Scocca

Next year, Volvo will stop selling an optional system that allows drivers to remotely monitor the car to detect the heartbeat of an intruder , USA Today reports. Having established a reputation for its commitment to crash-survival technology, the soon-to-be-Chinese-owned Swedish car maker decided for the 2007 model year to also offer customers electronic protection from bad movie scenarios, so as "to buttress appeal with female buyers."

 "Almost no one was using the intruder query function," a Volvo spokesperson told USA Today .

Instead of a heartbeat detector, future Volvos will have an electronic "system that detects pedestrians in the car's path and hits the brakes if the driver does not." So if you manage to fight off your ax-wielding attacker, don't bother trying to run him down with your car.