VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, CAR HAVING THE DEVICE, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE CAR

When a computed torque command value Tr* of a ring gear shaft as a drive shaft exceeds a maximum torque Tmax, skid occurring state control (step S118) triggered by detection of the occurrence of a skid calculates a torque restriction rate KT (= Tmax / Tr*) and restricts the torque output to the ring gear shaft to a maximum torque Tmax. In a next cycle of a drive control routine, a power demand Pr, which is calculated from inputs of accelerator pedal position AP and vehicle speed V at step S105, is limited to the product of the power demand Pr and a power restriction rate KP (= KT) at step S107. The control with the limited power demand Pr desirably prevents a large engine noise beyond the driver's expectation based on the vehicle driving state.