Tokyo - The Japanese carmaker Honda has announced measures to improve pedestrian safety with a new generation of crash test dummies aimed at reducing pedestrian lower back and upper leg injuries.

The car maker said the Polar III dummy improved the evaluation of the injuries common in collisions between pedestrians and taller vehicles such as SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicle) or minivans.

In 1998, Honda was the first car maker to develop a pedestrian crash test dummy to help identify parts of the vehicle most often causing injuries in collisions with pedestrians.

Crewe, England - Bentley is presenting the Arnage Final Series to mark the 10th anniversary of the model, the 50th birthday of the company's V8 engine and 90 years of Bentley heritage at the Paris Motor Show which runs until October 19.

The Bentley Arnage Final Series is an exclusive run of only 150 cars, the manufacturer has announced.

Powered by the Arnage T V8 with an output of 307kW/507 hp, the Final Series is listed with a top speed of 288 km/h and acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds.

Stuttgart, Germany  - From 2009, Mercedes will offer a new headlamp system that automatically adapts its range to the distance of vehicles ahead or to oncoming vehicles.

According to the car maker, the system will enable the driver to more easily recognise other road users, pedestrians or danger spots.

The dipped-beam range can be increased from around 65 metres to as much as 300 metres without dazzling other road users. Should the system recognise oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead, it continuously adjusts headlamp range so that the headlamp cone falls in front of other road users.

Hong Kong - A secret "hit list" of nearly 200 pilots Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific considered for sacking during a bitter 2001 dispute with cockpit crew was Wednesday circulating among staff.

The list - leaked by an unknown member of the management panel that decided which pilots to fire - includes the 49 pilots fired during the dispute and around 100 pilots still with the airline.

Serving pilots on the list include a deputy chief pilot with the Boeing fleet and a number of senior training captains. All but a handful of them had no idea they were once shortlisted.

Berlin  - German carmakers Opel and BMW said Tuesday they were calling a temporary halt to production, following a fall-off in demand triggered by the global credit squeeze.

Opel announced it was halting production in nearly all its European plants for periods of up to three weeks from October 13.

Luxury carmaker BMW said production at its Leipzig plant in the eastern part of Germany would stop for four days in the last week of October, affecting 2,800 vehicles.

London, Oct. 7: Iran's biggest motor manufacturer has decided to take the country's gender sensitivity to new levels by producing a car especially for women.

According to a report appearing in The Guardian, the car will be fitted with features common on the international market but seen as female-specific in Iran's male-dominated culture.