Berlin  - European car sales slumped a 7.8 per cent in May, data released Friday showed, as surging oil prices and renewed economic uncertainty hit consumer sentiment.

Bangkok  - Toyota is to begin production of Camry hybrid cars in Thailand next year, making the kingdom the third production base for the popular energy-saving model after Japan and the United Stat

Turin, Italy  - Fiat has revealed a nifty city concept car, the Phylla, which can run on solar energy supplementing a battery pack that can also be charged from the electric grid.

Built on an aluminium space frame with a triangular design, the car offers all-round visibility useful for city driving.

The cabin volume is defined by an asymmetrical layout of pillars which contour the triangular glass surfaces that can be replaced by solar panels. The layout with all-round visibility helps especially when parking in typical city driving conditions.

Rome  - The Italian sports car manufacturer Pagani will build a roadgoing version of its Zonda R racing car called the Zonda Cinque featuring the same 750 horsepower Mercedes 7.3-litre V12 engine,

Ingolstadt, Germany - Audi is offering the Audi R8 supercar with the option of full LED headlamp technology in addition to daytime running lights.

Hamburg  - The new Mazda2 three-door supermini is now available in European showrooms with an entry price of around 11,450 euros (17,770 dollars), the Japanese car maker has announced.

The three-door version comes at 500 euros cheaper than the five- door version which was introduced late last year.

The 1.3-litre engine fitted to both models comes in a 55 kW/75 hp and 63 kW/86 hp version. The 1.5-litre engine develops 76 kW/103 hp. In addition Mazda offers a 1.4-litre diesel version with 50 kW/86 hp.