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Los Angeles Motor Show: Porsche reveals new Panamera flagship

THE SCINTILLATING Panamera Turbo S has been launched at twin events at the Tokyo and Los Angeles motor shows. The new flagship at the top of the firm’s grand tourer line-up packs a 562bhp punch from a twin-turbocharged V8 engine mounted at the front, with drive transmitted to all four wheels via a sophisticated drive system that can shift torque to whichever wheels can best use it. Displaying true supercar pace, the Turbo S can catapult to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 192mph.

Fiat 500 Electric 2012 launch

The Fiat 500 Electric Concept was at the Detroit Motor Show this year At the 2010 Detroit Motor Show Fiat brought along an electric concept version of the Fiat 500, together with a Chrysler-badged Lancia as a clear indication that times are changing at Chrysler. And it would appear they’re changing even more quickly than we expected with the announcement that the Fiat 500 EV is going in to production, and will go on sale in the US in 2012. Obviously spurred on by the unexpected success in recent years of that other motoring retro icon the MINI, Fiat are pushing ahead with plans to introduce the regular Fiat 500 in to North America in 2010, although that will be preceded by the 500 Abarth and 500C Abarth, which will be the first versions of the 500 to reach American shores.

AT&T Labs and Carnegie Mellon develop GPS-enabled haptic steering wheel

AT&T Labs and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new GPS-enabled steering wheel prototype that incporporates haptic technology. For those who need a quick refresher, haptic technology is a feedback system that uses vibrations to provide alerts, for example vibrating mobile 'phones or your games console controller. Here the tech is used to alert drivers when navigation maneuvers are approaching, with the steering wheel syncing with GPS-enabled computer systems.