Who said the Germans don't have a sense of humour?

I don't know how many people saw this in the Daily Mail this morning, but I will admit I started laughing when I read it...

Read it, and see what you think.... And before I get furious comments - this was a genuine advert!

By the end of 2007 you will not be allowed to use a right hand drive car on the roads of mainland Europe.

It's a ruling BMW has vigorously opposed, but our lawyers were eventually routed and it was left to our engineers to fight a rearguard action.

Their repost was one of startling élan: hands-free steering. It uses a combination of sensors and VAT (Voice Activated Technology) and does away with the steering wheel altogether.

All the dials and controls are mounted in the centre of the dash on a pivoting section which can be angled towards either of the front seats.

Whilst crossing the channel, simply tilt the instrument panel to the left and change seats with your passenger. Pedals are recessed into both footwells, the relevant set becoming active when the position of the central section is fixed.

The sensors work as an intermediary between the driver's eyes and the road and combine with voice commands to steer the car wherever you want to it go in complete safety.

Early prototypes were prone to sudden U-turns if the driver swung round to shout at the children in the back, but a satellite monitoring system developed by Dr Bitt-Fischi, our head of R&D has eradicated this minor flaw.

An additional advantage of the system is a new feeling of liberation for the driver. Indeed at first this is almost unsettling, so a retractable, padded bar can be elicited from the dash and grasped or lent upon until the driver is fully acclimatized to the unfamiliar freedom.

The hands-free option will be available across the BMW range by next spring, in plenty of time to beat the ban.

If you would like more details in advance, please click on http://www.uninventthewheel.co.uk/utw/index.htm or call our Customer Liaison Chief, Herr Hurhr-Hurhr on 0800 777 129

All I can say is:

Nice one BMW!

Time to call it quits - I'm supposed to be working!

Back later - if I get chance!

Karen.

Don't let the b'stards get you down