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Next Volvo XC90 to ditch dashboard buttons

VOLVO is looking to the future of in-car technology in next year's new XC90 by doing away with almost all buttons and replacing them with a new combination of a touch-screen, a head-up display and steering wheel-mounted thumb wheels. The system is designed to make better use of the available interior space while reducing distractions for the driver, but it will mean that users will have to start from scratch to learn how to operate even the car's most basic interior functions. To make it worthwhile Volvo is integrating new features like remote 'Park and Pay' applications and the ability to use and mirror Apple iOS apps in the interface.

America trialling solar-powered roads

Solar Roadways After glow-in-the-dark road markings proved to be a bit of a flop when the paint washed away in the rain, experts are now experimenting with solar-powered motorways. A small, family-owned American company based in Idaho called Solar Roadways has created a short section of road that uses the sun’s energy to power nearby buildings, as well as electric cars. If the solar-powered roads are adopted worldwide, it could put an end to the range-anxiety commonly associated with electric vehicles.

Chevrolet Aveo RS at Detroit motor show 2010

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 11 January 2010 00:01 Chevrolet showed off its new go-faster rollerskate, the Chevy Aveo RS concept, at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It's not that far-flung a show car, being based on the regular or garden Aveo – but pumped up with a sporty 1.4-litre turbocharged engine. As transplants go, this is the future of performance cars even in the US, say GM types.