players, the study includes the characteristics and technologies of a Mercedes-Benz.

“The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart has a refined, simplified yet functional shape that fits well into our ‘Sensual-Purity’ design philosophy. The flow shapes create a ‘sculpture on wheels’ impression”, says Gorden Wagener, Vice President Design Daimler AG. “I was very inspired by the idea of designing a golf cart, giving it a new shape and new sorts of meaning. Why not treating a golf cart like a car, and making it a 'Golf Car'”.

Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz called upon golf and automobile fans from around the world to submit their ideas for a Mercedes-Benz golf cart of the future. So began the search to find the best, most unusual, most innovative and most promising concepts. A jury chaired by Gorden Wagener then selected the best entries from among all the submissions. The winners received an exclusive invitation as VIP guests to the Open Championship.

Building on the basis provided by these ideas and concepts, and due consideration to the Mercedes-Benz design strategy, the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, California, developed the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart. The cart combines the aspects of Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the functionality of a golf cart. The diamond grille, for instance, was incorporated to give the cart a modern face that is unmistakably a Mercedes-Benz.

The idea of the competition was enthusiastically taken up by golfers from all over the world like Japan, South Africa and Germany, as well as North- and South America. The most frequently mentioned ideas and requirements were then incorporated into the design study that has now been presented.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart and its innovative features

The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is electric driven, powered by a battery that is kept continuously charged by a solar module integrated into the roof. Manual charging, as for a conventional golf cart, is also possible. The vehicle is controlled in innovative and intuitive fashion via a joystick mounted on the centre console, so making it possible for either passenger to drive the golf cart.

„It has the latest in modern technology. Using touch screen monitors, virtually all aspects of the cart can be controlled without extra buttons. Simplicity is the key. Intuition and pure form can maybe best describe the cart“, says Margarete Wies, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, California.

The centre console also incorporates a multimedia panel that includes a rotatable docking station for an iPad or iPhone and a USB interface. Various functions that are available in the golf cart can be controlled from here, for example vehicle functions such as loudspeakers or the air-conditioning system, the head-up display, the music system or communication with the clubhouse and other golf carts.

If so required the head-up display integrated into the windscreen can also be used, when the golf cart is stationary, to show the course layout, the current status of the game or weather information. The digital speedometer is placed beneath the windscreen. One wish that came up time and time again, irrespective of country or language, was the possibility of being able to use a telephone. The cart thus also features Bluetooth, so allowing telephone calls to be made via the loudspeaker system while on the move.

An important issue is connectivity. Due to the iPad/iPhone connection to the cart it is possible to communicate directly with the golf club, for example to order drinks or food for the halfway catering. Current weather data and rain radars are available at any time. Working people have the possibility to write e-mails. In addition, users can share the digital score card or even photos from the golf game directly on social media channels.

The so-called "fore button" can be used to quickly warn other players of a misplaced shot. Pressing this button sends a warning to all other golf carts within the danger zone so that they, too, can issue a warning signal.

The interior takes its cues from the design of a Mercedes-Benz car. The elegant and ergonomically shaped seats, for example, are heated as well as ventilated and can be adjusted electronically using the Mercedes-typical controls on the side of the seat. The AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, first introduced in 2011 in the new SLK Roadster, is also envisaged as a feature of the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart. AIRSCARF, as its name suggests, wraps the neck and shoulder area in warm air, so making it possible to drive the vehicle open, even in cooler weather. There is also an integrated air-conditioning system, so ensuring a pleasant ambience even on a very hot or cold day.

The optional lightweight doors are another special feature. A click-in function allows these to be very simply fitted if the weather is not so good, so providing protection against wind and rain. A retractable lightning rod is included for added safety in case storm clouds start to gather. In bright conditions the windscreen can be darkened at the touch of a button, while it also features windscreen wipers with rain sensors, thus ensuring that they activate as soon as it starts to rain. In addition, the space behind the seats is ideal for stowing umbrellas.

One very commonly expressed request from the international entrants to the competition was, quite simply, to have plenty of stowage space. The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart therefore includes a whole range of stowage facilities. As well as the trunk compartment underneath the stowage area for the two golf bags, there are two dashboard compartments. The centre console is also specially designed to accommodate golf balls and scorecards and have a sun glasses storage. There is a small fridge fitted beneath the centre console, while cup holders between the seats will keep drinks hot or cold. An illuminated vanity mirror was another request, from female participants in particular, and is located at eye-height for the drivers.

In addition to its use on the golf course, the golf cart is also able to run on normal roads. The designers have, for example, also included all the vital features such as indicators, headlamps and tail lights. Thanks to the LED headlamps, play can also continue when the light starts to fail, as they include a floodlight function.

Although the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart is only a design study so far, there are no doubt many players who would like to see the cart become reality, bringing its fresh ideas and thus more fun, more innovation and more comfort to moving around on the golf course.

ADAM, the car that can have a conversation with you !

