Ford has announced that the new Mondeo and Focus ranges will have keyless options for their models.
By carrying a special transponder in a trouser pocket, or handbag, the system detects the radio signal from two metres, and the doors will open using the handles.
Inside, the ignition doesn’t need keys either – using the power button in conjunction with depressing the clutch will start the car up.
Rolf Schmitz, Ford electrical engineering manager, said: "Ford Power provides a sporting bond between driver and his Focus or Mondeo fitted with race technology.
"Keyless entry and ignition makes rational sense too. Locking your car key inside the cabin also becomes a mistake of the past because the system’s interior antennae sense the key’s whereabouts inside the cabin and inhibits the locking mechanism."
In the case of needing a safety cut-out, hitting the power button with three sharp depressions, or holding the button in for longer than three seconds, will turn everything off.
