Hamburg  - Despite all the reports of gloom in the car industry, niche cars remain in vogue with a host of elegant cabriolets planned for 2009 emphasizing all the fun of open-top driving with more space, technical features, lighter and efficient engines.

Among the stars are the new Audi A5 four door Roadster, the new BMW Z4 and the Mercedes E-Class Convertible that is hitting the roads later in the year.

Prague  - Skoda has launched its most expensive and fastest production car, the Superb V6 four-wheel drive, powered by a 3.6-litre FSI with an output of 191 kW/260 hp and prices starting at 34,790 euros (48,521 dollars).

With the cheapest Skoda costing only 8,092 euros in 1997, the latest Superb is the "most expensive Skoda ever built," according to the car maker. The Elegance version including all extras cost 45,229 euros including seven airbags and an array of assistance systems, leather upholstery and sunroof.

Detroit  - Volvo is set to unveil the 2010 successor model to the current S60 featuring a range of new technical details at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

Designed by Steve Mattin, who previously worked for Mercedes, the coupe-like concept is a distinct break from previous box-like designs.

"We will place emphasis on powerful-looking cars with wide shoulders, but have variations from model to model. The upright front with V-shaped bonnet will remain," Mattin told Germany's auto-motor-sport magazine.

Detroit  - Mercedes has revealed plans for a modular electric drive concept with a BlueZERO concept vehicle at the Detroit Motor Show.

Based on a single vehicle architecture, the BlueZERO E-Cell vehicle has a battery drive with a range of 200 kilometres. The F-Cell version with a fuel cell puts the range at over 400 kilometres while the E-Cell Plus with electric drive combined with an internal combustion engine has an overall range of up to 600 kilometres.

Hyundai Motors India Limited (HMIL) has announced the introduction of Hyundai i20 in the Indian market.

Priced between Rs 4.8 lakh to Rs 5.82 lakh, the newly launched ‘Uber cool i20’ is an improved version of ‘'i10’ with large interior cabin and stylish exterior.

This fantastic five door car is available in three variants including the Magna, Sportz and the Asta.

New York  - US billionaire-investor Kirk Kerkorian has sold off the last of his shares in Ford Motor Co, less than a year after he bought a significant stake in the US car giant, according to media reports Monday.

A spokesperson for Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp confirmed that it no longer owned any shares in Ford, the Wall Street Journal reported.

There was no immediate response from the carmaker. Ford shares fell more than 3 per cent in trading on Monday to 2.22 dollars.