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Two thirds back young driver restrictions

TWO THIRDS of the public would like to see restrictions placed on recently qualified young drivers, according to an RAC Foundation survey. Even two in five young drivers would back a form of graduated licensing, the poll found. Those surveyed were asked whether restrictions, possibly lasting 12 months after a driving test has been passed, should be placed on drivers aged 24 or under.

Pioneer App Radio officially unveiled

Pioneer has officially unveiled the App Radio that AutoWeek told you about earlier this month. Now that it's willing to talk, Pioneer claims that the radio and audio system is "the first in-vehicle product designed to utilize the processing power, storage capacity, network connectivity and apps of the iPhone and iPod Touch as the primary source for its information and entertainment capabilities." That does sound a lot like what Mini Connected and, in a more platform-agnostic sense, Ford Sync are doing. Pioneer said it couldn't speak to the similarity of those systems, but Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for Pioneer's car-electronics division, briefed us on installation of the device and what Pioneer is doing to minimize driver distraction.

Future products: From electrics to sedans, Audi prepares to enter new niches

Audi is planning to jump into several new segments. Next year it will add the coupe-styled A7 sedan to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Porsche Panamera sedans. The all-new Q3 small crossover goes into production next year in Europe but won't get to the United States until 2013.