In response to the government’s move to lessen excise duty, car manufacturer Ford India has cut the prices of its models by up to Rs 54,000.

In a statement, Ford India said that the price of the company’s premium hatchback ‘Fusion’ has been slashed by Rs 18,500.

Similarly the mid-sized sedan Fiesta’s cost was cut between Rs 21,000 and Rs 25,000, whereas that of sports-utility vehicle 'Endeavour' has been reduced by Rs 47,000-Rs 54,000.

Almost all car manufactures have slashed prices of their various car models by 3-3.5%. The price cut has come after four percent reduction in excise duty announced by union government in the recently announced economic booster package. Maruti, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Toyota have passed excise duty cut to customers in almost all categories. Prices of small car segment like M-800 and Santro have come down by at least Rs 6,500. Hyundai dropped prices up to Rs 44,792 on its top-end Sedan Sonata and Rs 16664 for the i10 hatchback variants.

St. Niklausen, Switzerland - The Swiss car company, Mindset, has revealed a prototype of its E-Motion electric-drive vehicle 18 months after project started.

Designed by former Volkswagen styling chief and Mindset company founder Murat Guenak, the E-Motion sports car will undergo testing on public roads during the next few weeks, according to an announcement.

The prototype, built in France by the car parts supplier Heuliez, features round retro headlamps and 22-inch wheels with ultra-low profile tyres and a coupe-station wagon design.

Tokyo - The Toyota iQ is heading for European showrooms in January 2009, challenging the Smart Fortwo and Fiat 500 in the microcar segment with an entry level price of 12,700 euros (16,338 dollars).

Measuring just under three metres in length, the iQ is 29 cm longer than the Smart but seats four people.

Average fuel consumption is listed at 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres with carbon dioxide emissions under 100 grams per kilometre. The three-cylinder engine has an output of 68 hp with a top speed of 150 km/h.

Hamburg - For decades cars have become bigger and heavier with more luxurious and safety gadgets, but several car makers are bucking the trend with new lightweight materials and design principles that save both fuel and resources.

Heavier cars mean more fuel consumption and more wear-and-tear of components such as suspension and tyres.

Audi pioneered weight-saving technology 10 years ago with aluminium bodies which are two-thirds lighter than conventional steel. It is alloyed with magnesium and silicon for additional strength.

Munich - Many car seats including headrests do not offer maximum protection against whiplash in the event of an accident, a test conducted by Germany's automobile association ADAC found.

In a rear collision test conducted on 25 car models, only five seats were described as "good" while eight were given a poor rating by the testers.