The Ford-iVillage alliance is the first time an online women's network has teamed with an automaker for the direct benefit of female consumers. The partnership will allow Ford to engage in two-way communication with its customers and incorporate feedback from iVillage members to design and develop automotive products and services that are directly relevant to women. Working together, Ford and iVillage have co-developed interactive programming that focuses on three key areas identified as most important to women online: automotive safety; preventative maintenance and road repairs; and financial guidelines for automotive purchases.

The Women's Automotive Center invites the participation of iVillage members in designing a dream car for women. Members will be asked about the features they are looking for in a car and can submit their voice in a monthly poll. A weekly poll also asks women what they think about car safety, purchasing and maintenance issues. In addition, a sub-section of the site, "The Place for Minivan Moms sponsored by Ford Windstar" offers safety tips based on the experiences of women with children.

The outcome of FIAT's efforts in the second field is ECODRIVER (Energy COnversion and DRIVeline Efficient Reeingeering), an innovative propulsion system that may be applied with great benefit to any type of engine (petrol or diesel). The unit features integrated management of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor-driven generator and a Selespeed automatic transmission. Benefits include a 30 per cent or more cut in fuel consumption in some cases. This is not all. The Ecodriver meets growing calls for electrical energy to be used in cars and also allows the car to run on electrical energy alone - albeit for short periods and at reduced speed.