HONDA has launched the world's first self-driving car. The Accord ADAS is set to take the motoring world by storm.

The car which comes with a price tag of £25,880 automatically speeds up and slows down.

And just like TV's iconic super car Kitt of the 1980s the Accord can steer itself around bends.

Graham Avent, a spokesman for Honda, which has its UK plant in Swindon, compares the role of the motorist to that of an airline pilot.

"It's rather like piloting an aircraft," he said.

"The cruise control aids the motorist."

But unlike Kitt, which starred in the hit series Knight Rider, the new Accord does not have the flashing red strobe above the bumper.

And motorists who fancy stepping into the shoes of David Hasselhoff, are warned that they still have overall control of the car.

"The Advanced Driver Assist System does not replace the driver so you can't have a nap," said Mr Avent.

"In fact, this car will make you more alert to what's going on around you.

"If you move into another lane while cruising along the motorway the car will make a beeping noise, thanks to the lane keeping assist system you will soon get the message."

Special radar sensors above the Honda badge on the front of the Accord monitor the distance from the car in front.

And if the gap between the car in front decreases, the Accord automatically brakes, then accelerates again to maintain a safe distance.

Mr Avent thinks the Japanese car giant is on to a winner. "If all cars were fitted with this technology you would not get the shunts you see on the motorway," he said.

ADAS only works on motorways and dual carriageways, but future models could drive on any road.

The Accord will be in showrooms in March and other Honda models, including the Swindon-made Civic, are expected to have ADAS by 2016.

Honda, which employs 4,000 people at its South Marston plant, has left its rivals in the slow lane. Vauxhall hopes to have a self-drive Vectra on the road by 2011.

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