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Volvo testing new safety features

Volvo outlined three new technologies that it says will help make the Volvos of the future a good deal safer: autonomous driving, “Intersection Support” and animal detection. Volvo says it's tailoring technologies to the way people drive, by which it means poorly. The company claims that “surveys from three different research institutes in the United States reveal that modern drivers spend 25 to 30 percent of their time behind the wheel doing other things, such as focusing on mobile communication.” Volvo's new technologies are said take this into account and “provide the driver with the right support at all times.” By using a camera and radar, future Volvos will be able to follow the car in front while driving in slow traffic using an autonomous-driving function.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe: Price from £97,490 (+ video)

The new BMW M6 Gran Coupe - officially revealed this week – will cost from £97,490 when it goes on sale in May 2013. The M6 Gran Coupe gets the same, very convincing, looks of the regular Gran Coupes, but with added visual butchness thanks to a front spoiler, flared wheelarches, side skirts, rear diffuser and a carbon fibre roof. That promised aggression is reinforced by the M6 Gran Coupe’s powerplant that comes from the M6 and M5 with a 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 delivering 553bhp and 50lb/ft of torque – available from 1,500 to 5,750rpm – which is enough to get the M6 Gran Coupe to 62mph in 4.2 seconds.

2012 BMW M5 revealed in production trim

The wraps have been torn off the fire-breathing 2012 BMW M5. And, as expected, the Bavarian luxury maker is going in a different direction under the hood. BMW is eschewing a naturally aspirated powerplant in the new M5, whose high-revving roots date to the 1980s, in favor of a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 pushing out about 552 hp.