The fake revs that make cars sound sportier

EVEN if you can’t afford a supercar, you may soon be able to get your hatchback to sound like a 180mph road rocket.

Car makers are adding fake revving noises to mimic the roar of more powerful motors because modern engines are so quiet.

Ford has just patented technology for ‘generating engine noise’. It says the boost will improve fuel efficiency because drivers will change gear when they hear the engine rev.

Top-of-the-range Ford Focus and Fiestas can be equipped with a tailpipe valve to ‘optimise noise output’ – or even a computer programme that generates an artificial sound through the car’s speakers.

Peugeot, Toyota and VW use similar systems, and Renault’s Clio lets drivers pick the sound they want – from a V8 to a futuristic concept car.

But critics say the ‘deceptive’ practice is the industry’s ‘dirty little secret’, The Sunday Times reported.

The EU wants silent electric and hybrid cars to be noisier to stop people stepping in front of them.

Andy Pringle, of Auto Trader, said: ‘An exciting noise is part of enjoying driving, so if a car maker can enhance that without contributing to what passers-by will see as noise pollution, that’s a win-win situation. It’s a very different argument when it comes to electric cars making noise, as that is a question of their safety.’