Volvo asked artist Esref Armagan, who is blind, to paint a preview of Volvo’s redesigned S60. In this fascinating video documentary (below), we follow Armagan as he’s greeted at Volvo’s design center in Gothenburg, Sweden, by Peter Horbury, Volvo’s vice president of design, and then “sees” the car for the first time.

In the video, Armagan uses his hands to create an image the new S60. He then makes a raised drawing of the car he sees in his mind and later outlines the sketch in putty. He turns the image into a painting, using his fingers to apply vibrant-colored paints to the canvas.

Holy hotness! I couldn’t take my eyes off of the Infiniti Essence concept car, with its liquid curves, 592-horsepower gas/electric hybrid engine and sultry yet ergonomic interior. It had had a cool silver paint that was almost looked matte and shiny at the same time. My mind immediately wandered into nail-polish territory, wondering how I could get that same finish on my fingertips.

As the name suggests, the Essence concept car reflects the core values for Infiniti’s models going forward. While this concept car won’t be making it into dealerships, consumers can look forward to seeing its key elements leaking into their favorite Infiniti models, especially the M Series.

What will my fellow mommies adore about this concept car in particular? How about custom-made Louis Vuitton luggage for this sport car’s cargo space? That’s what I’m talkin’ about. 

While the Essence won’t become a reality, it’s good fodder for this mom’s car fantasies.

Today, Chrysler executives revealed their plans for the automaker’s brands of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. The troubled automaker emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year with a new partner, Fiat.

Some of the Italian automaker’s lineup will appear on U.S. shores for the 2012 model year, according to today’s presentation.

Here are some of the family-car highlights from the daylong meeting.

Nissan is recalling 10,586 Sentras from the 2009 model year that are equipped with Bosch master cylinders, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Brake fluid may leak from the master cylinder. If the amount of brake fluid falls below the minimum level, the brake system warning indicator will illuminate, as it’s supposed to, and the brakes won’t function properly. If the warning light is ignored, one of the brake circuits on the car could fail, which may increase stopping distances and the risk of a crash.

Nissan dealers will inspect and replace the master cylinder brake booster assembly free of charge. For more information, owners can call Nissan at 800-647-7261 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

Yesterday, I told you about a study that found women aren’t as knowledgeable about their cars as they should be. Of course, we’re busy and don’t have a lot of time to devote to car care. However, with winter around the corner, now is a good time to make sure your car is running smoothly. The experts at Valvoline Instant Oil Change introduced me to a few good basic ideas to help women keep up with their car care.

According to Valvoline, you should:

Are you a begrudged minivan-driving mama who’s trying to scheme your way out of that old mom-mobile? A trip to Yosemite National Park in California might be in order. The park’s black bears have learned that minivans typically contain all sorts of yummy snacks and tear into the vehicles with greater frequency. Animal crackers and gummy bears, anyone?

From 2001-07, 27 percent of the vehicles broken into by bears at the park were minivans. These minivans made up only 7 percent of the cars entering the park, according to a study published in the Journal of Mammalogy’s October issue.

I wonder if my insurance company would buy the old “the-bears-ate-my-car” excuse?

Many people know that texting while driving is dangerous, but there are plenty of drivers who perform this task while behind the wheel. It may be easy to justify texting while driving, but it’s hard to deny that a driver’s reaction time is slower when reading or writing a text. If you’re not convinced, you should play this distracted driving game from the New York Times’ website.

This game is simplistic, but it gets the point across. You have to navigate a series of virtual tollbooths while reading and writing texts on your virtual smartphone.  What I like about this game is it tells you how well you did — or didn’t — do. The average user is .24 seconds slower in their reaction time when texting and missed 8 percent of the virtual toll gates. I was .22 seconds slower and missed 5 percent of the toll gates. This game reminded me why I don’t use my cell phone at all when I’m driving.

This game is Hot. It provides another great opportunity for parents to talk to their teen drivers about distracted driving. Will you play this game with your teen? Tell us in the comment section below.

Chrysler has issued a recall for 12,674 vehicles, including the 2009-2010 Chrysler 300, 2009-2010 Dodge Challenger, 2009-2010 Dodge Charger, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These vehicles may have been built without a front-wheel spindle nut.

The spindle nut is a rather large and obviously important part of the wheel assembly that keeps the wheel attached to the axle. Without one, it’s possible that the tire and wheel could separate while driving, endangering the vehicle and others on the road. Chrysler made the determination after a new supplier, SMW Automotive, began supplying the front corner modules for the 2010 model year, according to the automaker. The previous supplier went bankrupt. Less than a hundred 2009 models are included in the recall. Affected models were built between Aug. 4 and Sept. 28, 2009.

Dealers will inspect the tire; if there is no spindle nut, they will make the repair free of charge. Owners may contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.