new car accessories

Who Knew? – Newest Car Brand Revealed – Polestar

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Polestar, the Volvo Car Group’s performance brand, announced its future as a new standalone electric performance car brand. Polestar currently builds the S60 and V60 Polestar, performance road cars with over 250 developments over-and-above the standard Volvo products. It also offers Polestar Engineered performance hardware upgrades and engine software optimizations for existing Volvo products.

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In a joint venture with Volvo’s parent company Geely, Polestar is unveiling the 600hp Polestar 1. The Polestar 1 is a two-door, 2+2 seat Grand Tourer Coupe with an ‘Electric Performance Hybrid’ drivetrain. It is an electric car supported by an internal combustion engine. At 93 miles on pure electric power alone, it has the longest full electric range of any hybrid car on the market.

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Who Knew? – Mazda’s Sustainable Earth by 2030

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Mazda has a goal to create a future in which people and cars coexist with the Earth. This long-term plan for technology development, which they are calling Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030, includes innovative technologies and a partnership with Toyota.

The vision includes perfecting the internal combustion engine, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and introducing electrification technologies.

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Mazda has reinvented the gasoline engine, being the first to successfully use compression ignition and a supercharger to increase engine efficiency by 30 percent and torque by 10 to 30 percent. This technology allows this gasoline engine to outperform diesel fuel efficiency while also lowering emissions.

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Do You Need It? – Moonroof Wind Deflector

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A moonroof allows you to enjoy the sunshine and open air experience. A negative to this experience is the wind turbulence, noise, and direct overhead sunlight caused by this unprotected opening.  Is there anything that might help this situation? Oh, never fear, a moonroof wind deflector is just the ticket for coping with these annoyances.

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While a moonroof provides the pleasant open air feeling, it can also turn the passenger compartment into a wind tunnel complete with rushing air filled with questionable debris and a freight train level of noise that can make calm thought or conversation impossible. A moonroof wind deflector can direct much of this torrent of rushing air over the moonroof opening preventing the hair tangling and making quiet conversation possible.

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Do you Need It? – Truck Bed Step

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Do you really need an additional step to get access to your truck bed? No doubt it would be nice to have an easy way to reach into your truck bed, but a step stool or log round might get the job done. Well if you are looking for a simple, hands-free way to add a step up to your bed, Toyota’s BedStep might be the answer.

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The BedStep stows neatly under the rear bumper. When not in use it is mostly out of sight and out of the way. A spring-loaded cam allows it to flip out ready for use with the nudge of the foot. Another nudge can flip it back under the bumper when done using it. It’s unique side-angle movement provides access to the step whether the tailgate is up or down.

 

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Who Knew? – Intelligent Rear View Mirror

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Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to see out the rear view mirror even if your vehicle was full of tall people or cargo? Well with Nissan’s intelligent rear view mirror you can. The Intelligent Rear View Mirror looks just like a traditional rear view mirror, except it has a built-in LCD monitor that can be activated with the flip of a switch located at the bottom of the mirror. This allows the driver to use either the conventional rear view mirror reflection to see rearward including what is happening inside the rear of the vehicle or the new intelligent view.

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The intelligent mirror uses a rear-mounted camera to “look around” typical interior obstructions like rear headrests, tall passengers, and cargo. The rear camera is mounted under glass that’s swept clean by the wiper for a better view. The mirror’s built-in LCD monitor provides an expanded field of view, reduced glare, and improved visibility in low-light conditions, allowing the driver to feel more confident in a variety of traffic conditions.

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Do You Need It? – Door Edge Guards

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Door edge guards, you know the guards that protect the vertical edge of your doors against dings and paint chips, do you really need them? This area of your vehicle’s doors is the most susceptible to damage in parking garages, at the mall or any tight parking place. To protect your resale value and to add to your vehicle’s sleek, streamlined styling door edge guards may be the way to go.

You can get aftermarket guards usually in silver or black. They come in a roll and are stick-on plastic you cut to fit. Or, you can take it to a whole different level with genuine Toyota door edge guards. Constructed from roll-formed 400 series stainless steel, which is stronger than typical steel, they are encapsulated in a body color-matched Thermoplastic Compound (TPC). The genuine guards are formed specifically to match the precise contours of each specific Toyota vehicle to offer a factory fit and finish.

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Who Knew? – Nissan Expanding NISMO Products

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Nissan Motorsport International Limited “NISMO” is the in-house tuning, motorsports and performance division of Nissan. NISMO cars business department is part of Autech Japan, a Nissan group company that makes performance converted vehicles. Combining talent from Nissan, Autech, NISMO, and other companies a new unit will spearhead the development of an expanded line of vehicles and performance products.

There are currently seven models of NISMO vehicles being offered. The US is receiving four of these modified models:

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Who Knew? – Mazda Engine Cuts Fuel Use by a Third

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Mazda will soon introduce a new engine that uses technology that will increase fuel economy by 30 percent. The technology called homogeneous charge compression ignition has been studied by many manufacturers, but Mazda will be the first to overcome the quirks and put it into production.

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The SkyActiv-G direct injection gasoline engine uses compression ignition to boast efficiency combining the advantages of gasoline and diesel technologies. Most production gas engines have a compression ratio of 10:1 to 12:1. This engine has an exceptionally high 14:1 ratio, allowing it to squeeze more energy from every drop of fuel.

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Who Knew? – Volvo Offers Eye Protection

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For the upcoming solar eclipse NASA warns that except during the brief total phase of the solar eclipse that the only safe way to view the event is through a special-purpose solar filter. Volvo being passionate about safety has produced a custom eclipse viewer for XC60.

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The viewer is essentially a large shade made of ISO-certified 12312-2 material that clips onto the panoramic moonroof and allows occupants to view the eclipse without risk to their eyes, effectively turning the XC60 into a tiny observatory.

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Do You Need It? – Fog Light Kit

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Do you really need fog lights? Well, fog lights are only needed or effective in uncommon driving conditions. They are designed to cut down on the glare that is reflected back at you in bad weather. When there are suspended particles in the air from fog, snow, or dust normal headlights and high beams can cause blinding glare resulting in very poor visibility.

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Fog lights are typically located in or below the front bumper of your vehicle. They are angled down to illuminate the ground directly in front of your vehicle. The goal is to provide illumination that will not reflect back into your eyes. What actually achieves this is the pattern of light that the fog light lenses produces.

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Your normal headlights and especially your high beams create a blanket of light over a large area at a high enough angle to see far down the roadway. Fog lights create a distinct bar of light that illuminates down and to the sides. Good fog lights will have a sharp cutoff line on top that allows little light to show over it, preventing reflective glare from any particles above that.

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