Winter Driving

When it's below 44 degrees, it's tires, not ice that's the biggest hazard on the road

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Nov 10, 2019, 12:32 pm

Pirelli has launched an education campaign to help Americans understand that they need to switch over to winter tires.

Photo by Getty Images

Hello, winter. The seasons have changed and just like that freezing rain, ice, snow, road salt, and hidden potholes have become the norm. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, winter storms, bad weather and sloppy road conditions are a factor in nearly half a million crashes and more than 2,000 road deaths every winter.

Pirelli is kicking off a new campaign, #Below44. The 44-day campaign aims to educated drives on why winter tires are critical for anyone who lives in an environment where the temperature regularly dips below 44 degrees.

Pirelli Winter Tires: Enjoy the bad season. Video by Pirelli

Sure, there's always going to be people out there that boast about driving their rear-wheel drive boat of a sedan on all-season tires through "Nor'easter of '75" but that doesn't mean that you should tempt fate.

Why make the switch to winter tires?

"There are two reasons why we recommend consumers who live in colder climates switch over to true winter tires," said Ian Coke, Head of R&D, Pirelli North America. "The first is because tires are made of rubber compounds that respond to extreme temperatures and become stiffer as temperatures decrease. This stiffness can significantly reduce the traction levels of the tire tread – the part of the tire that makes direct contact with the road surface – and compromise the tire's overall performance and a driver's safety. As the temperature continues to drop the performance level of the tire will also continue to be impacted."

In Canada, where winter tires are mandatory, there has been a significant reduction in serious accidents that occur during the winter driving season, AAA reports. In Montreal alone, the rate dropped 46 percent.

Pirelli Winter Tires: The winter season is not so bad. Video by Pirelli

The Pirelli Pro Guide: Winter has launched and features answers to some questions you might have rattling around in your head about winter tires and driving. There are also tips and a consumer rebate offer.

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Such a Tease

Hyundai previews 'fundamental shift in BEV design' with new Ioniq 5 teaser photos, videos

The Ioniq 5 will be the first dedicated electric model designed on Hyundai's new battery electric vehicle platform.

Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Company, the parent of the Kia, Hyundai, and Genesis brands, has released a new series of photos and videos teasing the forthcoming Ioniq 5. The midsize crossover is slated to Abe the first model in the company's Ioniq dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) lineup brand.

It will also be the first vehicle that is underpinned by Hyundai's new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The architecture is similar to what General Motors unveiled with its Ultium platform. The vehicle, Hyundai says, will showcase a "fundamental shift in design approach" for the company where vehicles are designed around the platform rather than modifying existing vehicles to put in BEV power systems like what is in the Kona EV.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 car teaser preview back Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

The fresh design elements in the Ioniq 5 include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging, as well as the CUV's color, material, and finish (CMF) direction that works to connect digital functionality with its analog counterpart. The car's front end features pixel-inspired lights, u-shaped and squared off at the corners. Its clamshell hood spans the entire width of the car, which is a concerted effort to minimize panel gaps and increase aerodynamics.

The wheels feature aero-optimized design and come in 20-inch diameter, the first ever fitted to a Hyundai EV.

"Ioniq 5 presents an all-new customer experience through innovative EV design that is evocative of the icon that established Hyundai's design DNA," said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. "Beginning with Ioniq 5, our dedicated BEV lineup brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured."

In addition to the photos, Hyundai released videos that preview the Ioniq 5's core technologies. Three feature "ultimate camping" scenarios where owners are able to use the Ioniq 5's general power supply (110/220V). In each video, the camper is seen using IONIQ 5's 3.5KW of V2L-supplied power, which they use to roast a turkey in a large oven, listen to music on high-end audio speakers, and exercise on a treadmill—all at a camping site.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 car teaser preview front wheel Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

The '5 Min Challenge' video highlights Ioinq 5's ultra-fast charging capability that enables it to drive more than 62 miles with only a 5-minute charge (WLTP).

You can watch all the videos below.

Ioniq 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 1. Cooking

Ioniq 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 2. Sound

Ioniq 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 3. Running

Ioniq 5: 5 Min Challenge (teaser) - Trailer

IONIQ 5 will debut in a virtual world premiere event in February 2021.

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CES 2021

Profanity-laden video from BMW celebrates (?) just how far iDrive has come

The BMW xDrive system celebrates its 20th birthday this year.

Photo courtesy of BMW

The year was 2001. It was the second year of a new millennium that had gone ahead without much disruption despite all of the concerns about Y2K. It was the advent of modern infotainment systems and BMW was on the cusp of debuting their new iDrive system.

The technology first appeared on the BMW 7 Series, which was ridiculed for a whole host of reasons, with iDrive just another part of what critics thought was wrong with the car.

A new, four-minute video from BMW released to coincide with the beginning of CES celebrates (?) just how far the iDrive system has come in 20 years. Why the question mark? The video is the perfect example of the age old tale of the boy who likes the girl but to hide it he constantly picks on her and shows off in front of his friends, with a smattering of disrespecting your elders.

A story of generations. BMW is a part of CES 2021. www.youtube.com

The entire video takes place in a darkened garage with the 7 Series voiced by an aging male who uses words like "whippersnapper" to ridicule the forthcoming BMW iX, comparing it to a "Tomagachi" and accuses it of being a toy car because it's not in production yet. The iX is voiced by a female who accuses the 7 Series she calls "grandpa" with "sniffing at the gas pumps too long".

The iX accuses the 7 Series of being past its prime, saying that it's impossible to talk to "their generation". The two voices rattle through the various features of their iDrive systems and while the iX's voice goes over that system's, the 7 Series voice replies with a swear word that refers to feces from a male cow.

Then the iX voice explains what infotainment intelligence means to the 7 Series while touting that the iX "knows everything because I'm always online".

BMW iDrive Evolution: BMW 7 Series with iDrive (2001)

The BMW 7 Series: The iDrive Control Display with basic Menu 2001

Photo courtesy of BMW

After being thoroughly insulted, the 7 Series drives away and the iX seeks them out saying the popular refrain, "I didn't mean it that way" before explaining that without the original iDrive the iX wouldn't exist.

While amusing, the video clearly fits in with social media posts the company has featured recently where they make fun of older buyers, who are also known as the bread and butter of BMW's audience. It's an interesting sales tactic.

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