More mileage seems to be the common demand of today’s automotive market.  What with automakers trying to outdo each other with the latest hybrid models while motorists make sure they drive ecologically and fill their tires with the right amount of air. Honda’s latest offering, the Insight is clearly trying to marry both approaches into one neat package, and doing so with style.

Armed with the new Ecological Drive Assist System (or Eco-Assist as Honda likes to call it) at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the gas hybrid Insight provides some virtual assistance to drivers on the stretching those miles beyond gas-saving driving techniques.

The interface at first look, is gorgeous.  But the real magic happens when the driver presses the green ECON button.  Once activated, the system electronically adjusts transmission, engine and the powertrain to configurations that optimize the consumption of fuel.  Even the A/C and brakes get a few enhancements on ECON mode.  Another neat feature is the live feedback provided by ECON mode.  After all, a computer can never really replace a driver’s brain, so it also provides real-time information on how the car is performing mileage-wise, allowing the driver to fit their driving style to fully maximize fuel consumption.

The Eco-Assist equipped  Honda Insight  scheduled for a mid to late first quarter release in 2009.  No news on what other models will be carrying the system, but it’s pretty safe to say that the other players will be looking at how it actually performs in real driving conditions.

[Source: Honda via World of Car Fans]

If there are any arguments for the wholesale shift to biometrics and keyless car entry, SNEAKEY would probably on the top of the list.  If such a debate has yet to exist, this little bit news might prompt car manufacturers and to consider such a move. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego have designed a program that can duplicate keys by simply analyzing a digital image of the keys.

The UC, San Diego-designed program was able to duplicate this key from a photo taken from 195 feet

According to the researchers, it’s all a matter of measuring the pixels and calculating the height and dimensions to make a precise cut.  This brings into question the reliability of such program.  In their paper, the UC San Diego researhcers were able to successfully duplicate a key photographed from nearly 200 feet.   Coupled that with the fact that digital image technology is improving exponentially and we have ourselves a potential security issue.  While the code has not been released to the public, researchers warn that anyone with enough knowledge can duplicate the results of their tests on real subjects.

Of course, keyless technologies already exist for top of the line cars like the Toyota Camry.  However, the implementation of this concept isn’t widespread.  Nor is the practice of having a physical key going away anytime soon, not everyone can buy new cars and it breaks too much against percieved tradition (at least, in this author’s opinion).  On a more positive note, this could prompt aftermarket manufacturers to consider providing keyless solutions or interior accessories that could add another layer of security.  But for now, it’s probably best that motorist keep their keys out sight.

[Source: USDC via Gizmodo]