Mahindra Renault Pvt. Ltd. (MRPL), a joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Renault S.A. of France, has received an additional export order of 500 GLSx Petrol Logans for South Africa. 

This is the second order, which takes the total order size to 1000 nos. The latest order comes soon after the successful dispatch of 200 Logans to the country in September.

New York - The world automobile industry is being hard hit by the current credit crisis, it was reported Friday, with manufacturing giants Ford and General Motors (GM) singled out as facing difficulties financing their operations.

According to the report, which appeared in the New York Times, GM and Ford have been hit by the perfect storm of diminished cash flow due to falling sales and an inability to raise funds in the credit crunch.

Paris - The French government will provide funds to subsidize the development and construction of environmentally friendly automobiles, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"We will earmark more than 400 million euros (550 million dollars) of state funds over the next four years," Sarkozy said in an address at the Paris Automobile Fair.

The money will be used "exclusively" to fund the research and development of "carbon-free cars, that is vehicles with the least possible emission of carbon dioxide, whether electric cars or hybrids," Sarkozy said.

Cologne, Germany - Amid renewed world interest in thrifty little motor scooters, the world's biggest motorcycle trade show, Intermot, opened Wednesday in the German city of Cologne.

"There is a gigantic boom going on in scooters," said Thomas Alber, a motorcycling specialist at Germany's national motoring club ADAC. In Germany alone, new scooter registrations soared 14 per cent this year.

Buyers in Europe have tended to the more powerful models, with at least 125 cubic centimetres (cc) of cylinder capacity.

A 250-cc scooter uses only half as much fuel as a small car, according to Germany's motorcycle industry federation. Scooters also evade traffic jams better and are easier to park in crowded cities.

Ahmedabad/Singur, Oct 8: While Gujarat is rejoicing over Tata Motors decision to shift its ultra low-cost Nano car plant to Sanand near Ahmedabad, residents in Singur are regretting that the makers had to pull out of West Bengal because of violent protests.

Residents in Ahmedabad said that this decision would mean more industrialization for the state.

The team of TATA motors is visiting various locations in different states to shift the mother plant of Nano from Singur. Gujarat can be a favorite location for the company as per the reports from confidential sources. 

The MD of TATA Motors, Ravi Kant is likely to meet Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, to discuss the matter with the state government. Meanwhile, state chief minister has called a meeting of his cabinet to transfer land in Sanand to Ratan Tata for Nano car project.