Detroit  - US carmaker Fisker plans to offer a four-seat drophead version of the ground-breaking Karma hybrid, the company announced at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25.

The Karma Sunset cabriolet on the firm's show stand shares the petrol-electric drivetrain with the closed model, but is slightly shorter. It features an electrically-powered roof which retracts into a compartment behind the seats. The car is due to go into production in 2011, Danish-born former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker told journalists.

Cologne/Detroit  - While other US car companies are busy slashing the gas-guzzlers from their model lines, Ford is showing the next generation of its Ford Mustang - a sports coupe famous for anything but frugality.

The redesigned Shelby Mustang GT500 graces the Ford stand at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25 and is set to reach the showrooms by early spring. Power is provided by a supercharged version of the hardy V8 engine with stump-pulling 540 horsepower.

Crewe, England  - Bentley has given the Continental GTC a minor facelift and added a high-performance Speed model to bring the drophead into line with the rest of the GT range. It is the most powerful convertible ever made by the Crewe-based company.

The upgrade to the V12 engine boosts power output to 600 horsepower compared with the 552 bhp of its forerunner and with the roof down, the cabriolet can dash from zero to 100 kilometres (62 miles per hour) in 4.5 seconds, just 0.3 seconds behind the closed GTC version.

A legal notice has been received by India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corp from Honda Siel Cars, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, since the former claimed in advertisement that its SX4 sedan is bigger than the Honda's segment Leader City and is loaded with more features. The company received the notice on 13th January.

The ad by Maruti shows that the SX4 is bigger than City's entry-level model, and furthermore, it does not have an integrated stereo as standard equipment.

Rome/New York  - Love has little to do with this particular match: it is dire need in a severe crisis in the motor industry that has pushed Italy's Fiat and the US manufacturer Chrysler into each other's arms.

"Survival is important," Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne recently said of his drawn-out search for a partner.

Along this path, he sees the acquisition of a 35 per cent stake in Chrysler as a "milestone."

Melbourne, Jan. 20 : The Honda Accord Euro has won Australia''s most prized motoring award being named Wheels magazine''s car of the year.

The car was today declared the best new release of 2008 with the judges saying it delivered an exceptional package of driver satisfaction, passenger comfort and all-round user-friendliness.

According to Fox Sports, the judge started with 35 eligible models, short listed 18 for a week of final evaluation, including tests at Ford''s You Yangs proving ground near Geelong.