BMW"s 1-Series can be...
BMW"s 1-Series can be test driven from home - well, virtually! Dealers have special promotional copies of the Sony Playstation2 game Gran Turismo 4 solely featuring the new car. Players get to drive a 120i or 120d through New York, down the Italian coastline and - for the first time in a computer game - round the Níƒá¼rburgring in Germany.
You might need an A-Z...
You might need an A-Z to navigate a new town – but what about a car? Mercedes seems to think so. The German firm has realised its models are so complex that it has issued a handy guidebook.
Called Transparent Technology, it is packed with explanations for the maker’s most complicated kit. The 271 pages cover subjects such as active and passive safety, electronics, chassis and engines. So if you can’t tell the difference between ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and APS (Auto Pilot System), it explains all. There’s even a section that gives you useful phrases in five languages. Not showing much faith in its own product, it includes the line: ‘Send me a breakdown lorry’!