Nearly half of motorists regularly talk to their cars, giving words of encouragement ahead of a long trip and lavishing praise for a job well done at journey's end, according to research on Monday.

　　A survey of 2,000 owners also found 40 percent thought their car had a personality and was capable of being upset whilst 19 percent worried about how their car was feeling.

　　The poll, conducted by organisers of July's British International Motor Show found women rather than men tended to have a close relationship with their car. Giving a pet name to their car but not their human partners was admitted to by 20 percent of women

　　The survey that revealed fully 47 percent of drivers talked to their cars also looked at how people felt about their cars across the country.

　　Drivers in the southwest worry most about their car's feelings, with 36 percent admitting concern compared with just 15 percent in the Midlands.

　　Drivers in the northeast were most likely to attribute a character to their vehicles with 68 percent saying their car had a personality, compared with 28 percent in Wales.

　　More people chat happily to their cars in the southwest than anywhere else in the country, with 54 percent enjoying a good chat, compared with the more taciturn Scots where 26 percent indulged.

　　Half of all cars on East Anglian roads rejoiced in a pet name compared with just 31 percent of cars in the southeast.