Prius: Too Quiet!

For shoppers, it might be a great idea to take advantage of the current Volkswagen Deals going on right now.  But if you want the best selling hybrid to be parked in your drive way, then you still need to check out the Prius from your local Toyota dealership.  Plus, Toyota just announced that the models sold in Japan will feature an optional noise making system under the hood!  Just imagine, all the years that car makers spent trying to get their cars quiet and now it is announced that the hybrid models are too quiet and are causing pedestrian accidents.  Some sources estimate that hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in an accident with a pedestrian as a regular gasoline engine vehicle.  Toyota isn't the only one working on this issue, and places like Greensboro Chevy Dealer have thought of ways to increase the noise on the new Chevy Volt.  Other cars that will likely have the same issue are just about every hybrid car as well as the new Nissan Leaf electric car. 

The hybrid trucks are a bit noisier than the cars, so the Chevy Silverado Hybrid shouldn't need to have noise emitting speakers installed under the hood.  And with the hemi engine popularity at Dodge Reading, none of their line up should be too quiet!  Beginning at the end of this month, consumers in Japan can spend $148 and have speakers installed under the hood of their car so that their eco-friendly Prius will make the same amount of noise as regular cars.  The success and popularity of the system in Japan will likely determine whether or not the system is made available in the United States. 

So why is the Prius too quiet?  Well, because engineers have advanced the technology so much that the car is usually running on just the electric engine, people outside the car can't even hear that the vehicle is turned on, it is that quiet!  Good luck to the hybrid engineers to make the car louder and still retain those precious miles per gallon!

toyota prius, hybrids too quiet, japan noise making speakers

NHTSA to Update 5 Star Rating Process;

The automotive industry covets the 5 star safety rating that the NHTSA provides for vehicles that meet a certain number of its safety regulations and requirements. Ford vehicles like the Ford F-150 have received good safety ratings and are excellent choices for both safety and convenience. Also, your local Volkswagen Dealer has several models that have the latest in safety features.

Ford has several models which have met the NHTSA's 5 star safety requirements and these models can be found at Pittsburgh Ford Dealers. But, the NHTSA is now going to make it more difficult for automakers to achieve the 5 star rating. The new changes in ratings may have been due to recent consumer concern about auto defects that may pose a risk to consumers.

The NHTSA will review several models from the 2011 lineup that are expected to be in the highest demand by consumers with their new rating system. 24 passenger cars, 20 sports utility vehicles, two vans, and 9 pickups from the model year 2011 will be tested under the new system that has tougher requirements and standards. Tougher crash tests will be used and for the first time there will be a single safety score used per vehicle.

There will also be information about the latest safety features that will become standard on many new models such as lane departure warning systems and forward collision warning systems. These systems are among several new safety features that automakers have been adding to their new models. Other safety features include blind spot warning systems and infrared technology that can detect when a driver is not looking at the road.

Of the program, a NHTSA official said, "This new testing program significantly raises the safety bar for all vehicle manufacturers and will provide consumers with a great deal more safety information about the cars and trucks they want to buy.""