Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

Aston Martin Vanquish (2012) first official pictures

Aston Martin today unveils the new, mostly carbonfibre Vanquish supercar - its 183mph range-topping V12 supercar to replace the DBS flagship. The new Aston Vanquish Mk2 lands in showrooms in spring 2013, priced at £189,995. It's a milestone car, this, for Aston; they're considering it as their anniversary present to customers as they prepare for their centenary next year.

Cadillac CUE infotainment system to arrive in 2012

Cadillac has lagged the industry in infotainment, but that will change next year. While Ford has touted MyFord Touch, and the imports various infotainment systems, General Motors spent the past 30 months developing CUE, short for Cadillac User Experience. The infotainment system's simplicity might remind users of an iPod Touch screen.