THE BEST OF APRILS FOOLS - The new Gym edition Qashqai and X-Trail from Nissan. very funny.

• Nissan introduces new ‘GYM’ button to help drivers get fitter
• Option to turn off driver assistance systems to help define your body
• Burn 1,415 calories extra per week on the average commute

It may be a company renowned for its innovative driver assistance systems, but now Nissan will be the first vehicle manufacturer to offer the option to switch them all off.

The bold development is an attempt to help drivers improve their fitness levels, after a European study showed the region’s drivers to be among the least healthy in the world.

The new GYM function, initially available in the class-leading Nissan X-Trail and Qashqai crossover models, turns off all of the driver assistance systems at the touch of a button, allowing commuters to get their very own workout at the wheel.

As well as isolating the car’s innovative systems such as Nissan’s ‘Park Assist’ self-parking system, the GYM button also turns off features that many drivers take for granted, such as power steering and electric windows. It also increases the resistance in the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals and stiffens up the gate of the gearbox, increasing the exertion required to drive.

While you workout on the move, the car’s infotainment system logs the calories burned and tracks your progress via the new Gym And Go app.

The innovation comes after a study conducted by the University of Lura, in Sweden, showed that drivers in Europe were getting fatter and less fit, largely as a result of increased congestion leading to them spending longer at the wheel.

Nissan’s director of Customer Welfare, Dr. P. Taka said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our customers very seriously – after all, we want them to live longer and buy more cars. So we developed a system that helped them achieve it.

“The adoption of Autonomous driving also represents another opportunity for the GYM system. In the future, the car can take over the driving while the occupants use the controls as workout equipment. The steering wheel can build your biceps while the modified pedals can push and pull your leg.”

Nissan has enlisted the help of fitness experts to develop the system. Personal trainer Raol Pofil, who runs Le Mensonge Fitness Centre in Paris, said: “Nissan asked me to develop a programme that would help drivers burn more calories and develop leaner bodies without leaving the comfort of their cars. On average, my programme helps commuters burn around 1,415 calories per week.”

Goodwood announces first batch of the fast and famous to drive at this years event

The Festival of Speed remains unique in its ability to attract the majority of the current season’s Formula 1 teams and drivers, with seven of the 2013 season F1 teams confirmed for Goodwood: Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus, Mercedes, Marussia and Caterham.  Current F1 drivers and leading characters in action at the Festival will include previous World Champions, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, as well as Nico Rosberg, Roman Grosjean, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi, Sebastian Buemi, Marc Gene, Heikki Kovalainen and Adrian Newey.

Past Grand Prix masters present at this summer’s Festival of Speed will include Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Nick Heidfeld, Jochen Mass, Emerson Fittipaldi and Rene Arnoux, all joining a roll-call of other motor sport stars at Goodwood that reads like a Who’s Who of motor racing.  In total, 17 Grand Prix winners will be in action, with a total of 232 GP wins between them!

One of the great Festival of Speed’s moments will be relived at this year’s event, when Nick Heidfeld is reunited with the very McLaren MP4/13 that he so famously launched up the Goodwood Hill in a record time of 41.6 seconds in 1999. His record remains.

From the world of rallying, IRC Champion, Andreas Mikkelsen will be spitting gravel in the 2013 VW Polo WRC, as will Spanish double World Champion Carlos Sainz, whilst Mikko Hirvonen’s Citroen DS3 WRC will also be in full flight on the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage.  Other rallying greats who will be reacquainted with the cars that made them famous will include Juha Kankkunen, Björn Waldegård, Rauno Aaltonen, Jimmy McRae, Hannu Mikkola and Russell Brookes.

All of the drivers participating in this summer’s Festival of Speed, as well as the many top competition riders (details of which will be confirmed separately very soon), will appear on the walkway leading into the exclusive BlackRock Drivers Club throughout the event, giving Festival goers and fans the rare opportunity to see their heroes up close, and possibly even have a word or two with them!

A host of other star drivers and riders, plus cars and motorcycles from each of the world’s major motor sport disciplines, past and present, will also be featured at Goodwood, including champions from Formula 1, Indycar, the World Rally Championship, Superbikes, NASCAR, World Sports Cars and Touring Cars, plus Land Speed Record holders.

Goodwood is recapturing many of the outstanding Festival of Speed moments from the 1993-2012 era, including over 350 great machines from all of the world, as far flung as New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Japan and the USA, all making a very rare return to the UK.  The 20th anniversary Festival will also see many famous man and machine pairings reunited, including three-time Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet returning to the cockpit of his celebrated Brabham BT52, in which he secured the 1983 crown.

These - along with a host of other memorable and often outrageous, vehicles and competitors new to Goodwood, plus a number of unexpected treats - will provide a fitting birthday party for the world’s greatest celebration of motor sport history and car culture.