THE new Jaguar S-type will be the first car which has the ability to listen to its driver and act in response to spoken commands. Drivers of Britain's next prestige saloon will have only to speak when they want to turn on the radio, dial a phone number or set the air conditioning.

Jaguar is understood to be planning to put voice-activated controls in the most expensive version of the S-type, its crucial business express challenger in the mid-luxury segment dominated by the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes-Benz E-class. The breakthrough technology will be launched when the car is revealed at the Birmingham Motor Show in October and is to be a regular-specification feature by the time it goes on the road next spring.

Seen as a significant advance in driving safety, the move means motorists will finally be able to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road while using the in-car entertainment system, making mobile phone calls or setting the temperature. Developed in America by Visteon, the automotive systems offshoot of Ford, Jaguar's parent company, the gadgetry responds to 11 commands for the radio, four for the tape player, five for the CD player, 10 for the car phone and five for climate control.