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CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Nissan’s NV200 London Taxi revealed in production guise

Nissan’s NV200 London Taxi revealed in production guise The lack of investment in the traditional London Taxi has left the door wide open for competitors, and Mercedes has made a good pitch with its Vito Taxi. But perhaps the most promising option for London Cabbies is the new Nissan NV200 Taxi for London – previewed over a year ago – which has now been fettled enough to be rolled out in something very close to production guise. Designed by Nissan’s London Design Studio, the NV200 Taxi for London is very similar to those Nissan has produced for other iconic taxi hotspots round the world – like the yellow New York Nissan Taxi – but comes with a bit of a pastiche of the traditional black cab’s nose with a new grill and round headlights.

College Exhibition: RCA/GM - Fast Forward 2049

First year students at the Royal College of Art recently held an exhibition at the London Transport Museum commemorating the 40th anniversary of the school's vehicle design course. Sponsored by GM's Opel/Vauxhall division, 19 students responded to a brief that called for them to ‘Fast Forward into the Future'. Divided into three groups - Inside Out, Urban Flow and Automark - the students devised their own notions of vehicles for the year 2049, and in some cases entirely reinvented Opel brand values and aesthetics.