Cologne, Germany - Rising petrol prices and environmental ills are a fine argument in favour of fuel cell cars driven by electric power generated from hydrogen.

Yet strangely enough, carmakers are not currently singing the praises of this technology.

It sounds almost too good to be true, but cars which run on hydrogen fuel cells emit only water vapour into the atmosphere and in contrast to oil, hydrogen is not a fossil fuel with only limited reserves. In fact it is the most common element on the planet.

India’s top utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra is aiming for double-digit sales growth in the existing fiscal 2008-09.

Mr. Pawan Goenka, president of the firm's automotive sector, said, “We certainly expect a growth, not a de-growth. We are trying for double digits.”

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), a part of the USD 6.7 billion Mahindra Group, is said to be in talks with Swaraj Mazda (SML) to sell its 14.04% stake to Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.

Phnom Penh  - Yamaha Motor Company said in a press release received Tuesday that it will establish a Cambodian assembly factory and sales unit.

The plant will use parts produced in neighbouring Thailand.

Yamaha holds a 70 percent stake in Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co, according to the press release, and the company, worth 11.1 million dollars in capital, is 20 per cent-owned by trading house Toyota Tsusho Corp, with another 10 percent being held by local trading company Kong Nuon Import and Export Co.

The factory is scheduled for completion by July.

Tokyo - Japanese automaker Hino Motors Ltd and major trading company Marubeni Corp announced a joint venture Tuesday to sell vehicles in India.

Singur, Sept 2: The shutdown at the TATA Motor's manufacturing plant in Singur continued for the fifth day today.

The management says conditions are not conducive for work, even as the Trinamool Congress sponsored protest entered its tenth consecutive day.

Meanwhile, the movement of vehicles on the Durgapur Express Highway was also less this morning.

On Monday, Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee met West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi following the latter's initiative to resolve the deadlocked over Singur issue.

India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki has reported 9.19% decline in sales during August, this year at 59,908 units as against 65,968 units in the same month last year.

In a statement released today, the company said that its domestic sales stood at 54,113 units compared to 60,229 units in the same month a year-ago, which indicates a fall of 10.15%.

However, company’s exports grew marginally at 5,795 units as against 5,739 units in the same period, last fiscal.

The A2 segment comprising Alto, Zen Estilo, Swift and WagonR registered a decline of 9.75%. The sales stood at 37,667 units as against 41,736 units for the corresponding period of last year.