Sydney  - Australia's three foreign-owned carmakers will receive subsidies worth 6.2 billion Australian dollars (4.3 billion US dollars) over the next 13 years, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Monday.

Around 20 per cent of the cash going to Toyota Motor Corp, GM Holden Ltd and the Ford Motor Co will be reserved for hybrids and low-emission vehicles.

Australia's automotive trio roll out petrol-thirsty six-cylinder cars that have lost their appeal in the local market because of higher petrol prices and environmental concerns.

Pune, Nov. 9 : Small-scale industry workers in Pune on Saturday lamented dull prospects due the cost cutting measures of Tata Motors.

Tata Motors Ltd, India''s largest vehicle maker, is closing two of its commercial vehicle plants for six days later this month to avoid inventory build-up, a spokesman for the company said on Friday.

Its commercial vehicle plant in Pune, in the western state of Maharashtra, will be shut from Nov. 21-26, while its commercial vehicle plant in Lucknow will be shut from Nov. 10-15, he said.

German luxury car manufacturer, Audi launched a super sports model 'Audi R8' in India. The mid-engine sports car is available at Rs 1.17 crore including central sales tax, transportation and other charges.

The sports car is equipped with an engine displacement of 4,163 cc and a power output of 420 hp. It can attain a maximum speed of 301 km. R8 comes with six-speed R-tronic gearbox and an all-aluminium space frame body. It's highly sophisticated interior and exterior design offers luxurious feel to driver with a number of interior options. The company is committed to make it as the most successful premium brand by 2015.

Washington - Congressional leaders Saturday joined president-elect Barack Obama's call for support of the ailing auto industry, sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to tap money from the 700-billion-dollar financial rescue package.

"A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential to the restoration of financial market stability, the overall health of our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector's workforce," said Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Hamburg - Carmakers struggling to fund lease purchase sales may turn to a German government fund originally devised to bail out banks, according to a news report Saturday.

The financial services divisions of most automakers hold banking licences in Germany and could qualify for guarantees. Interest rates on those guarantees average about 
2 per cent annually, which is significantly cheaper than commercial borrowing rates in the current credit crunch.

The reported third quarter operating losses – nearly $7.2 billion combined - for General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co are worse than what were being feared. This, according to an events expert, raises the possibility that one or both will run out of cash within the next year, thereby giving the shuddering economy yet another blow.

While GM posted a $4.2-billion operating loss, Ford reported loss of $2.98 billion. The two companies said their rate of cash burn had accelerated, as an extended slump in car sales raised questions about the future of the US auto industry.