Volvo first unveiled its all-new S60 by asking artist Esref Armagan, who is blind, to paint his impressions of the car. Since reading Friday’s post about Armagan and his incredible painting, I’m sure you’ve been waiting for me to post the photos of the new Volvo S60. 

The time has finally come. The all-new S60 has angled headlights, sharper curves and a bolder grille. The sloping roofline allows the S60 to look like a four-door coupe. It’s a great-looking car, and it’s definitely an improvement on the 2009 sedan’s safe — and a bit boring — look.

However, my imagination was so titillated by Volvo’s video documentary on Armagan that I was hoping for unicorn wings and a rainbow aura on the S60. What do you think?  Was the suspense worth the wait? Tell us in the comment section below.

The recent accidental drowning deaths of three young women whose car was found in a North Dakota pond reinforces the importance of knowing what to do if your car is submerged.

Dickinson State University students Kyrstin Gemar, 22; Afton Williamson, 20; and Ashley Neufeld, 21, died after accidentally driving their Jeep Cherokee into a pond. The women who were softball players at the Dickinson, N.D. college had enough time to make several emergency phone calls, but help didn’t arrive quickly enough, according to our friends at MomLogic.com. The Cherokee was found submerged in 12 feet of water.

I’m sick to my stomach even thinking about such a scenario, especially since the majority of my drive time includes my young children who are buckled into child-safety seats.

The H1N1 flu hysteria seems to have diminished among my friends. Most of us have made our decisions about whether we’ll get the vaccine for our children (so far, all of my mommy friends are leaning toward getting it), and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the word that it’s available. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry when someone in my family complains of not feeling well. All it takes to jump-start my swine flu fears is a few sniffles.

Hit Me With Your Best (H1N1) Shot, Motherhood Uncensored
Blogger Kristen has been debating about whether to get the H1N1 vaccine for her two young children. One she finally decided to do it, she realized she couldn’t find a doctor who had the vaccine. She ended up dragging her kids to a community health center, where she waited in line for a very, very long time. After all that rigmarole, she thinks the health-care workers should give the parents a stiff drink as they give their kids a shot. It sounds fair to me.

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: