Munich  - BMW engineers are working on a new car key with an integrated credit card chip for simple pay functions at the filling station or shopping centre, according to BMW researcher Hans-Joerg Voegel.

The chip is designed to communicate with a card reader and the customer only has to place his/her car key on the counter and leaving behind a signature.

But, according to Voegel, engineers are looking at incorporating other personal data such as favourite radio stations, a telephone directory or subscriptions to BMW's Online platform "Connected Drive."

Bottrop, Germany  - The German tuning specialist Brabus has given the Tesla electric roadster special treatment with white paintwork, new alloys and a sound generator that simulates engine noise from a V8 to a Formula 1 racing car.

Normally focused on the tune-up of Mercedes and Smart cars, Brabus is planning to unveil its first zero-emission project at the upcoming Essen Motor Show starting on November 29 to December 7.

Ingolstadt, Germany  - Audi is planning to revive its microcar the A2 as a sport model with a high roof to round off the compact A1 and A3 model segments, the German auto magazine Auto Bild reports.

A Sportback version with a longer rear is also being planned for 2014, the magazine said.

An Audi spokesman declined to comment on the Bild report, but Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said earlier: "We are looking at different scenarios including a new A2."

Hamburg  - Even though car air conditioners (AC) work overtime during the summer, they should also be switched on during winter to remove damp air from the cockpit and prevent the windscreen from fogging-up, manufacturers recommend.

The air in the vehicle is not only heated up, but also dried as the defrost function helps clear the windscreen. Many car heating systems automatically engage the air conditioner in the defrost position. But if the car has no automatic climate control, the

defrost position should be adjusted manually.

A car AC is basically designed to move heat from the car interior to the exterior similar to a refrigerator.

Crewe, England  - Bentley has upgraded its luxury Azure T convertible with a more powerful 500 hp engine and stylistic cues to enhance the sporty image.

The Azure T comes with 20-inch, five-spoke wheels, front wing vents, a dark tinted matrix grille and a sculpted, retractable "Flying B" bonnet mascot.

The twin-turbocharged V8 engine, produces 500 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque, has been given a boost of 11 per cent in power and torque was increased 14 per cent over its 450bhp/875 Nm Azure stable mate.

Hamburg, Germany  - Ever wonder how hundreds of ants are able to go up and down a narrow twig without bumping into each other?

A team of German scientists want to find out how ants avoid collisions so that they can apply the same principles to cars on the motorways.

The scientists built an ingenious super "ant farm" complete with roads and bridges and a veritable city of ants. Then they observed the traffic patterns of the ants and fed their findings in to a computer.

The Dresden Institute of Technology collective intelligence expert Dirk Helbing and his team set up an ant highway with two routes of different widths from the nest to some sugar syrup, according to their findings, published in New Scientist.