Now, get ready for an office and an entertainment centre on four wheels

Boundaries set between work and family life are likely to be eroded further with the introduction of the iCar, an office and entertainment centre on four wheels.

London, Aug.31 : Boundaries set between work and family life are likely to be eroded further with the introduction of the iCar, an office and entertainment centre on four wheels.

According to a report in The Times, Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn travelled to California recently to swap ideas with Apple's Steve Jobs about the possible launch of an intelligent Beetle.

Winterkorn is going to visit Jobs again next week for further negotiations.

Jobs sold his VW Bulli minibus 31 years ago to fund his fledgeling company in his parents' garage in Los Altos. Winterkorn appears determined to revive a Beetle-style low-cost car for the masses, with a basic model retailing at about �6,000 (4,000 pounds).

Car industry leaks say the two businessmen have been dealing with "design and technology" issues, which suggests that a completely new car could be on the cards.

The incentive for German and US chief executives to develop the iCar has come from a deal struck by rivals Ford and Microsoft. Ford is planning to introduce an in-car communication and entertainment system, known as Sync, this autumn. It will allow drivers, either by using dashboard controls or voice recognition, to listen to their digital music players or have telephone text messages read aloud.

BMW has also developed, with Intel, a mobile office apparatus for its Series 7, giving drivers access to wireless LAN and to a Bluetooth-enabled printer. Audi, at the higher end of the Volkswagen group, has a system already that shows information from the iPod on the display of the car radio. But that is a long way short of a new Apple-branded super car.

Existing digital car technology can offer a great deal more once the design problems are ironed out.

In theory, a driver need never be offline, can transfer music from a home PC to his car and can download and edit photographs.

ANI