1968 Buick Owner`s Manual on 2040-parts.com

Multi-touch UI reduces touchscreen interaction to simple swipes [w/video]

Touchscreens have become widespread standard features in many cars over the last few years, consolidating the modern car's many functions into one interface. But despite their advantages there's the big downside of driver distraction, something user interface designer Matthaeus Krenn believes he has solved with his UI. Unlike most other touchscreens, Krenn's interface isn't organized into menus and small, hard-to-hit buttons, but instead makes use of multi-touch gestures, reducing the accuracy and attention needed to operate key functions.

Pioneer App Radio officially unveiled

Pioneer has officially unveiled the App Radio that AutoWeek told you about earlier this month. Now that it's willing to talk, Pioneer claims that the radio and audio system is "the first in-vehicle product designed to utilize the processing power, storage capacity, network connectivity and apps of the iPhone and iPod Touch as the primary source for its information and entertainment capabilities." That does sound a lot like what Mini Connected and, in a more platform-agnostic sense, Ford Sync are doing. Pioneer said it couldn't speak to the similarity of those systems, but Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for Pioneer's car-electronics division, briefed us on installation of the device and what Pioneer is doing to minimize driver distraction.

Chevrolet Spark EV tops EPA's fuel-economy rankings for 2014

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV has been named the most fuel-efficient vehicle by the EPA and the Department of Energy in a new ranking for 2014. The Spark EV returns a combined 119 mpg equivalent, achieving 128 mpg in the city and 109 mpg on the highway. Chevrolet's pure-electric hatch displaced last year's chart topper, the Scion 2013 iQ EV, with its 121 mpg equivalent rating, but the Scion is not offered for the 2014 model year, so it didn't make the list for the U.S.