Whether it’s a useful and practical app or one that’s for pure driving enjoyment, here are five must-have apps for any car lover: Parking Aid If you’ve ever parked up quickly in unfamiliar territory and had to rush off, you will know how difficult it can be to locate your car  when the time comes to go home

If this happens to you with any frequency, it’s worth investing 69p in this nifty app that uses your phone’s GPS to log the position of your parking space

Motorway Walks and Breaks A charming idea that encourages people to take a break from the motorway and explore the countryside

Great for leisurely Sundays and family holidays, this app gives information on walks, sightseeing points and food outlets within 5 miles of motorway exits

Bouncy castles, nature trails, cafes and pubs are all noted in the app

Live Traffic Info Ideal for anyone who is on the road a lot, this app checks your journey against current disruptions on the motorways and major A roads in England

With information coming direct from the Highways Agency National Traffic Control Centre, it’s a useful tool, and best of all, it’s free

My Door Opener We’ve all experienced that moment of panic

You’re somewhere on the other side of town when the question hits you: did I close the garage door? Luckily, if you are the owner of both a remote controlled garage door and an iPhone, this never needs to be a cause for concern again

This clever app requires a small amount of programming to get it communicating with your garage door, but after that, you will be able to control the door from wherever you are

iWrecked It’s not a scenario anyone wants to think about, but when you’re on the road of course there’s a chance that you may be involved in an accident

This thoughtfully-designed app is there to help you out in the crucial minutes after an accident – all your details such as emergency contacts and insurance are stored in the app, and it reminds you to take pictures, details and log all the particulars

It’s a useful aid for a moment where common sense might escape you

 Of course, you should never operate an app while driving a car – always pull over, or ask a passenger

Do you have any great car-related apps? Vivienne Egan writes for insurance provider GEM Motoring Assist, which offers a free iPhone and Android app for its members

BMW s been in business for nearly 100 years, founded as they were in 1917 as a car, motorbike and engine manufacturer

They now rate as one of the most successful and desirable automotive brands

BMW also own Rolls-Royce and the MINI brand, and as well as their own BMW car and motorbike brand, the company has seen some impressive sales of the MINI and Rolls-Royce models in recent years, too

Their stable is an impressive one, and at the moment it is going from strength to strength

Part of the big German three that also includes Audi and Mercedes-Benz, BMW export to over 140 countries world wide and have built well over 1,000.000 MINI models in the UK

And the MINI factories look set to get even bigger as the next and new range of MINI models are planned

Rolls-Royce is also celebrating the recent launch of their new 2-door coupe model, called the Wraith, which promises to be the fastest Rolls-Royce ever built

It looks wonderful, too

Whilst the MINI brand speaks for itself in terms of sales success and public fondness, BMW have long been making the kind of cars that earn their admiration through quiet confidence and quality of workmanship

Yes, they are relatively expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for in terms of engineering, innovation, safety and economy

The famous 3 Series, for example, has for a very long time been near or at the top of the mid-size executive sales charts, with its blend of understated design, badge-respect and driving performance

BMW also make some of the most powerful and economical diesel engines of any of the major manufacturers, and it s these fun yet frugal engines that are very important to the average fleet car user

The BMW 5 Series is another one of their sales success stories; a little bigger and more expensive that the 3 Series, but still fun to drive and still a very classy car in which to pick up your client for that all important business meeting

First impressions count and the blue and white roundel badge of a BMW carries a lot of weight in the world of big business

These 3 and 5 Series saloon cars built for business have also worked wonders in the sportscar world, with the sometimes unassuming-looking saloons, turned into snarling track weapons, at he hands of the famous-for-fast BMW M Division

The M cars are the very fastest and most expensive of all the modern range of BMW cars, and if it carries an M badge on the boot lid then you ll know that this car is fast and luxurious

The BMW M3, for example, if one of the performance benchmarks that any car in its class is measured against

Even the greats from Audi and Mercedes would do well to pay performance respect to anything with an M badge on it

BMW don t just make cars, either

Their range of BMW motorbikes built by BMW Motorad are also up there with the very best from the rest of the world, and especially so in the adventure bike market where their sales go from strength to strength

After 100 years in the automobile industry, and with a great range of products, it looks like the next 100 years are set fair for the famous BMW badge of Bavaria