Somewhere between an armored car and a sporty bank vault, the Ford SYN US concept is compact enough to maneuver through congested streets yet bold enough to look like it can look after itself. It was designed as an exercise to see what the urban vehicle of the future might look like, with a strong emphasis on security, as the majority of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2010.
The architecture of the SYN US comes from the Ford Fiesta and the inspiration definitely came from bank vaults and armored cars - this concept's exterior design immediately communicates that it takes security seriously. When parked and placed in secure mode, SYN US deploys protective shutters over the windshield and side glass. Small windows on the flanks and roof are non-opening and bullet-resistant.
Colors, shapes and materials throughout the inside of the concept also were chosen to emphasize the sense of warmth and welcome. And to make the interior even more accommodating and spacious, the steering wheel folds away under the dash. The instrument panel is similarly user-friendly. A model of ergonomic efficiency, it incorporates easy-to-read gauges and intuitive controls.
Perhaps the SYN US concept's most eye-popping feature is a gigantic widescreen liquid crystal display in the tailgate. The largest flat screen LCD ever mounted in a vehicle, it offers a choice of Internet surfing, movie viewing, or, via, cameras, watching what's going on outside the vehicle. In motion, the display works with the cameras to function as the vehicle's rear window: by looking in the rearview mirror the driver can sees a high-definition closed-circuit image of the rearward view
In the interest of fuel economy, the diesel is compatible with bio-mass diesel fuel. This mix features 80 percent traditional petroleum-based diesel mixed with 20 percent bio-mass diesel. Bio-mass diesel is a non-toxic biodegradable diesel fuel made from biological sources, such as agricultural products and even recycled restaurant grease.

Mobile homes have come a long way since the days of the humble caravan. With the Sky Deck motor home from Airstream you really can take it all with you - and sleep under the stars with the Sky Deck's unique, full-sized roof patio. Accessed via an inside hardwood staircase and safely enclosed within a perimeter railing, the Sky Deck lets you enjoy entertaining and other outdoor activities with an unobstructed, panoramic view. Surprisingly, the Sky Deck patio adds just 10 inches of height to a standard coach, allowing the Airstream motor home to retain a low profile.
With other RV roof platform add-ons access is often via temporary, rickety and awkward ladders. The platforms themselves are small, with no available seating. In contrast, the Sky Deck's marine-grade weatherproof rooftop furniture takes about 30 seconds to unfold. All you do is flip two switches, engaging hydraulic actuators that convert the roof from a streamlined traveler to a spacious and accommodating rooftop oasis.
There's seating for at least 15 friends and family members or for elegant corporate client hospitality, with standing room for even more. And it's safe - the patio is engineered by Airstream to withstand a heavy load. When it's time to head back down stairs, the patio conveniently retracts within seconds from controls inside the coach.

The rise of specialist automobiles for niche markets continues with a showing of the Scion xB DJ vehicle at the SEMA conference in Las Vegas recently. The Scion xB DJ Concept Car is packed to the brim with audio/video and navigation equipment from Pioneer Electronics.
It's quite amazing the amount of gear that is crammed into the Scion xB DJ vehicle, which has a squat and compact frame and room for two people in the front seats. Mounted on the doors are Pioneer's REV series component speakers. The rear doors motorize open to reveal four sets of the TS-C160R REV speakers installed in specially shaped enclosures. A total of four Pioneer TS-W12PRS 12-inch subwoofers provide heart-pounding bass. REV style grills match the REV speakers on the doors.
The entire rear of the xB fully motorizes out to reveal Pioneer DJ products. When the rear fully retracts, two CDJ-1000s and a DJM-600 mixer in a "coffin" motorises up, ready to play music for the crowd. Two AVD-W8000 8-inch monitors reside next to the CDJ-1000s and monitor in the rear window provide video entertainment.