Survey Finds Almost A Third Of Drivers 'Nod Off At Wheel'

ROAD safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line have uncovered a worrying number of drivers have admitted to nodding off when behind the wheel. Of the 1,000 drivers sampled, almost a third admitted to momentarily nodding off while seven percent claimed they had actually fallen asleep while driving. Also, 49 percent of the drivers surveyed said they had driven after less than five hours of sleep.

Audi unveils armored A8L Security

While unveiling the Allroad E-Tron Shooting Brake at the Detroit Auto Show, Audi also quietly debuted the A8L Security version of its new range-topping sedan this week, armored to the highest level of ballistic protection for passenger cars. The A8L Security is based on the facelifted version of Audi's third-generation A8 sedan, and this armored version will be available both with Audi 4.0 TFSI V8 engine and the 6.0-liter W12. Audi set out to design the current A8L with building an armored version in mind, as opposed to the first-generation A8 of the 1990s which was not offered in Security specification until very late in the product cycle.

Pagani, Mercedes-AMG say V12s are separate

Italian sports-car maker Pagani and Mercedes-AMG, the high-performance division of Mercedes-Benz, on Thursday said that the engine for the future Pagani C9 supercar is not the same engine used in the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series roadster. The unusual announcement--automakers typically don't comment on future-product programs--refutes reports about the Pagani C9's engine. In January, Road and Track magazine reported that the V12 for the C9 was derived from the V12 in the SL65 Black Series.