Vauxhall launches speed limit detectors on Insignia (2008)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 June 2008 07:53 Vauxhall's new Insignia will be the first of a wave of cars to have a forward-facing camera that can read road signs. The optional kit will detect speed limit and no overtaking signs – and flash up a reminder to the driver on the dashboard.GM calls the tech, which will be launched in early 2009, Traffic Sign Recognition and it uses a small, wide-angled camera system supplied by Hella. It sits at the top of the windscreen near the rain sensors and rear-view mirror, scanning the road ahead taking 30 photos per second.It's 1984 all over again...With a range of 100 metres, the camera focuses on circular patterns and then interprets the numbers inside by contour comparison; if a match is found on the software's database, that road sign will be flashed up in the driver's binnacle.The front-facing camera is also used as a lane departure warning system, alerting the driver if they unintentionally swerve out of their lane on a motorway.Cars with cameras: a growing trendMore and more manufacturers are fitting cameras to their cars nowadays and you can expect a flood of systems like the Insignia's to be launched in 2009, including the new BMW 5-series.CAR tried out these new systems on Bosch prototypes in 2007.

Brussels Motorshow 2008

By Graeme Dykes Motor Shows 24 January 2008 23:29 Running from January 17th-27th, the Brussels Motorshow is probably the first European motorshow of the year. Comparisons with Detroit are perhaps unfair but almost inevitable. There was certainly plenty of glamour with Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and Lamborghini amongst the exotic participants.

GM recalls 2011 Cadillac SRXs for airbag fix

General Motors is recalling 50,500 copies of the 2011 Cadillac SRX crossover because the front-passenger airbag does not work as outlined in the owner's manual. The recall affects 47,401 vehicles in the United States, with the remainder in Canada and Mexico. GM said there are no reports of crashes or injuries related to the issue.