Reporter: Paul Lin
Multimedia Producer: Elva Ramirez
Itsi Atkins, an instructor and advocate for the Segway, discusses the increasing popularity of the motorized personal vehicle. He also take Paul Lin for a spin.

We took the new 2008 Vespa out for spin to see if riding a scooter can make Manhattan more romantic.

The world's most expensive and fastest production car arrived in America. WSJ.com's Elva Ramirez spoke to Bugatti and Hermès executives about their companies' joint project: the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès.

The navigation market continues to expand past merely providing directions — even if drivers are getting too reliant on their GPS devices.

INRIX’s traffic mapping

MapQuest, the online mapping site, announced a new partnership which allows them to offer real-time satellite traffic information. The data is powered by INRIX, Inc., a company that also provides traffic information to Clear Channel, BMW, TomTom and Garmin.

This marks the first time that INRIX’s data has been offered for free. Google, Yahoo and LiveSearch also offer traffic data on their mapping sites but according to INRIX, the company has a wider national reach (they cover 110 cities and over 55,000 miles of road).

The line between the fashion and automotive industries continues to blur.

One needs only to look at last night’s pre-show parties, where creative young people mingled with industry executives over dainty burgers and free vodka.

At the Saab party, the 9-X Bio Hybrid
concept shared the stage with models.

Mercedes-Benz’s VIP “House of Bluetec” event was held at Splashlight Studios, a site popular for staging New York runway shows. Sheryl Crow gave an intimate performance while black-clad model-waiters offered guests blueberry vodka cocktails and tiny servings of french fries. IMG Fashion vice president Fern Malllis was spotted near the edge of the stage during the performance. (IMG presents New York Fashion Week, which Mercedes-Benz has sponsored for over seven years.)

Auto makers are turning to the fashion world to inject some hipness into their brands and distinguish themselves as features and reliability become more standardized.

According to Wes Brown, partner at consumer research and trend consulting firm Iceology, luxury consumers view vehicles as fashion statements that convey who they are or whom they want people to think they are. "We've done research and literally, we've had people in the room say, 'My BMW or my Jeep is the last thing I put on before I go out,'" Mr. Brown said.

Purple: from runway to highway When the models wearing Betsey Johnson's spring/summer 2008 collection sashayed down the runway at New York Fashion Week in September, their sky-blue tulle skirts and cotton-candy-pink prom dresses were noted by sundry fashion editors, retail buyers, celebrities and photographers. Also in the audience: Jon Hall, Ford Motor Co.'s chief paint designer.

Clothing designers are currently working on fall 2008's fashions, but design teams at auto makers like Ford, General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen AG's Audi are tweaking the paint choices consumers will be reviewing for cars in 2011 and beyond. Companies are paying more attention to color because consumers are, and having the right -- or wrong -- color in stock can affect the bottom line.

Navigon 7100's Reality-View What It Is: The newest generation of GPS tools is packed with multimedia functions. No longer mere direction-givers, high-end navigators are bundling hands-free phone-calling, music-playing and traffic-warning tricks into one sleek device.

What It Is: Portable car-seat massagers aim to lessen the effects of traffic and bad drivers by kneading away your stress as you drive. The cushions are strapped or placed on any car seat, and are powered by the cigarette adapter. The massagers usually have several settings and muscle locations to choose from. Some of the massagers are heated.

Maserati's high-resolution graphics. What It Is: The online car configurator might be the latest in guilty office-hours pleasures. Moving beyond the typical online pricing tools, nearly all auto makers host online configurators where potential customers can customize the new car of their dreams. It's also very easy to print or email your dream car specs to a dealer and see how much it would cost to make that car a reality in your driveway. (In fact, that's the whole point.) Some auto makers have created car-building programs that mimic the visuals (and some of the fun) of videogames.

WSJ.com's Elva Ramirez tours a self-parking garage in New York to see the technology behind the new convenience.

(See related stories: High-Tech Garages Save Space, Services Take Some Pain Out of Parking)

Common across Europe and Asia, fully-automated parking garages are beginning to appear in U.S. cities. These garages require less space than conventional garages, and are proving alluring to developers who must balance high real-estate costs with dense parking needs.

At a fully-automated garage, drivers don't have to search for a spot. Instead, a driver deposits a car into a cabin, then a mechanical system similar to those used in the shipping and manufacturing industries lifts the vehicle and places it into a parking space. These systems stack vehicles in berths and remove the need for space-hogging ramps, driving lanes and access stairs and elevators for drivers. Motion-detection systems ensure there are no passengers in the car before it is parked.

Locating a parking spot in a big city ranks among drivers' most nagging frustrations and new services aim to direct drivers to open spots.

Taking advantage of the Web and new generation vehicle navigation systems, these offerings give drivers more information to help them find the closest - and sometimes cheapest - available spot.

ParkingSearch.com is a "virtual exchange" that lists open parking spaces within ZIP codes, said the company's founder Stephen Sinclair.

While the majority of the roughly 6,000 spaces currently listed on ParkingSearch.com are from commercial lots, there are a small number of residential spots for sale, rent or sublet. The availability may range from a six-month sublet to a space that is only available during the weekend. The number of parking spaces listed fluctuates seasonally as well as regionally, Mr. Sinclair said.

For some car enthusiasts, nothing inspires desire quite like a limited-edition model.

Auto makers are only to happy to oblige, presenting cars that have special features like unique paint colors or an update of a car already proven to be catnip to collectors.

Production of the 2008 XKR Jaguar Portfolio tops out at 255 in the U.S. and Canada. It is the first Jaguar to feature a sound system by Bowers & Wilkins. The XKR is available as a coupe or a convertible. The convertibles will be the rarest breed; only 75 will be made. The cars come with their own unique color: Celestial Black, a deep shimmery blue-black. The cars will be available in late summer; pricing has not been determined.

So how small is the new crop of mini cars?

Just as fashion has both the miniskirt and the micromini, the difference between subcompact, small and micro is matter of well-placed inches.

Aromatherapy burns rubber. What Is It: Car features or products for women once went no further than soft-lit mirrors. Here are a few products women might appreciate.

From the racing world, where a steady foot on the pedals is vital, come no-slip brake pedals that make driving with high heels easier. Auto emergency kits not only include the usual tools, but also instructions for changing a tire, among other things. Some kits also come with membership with an auto-safety club.

Lavender-scented tires bring aromatherapy to your garage.