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New BMW voice control system

BMW are fitting a new voice control system to their cars from September Hopefully this will work. My own experience of voice control systems is not great – I usually end up doing it manually through the interface. But with BMW’s pretty complicated iDrive system it will be a big plus, and safer, to speak your commands.

Toyota drags down new-vehicle quality average; Ford leads Detroit 3 gains

Dragged down by Toyota Motor Corp., the quality of new cars and trucks sold in the United States slipped slightly this year--the first time since 2007, according to a study released Thursday. But Detroit's automakers--helped by Ford Motor Co. and some of the smoothest new-model launches ever--have matched or surpassed Asian and European rivals in initial vehicle quality for the first time, based on the closely watched J.D.

Mercedes plans electric version of SLS AMG supercar

Huge news at Mercedes-Benz: Engineers from its AMG performance-car offshoot are developing a plug-in electric version of the upcoming SLS supercar as part of a broad-based efficiency program to place the automaker at the leading edge of socially acceptable performance-car motoring. Tentatively planned for production in 2015, the new zero-emission supercar draws heavily on the production version of the yet-to-be-fully-revealed SLS scheduled to get its first public outing at the Frankfurt motor show on Sept. 15.