New ADAM is first car in class that you can ask: ‘Are we nearly there yet?’

• ADAM now available with revolutionary Siri Eyes Free iPhone Integration
• First car in its class with Internet access via voice activation
• Free IntelliLink update for Siri in ADAM models manufactured before June
• Ownership experience enhanced with downloadable radio and navigation apps

When fitted with the innovative IntelliLink infotainment system, ADAM is now available with full integration for Siri Eyes Free, the unique intelligent assistant from Apple that helps you get things done whilst driving just by asking.

Using a steering wheel-mounted button, customers with a compatible iPhone1 running iOS 6 can direct Siri Eyes Free to perform a number of tasks while they keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. This is more than traditional voice activation: you can speak to Siri Eyes Free in ADAM in a conversational tone, just as you would with a friend.

To minimise distraction, Apple and Vauxhall have taken hands-free functionality even further by using Siri Eyes Free mode to interact with an Apple device using nothing more than the driver’s voice. The device screen does not display the Siri text conversation while using the feature in ADAM; this is one of the important safety measures Apple and Vauxhall took during the integration development to ensure the upmost focus on safety.

Siriis available free of charge in all IntelliLink-equipped ADAMs which are ordered from today. Customers who already own an ADAM with IntellilLink can also benefit from Siri Eyes Free, via a free update available from next month. The innovative IntelliLink system can be continually updated throughout the customers’ ownership to ensure in-car infotainment is just as up to date as their mobile communication. Updates are available for ADAM owners through their nearest Vauxhall dealer.

To start sessions with Siri in Eyes Free mode, ADAM owners simply connect their Apple iOS device with the IntelliLink infotainment system via Bluetooth, pair with the system, and use the steering wheel voice activation button. Siri Eyes Free can be activated while other apps such as BringGo continue running in the background. Music or nav directions are automatically muted during this time.

In the Vauxhall ADAM equipped with the IntelliLink infotainment system, owners can use Siri Eyes Free to:

• Make voice-activated, hands-free calls to Contacts on their iPhone
• Play chosen songs in their iTunes libraries without having to spend time scrolling through menus – and therefore being distracted while driving
• Listen to, or compose and send an iMessage, text message or mail to a phone number or anyone in saved Contacts
• Access Calendar and add appointments, read incoming notifications as well as configuration for alarm and notification settings
• And, of course, Siri also answers simple questions such as game scores, weather or the dates of national holidays
• Many capabilities for ADAM’s IntelliLink infotainment system

Vauxhall’s new IntelliLink infotainment system, which made its debut in ADAM, is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Android devices. The full scope of options IntelliLink offers in ADAM also includes TuneIn, a global radio access app, BringGo, a navigation app, and Stitcher, a global podcast internet radio app. IntelliLink brings the connectivity and functionality of smartphones safely inside the car via a seven-inch, high resolution, full colour touch-screen display with Bluetooth or USB connections. IntelliLink, the ultra-modern infotainment system, can therefore be as personal to use as the content kept on an iPhone or Android device. At the same time, Vauxhall IntelliLink is an affordable system, costing just £275.

Standard infotainment for ADAM JAM, ADAM GLAM and ADAM SLAM is a CD 3.0 BT system with radio and CD players, featuring DAB and Bluetooth to enable hands-free calling and USB connections. And the whole infotainment system can be further enhanced with an impressive Infinity Sound System including eight loudspeakers.

Land Rover launches new app to promote the new Range Rover

•  The Trail Less Traveled app is available now on Apple's iTunes for iPhone and iPad

•   App enables consumers to explore the most capable, most refined Range Rover ever, inside and out, through an eight-stage interactive journey from four synced camera angles

Yesterday, Land Rover North America announced the release of the brand's first ever app designed to showcase the fourth generation Range Rover vehicle. The Trail Less Traveledapp, available now on iTunes.com, enables users to take a journey with the Range Rover vehicle, explore its robust  on-road and off-road capabilities and experience the numerous interior and exterior refinements that make the vehicle the most capable and refined Range Rover ever.

"For over 65 years, Land Rover has been a pioneer in the auto industry by exploring new ways to help take people places in a way that other vehicles simply cannot.The Trail Less Traveledapp is meant to showcase this spirit that is inherent to our brand," said Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President of Land Rover North America.  "Moreover, the app is a tool that we know will resonate with our owners and enthusiasts as they are tech-savvy and intensively active social-media users."

Robust on-road and off-road capabilities, combined with a collection of interior and exterior refinements, help differentiate the Range Rover vehicle from its competitors.The Trail Less Traveledinvites users to explore the fourth generation Range Rover, inside and out, through an eight-stage interactive journey from any of four camera angles - simultaneously.  The technology takes the driver through stunning scenery, then switches instantly from wide camera angles to tight close ups and even the driver's point-of-view, all to provide an authentic Range Rover driving experience.

