Tokyo  - Demand for foreign-brand cars in Japan declined and imported vehicle sales in February sank to the lowest level in 20 years amid the global financial turmoil, an industry body said Thursday.

Sales of new cars imported from overseas fell 33.9 per cent in February to 12,350 units from the same month a year before, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said.

Sales of vehicles made by foreign companies declined 34 per cent to 10,833 units, and those of vehicles produced by Japanese makers abroad sank 33.2 per cent to 1,517 units.

Zaragoza, Spain  - General Motors Europe will file for bankruptcy protection unless it urgently obtains 955 million euros (1.2 billion dollars) to cover immediate payment needs, employees' representatives at a Spanish GM factory said in a statement Wednesday.

The works committee referred to information given after GM European management and employees' representatives met Tuesday in Ruesselsheim, Germany.

Prague - Skoda will go ahead with production of its offroad concept, the Yeti, with a production-ready model to be presented at the Geneva Motor Show, the Czech car maker has announced.

The offroader will retain the Yeti name of the concept first revealed in Geneva in 2005 and use much of the VW Tiguan technology from the parent company.

It remains unclear whether Skoda will pursue the idea of a pick-up based on the Yeti with a variable roof system that could transform a convertible into a pick-up.

Geneva - Honda's new Insight Hybrid is making its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show with the combination of a 1.3-litre i-VTEC combustion engine an electric motor.

A key element is the Eco Assist system with the upper instrument cluster featuring a colour changing ambient light that illuminates green when driving ecologically, blue/green when the car is being driven acceptably and blue when driven less economically.

Honda lists consumption at 4.4 litres per 100 kilometres with a carbon dioxide emission figure of 101 grams per kilometre.

Stuttgart, Germany  - German premium carmaker Porsche expects to have a petrol-electric version of its Cayenne sports utility in the showroom by 2010, the company announced in Stuttgart.

The parallel hybrid will consume less than nine litres of fuel per 100 kilometres but offer a hefty 380 horsepower from the combination of a 3.0 litre petrol engine and an electric motor turning out 52 additional horses.

Porsche said the aim was to offer a green version of the successful SUV, a genre of cars often criticised by environmentalists for their excess fuel consumption, without compromising the performance which consumers expect from the brand. Prices have not been announced so far.

Geneva  - The French car maker Citroen is to unveil the first of its new DS product line in Geneva aimed at the lifestyle generation and competing models such as the MINI and Fiat 500.

The DS Inside, which will be sold as the DS3 next year, has a funky design with powerful front grille and chromed strips on the flank. The B-Pillar has a slightly forward-leaning shape while the C-Pillars disappear under the rear window. The DS stands for Distinctive Series.