Auto News 5

While fitment rates of run-flat tyres are increasing year-on-year, there is still more development work to be done. Matthew Beecham reviews the run-flat market. Full story...

Online consumers are bailing out of buying Saturns, Saabs and Hummers even before General Motors can unload those brands to their new owners, according to Web analysis firm Compete. Full story...

Contract convertible assembly specialist Karmann on Monday built its last car - a CLK convertible for Mercedes-Benz - and must now try to survive insolvency through a major restructuring. Full story...

General Motors' Shanghai GM car manufacturing joint venture - one of the first established in the country by a western automaker after the country's economy was opened up to foreign investment in the 1990s - has sold its two millionth Buick, a red Regal sedan delivered to a customer in the southern city of Guangzhou. Full story...

France's environment agency ADEME is putting EUR6m (US$8.3m) into two research projects on low-CO2 spearheaded by partsmaker Valeo. Full story...

While parent company Toyota Motor Corporation posted a huge net loss for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009 (its first ever), Toyota Australia booked a net profit after tax of A$123.4m (US99.5m; GBP60.4m; EUR71.4m) for the same period. Sales revenue was A$8.8bn. Full story...

This is the hydrogen-powered Riversimple ‘urban car’. Driven by a 6kW fuel cell, it will be able to reach up to 50mph, travel from 0-30mph in 5.5 seconds and has a 240-mile range.Next year, the UK maker aims to lease out 10 of the lightweight models to see how they perform before a 2013 launch. Full story...

Mirrors which help lorry drivers spot cyclists are set to be put up at junctions around London. The capital’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has called for ‘Trixi’ mirrors to be installed across the city after it was revealed that the majority of cyclist deaths involve lorries turning left at traffic lights.Transport for London has asked the Department for Transport for permission to trial the mirrors before two ‘cycle superhighways’ are created next May. Full story...

Pneumatic pre-tensioners lift occupants upright and protect better in secondary crashes. Full story...

Grand by name, grand by nature! This is the Mercedes CLS Grand Edition, shown here with unique palladium silver matt paint. Full story...

Revised Picanto on way as dealers run low on stock of current car. Full story...

Hot hatch is turning up the power. Mugen model to take on Ford Focus RS.

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Here's a BMW that’s a dream for fans! Drawn by former GM Holden designer Idries Noah, it shows how the M10 could look if it makes production. Full story...

French firm’s supermini on test before show debut. All-glass roof and stop-start technology will feature. Full story...

Amazing pictures show Renault is readying radical battery model. Called the Twingo ZE, it’s set to charge in at Frankfurt Motor Show. Full story...

Among the three German premium brands on sale here in Brazil, Mercedes has been enjoying the greatest growth. Full story...

Disappointment for Jenson Button as Sebastian Vettel nets British Grand Prix.

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The profit margin for dealer groups that sell more than 1,000 new vehicles a year in Germany stood at a mere 0.8 percent in 2008. That is below the average profitability of dealerships selling 300 cars or less -- 0.95 percent. Full story...

Daimler could lose its U.S. patent for the BlueTec exhaust gas treatment process, just as it has in Europe. Catalytic converter manufacturer Umicore has not yet decided whether to challenge Daimler's patent in the U.S. Full story...

With the separation of Daimler and Chrysler finally taking place, the Mercedes-Benz financial arm will stop functioning as the financial partner for German Chrysler dealers at the end of September. Full story...