A driver can select his or her own route through an interactive map, advance to different stages of the journey, and even pause the experience, to explore pictures and videos of the latest engineering advancements in the vehicle. Beyond the journey, the driver can choose their own perspective, soundtrack, and even their own ending.

The Trail Less Traveled was conceptualized and produced by Land Rover's creative agency team comprised of a partnership between Wunderman, Y&R and Blast Radius and is the latest digital tool implemented by Land Rover to create a "digital showroom" for owners and enthusiasts. In the past two years, Land Rover has delegated more resources to digital and mobile now than at any time in the brand's history. Digital media spending has doubled to more than 35% of the marketing mix.  Land Rover has also explored new ways to produce digital content through partners such as 500px and refreshed its mobile site and all social properties. The brand is also enhancing its digital presence on social platforms including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr.

Volkswagen and Apple combine to make the iBeetle.

Two iconic products will be forming an alliance later this year: the iPhone from Apple and the Beetle from Volkswagen. As a result, the smartphone will interface with the Beetle and Beetle Cabriolet’s vehicle functions via a specially developed app (‘Volkswagen Car Net The Beetle’) and a docking station.  This makes the Beetle the first model in the Volkswagen Group in which the iPhone will become an integrated component.

There are two routes to acquiring the interface: first as an optional feature, and second as a standard feature on the new iBeetle and iBeetle Cabriolet.  The German carmaker will be launching these special models on the market in parallel with the iPhone 5 integration at the beginning of 2014.  The app, docking station and iBeetle will celebrate their world premiere at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show (20th to 29th of April).

The interface

Located centrally on the dashboard of the Beetle is the newly designed docking station (cradle), in which the iPhone is integrated by simply snapping it in – similar to a mobile navigation system. Once in, essentially, all iPhone functions can be used in the Beetle; the iPhone can be used to navigate, telephone via a hands-free unit, listen to music from the media library via the audio system’s amplifier and loudspeakers, and much more.

The Beetle app

When the app is launched, it can either connect the iPhone to the Beetle docked or undocked.  As soon as the iPhone connects to the Beetle’s data network via the app and the docking station (docked), a menu with the following functions is available: “Spotify”, “Expert”, “Trainer”, “Reader”, “Postcard”, “Photo”, “Post” and “Milestones”.

“Spotify” lets users stream media such as new songs, customised playlists or online radio stations directly to the iPhone and from there into the sound system of the Beetle.  Those who wish can post their favourite music directly to friends.  In addition, users in the Beetle can switch between “Spotify” and iTunes at any time.

Under the “Expert” menu, the app offers five functions which make the iPhone an extended on-board instrument.  Offered here are a G-Meter (for measuring transverse acceleration), oil and coolant temperature gauges for the engine, a chronometer and a compass.

The “Trainer” can be used to compare driving times, distances and fuel economy values for different routes between any two destinations.  Here too, tips can be posted via social networks like Twitter and Facebook – such as which route leads quicker to the university or to a work destination.

The (social) “Reader” lists the latest messages from social networks like Facebook.  There is also a practical function for having iPhone messages read aloud here.

Another communication function is offered by “Postcard”.  In response to a touchscreen command, the app sends the current location of the Beetle to friends as a digital postcard with a map motif and sender identification: “Sent with the Beetle App”.

A photo can be taken from the interior of the Beetle by iPhone camera and sent to social networks with the “Photo” function. Simply activate it, and the app does the rest.

In the “undocked” mode, the “Milestones” menu is available. Here the app rewards its users with virtual ‘milestone stickers’ for the Beetle when certain tasks have been completed.  This is how the app guides users through the range of possible applications.

The iBeetle

Volkswagen conceived the iBeetle for the debut of iPhone 5 integration and, available as a coupe and cabriolet, it is one of the first cars in the world to have a genuine integrative interface for the iPhone that was coordinated with Apple.  The colours and equipment features of the iBeetle are stylistically linked to the Cupertino-based US company, bringing the icons of its smartphones into harmony with what is certainly one of the world’s most iconic automotive designs.

The iBeetle, which will be available at the beginning of 2014 (advance sales begin in October 2013), will not just be delivered to its owners with the standard iPhone interface, but with other customised features as well.  On the exterior, they include standard features such as 18-inch “Disc” alloy wheels (painted in “Galvano Grey” with chrome wheel covers), door mirror housings and side trim panels in “Galvano Grey”, black door sill plates with “iBeetle” signature, “iBeetle” chrome badges and a “Chrome pack” (includes chrome trim strips on the sides).  The iBeetle can be ordered in “Candy White”, “Oryx White Mother of Pearl Effect”, “Black Monochrome”, “Deep Black Pearl Effect”, “Platinum Grey” or “Reflex Silver”.

Inside, the steering wheel accents are in “Galvano Grey”.  This colour is also used for the horizontal instrument pad which is such a key Beetle design feature.  The iBeetle is also upgraded by a customised gear shift grip, black sport seats in exclusive “Vienna” leather and contrasting seams in light “Ceramique”.