Today, American taxpayers are bailing out GM and Chrysler, foreign competitors make most of the world's best cars, and the Big Three account for less than half the cars sold in the United States.

"When we sold our family home, we put the proceeds in a UK e-savings account," David adds. "I wish we'd transferred the money into euros - we'd have now been about third better off."

With the latest smart-phones, however, which account for around 15% of handsets sold, voice calls and texting are just two features among many.