Nuerburgring, Germany - Spy shots of a convertible version of Audi's R8 super sports car that is expected to be launched at next year's Frankfurt Motor Show have been revealed.

The shots published by Germany's auto-motor-sport magazine show a convertible with matt, black paintwork and vinyl roof during a test run on the Nuerburgring racetrack.

The car is expected to go on sale in the first half of 2010 but it remains unclear whether it will called Spyder or Targa, the magazine reported.

Wolfsburg, Germany - Volkswagen is offering a special, transparent foil to protect cars from gravel, scratch marks and other damage.

Stuttgart, Germany - The Porsche Panamera scheduled for European showrooms in March 2009 has been spotted during testing with spy shots revealing more details of the sleek four-door sedan.

Built on the same chassis as the Cayenne, the Panamera is powered by either a 3.6-litre V6 with 300 hp from Volkswagen or the 4.8-litre V8 with 350 hp also found in the Cayenne.

Spy shots published by Germany's auto-motor-sport magazine reveal a rear wing providing downforce and a bigger rear window than in previous spy shots. The bonnet is more contoured and the headlights are clearly visible.

New Delhi - Germany and India on Tuesday launched a strategic initiative which will foster cooperation between science and industry on innovation in skill development, industrial growth and life sciences.

India's Science Minister Kapil Sibal and German Federal Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan inaugurated the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) in New Delhi for which each side will provide 10 million euros over the next five years.

Berlin - Attackers believed to be neo-Nazis drew swastikas with felt-tip pens on the face and back of a 21-year-old handicapped man in Germany, police said Tuesday.

Police said relatives had helped the man clean the ink off after the August 26 attack, but did not report it to police. Last week, a welfare worker told police, who have begun a hunt for two assailants.

Neo-Nazi slogans were also scrawled on the victim's T-shirt, said police in the northern city of Schwerin.

Offenbach, Germany - Honda issued more details in Germany on Tuesday of its hybrid car, the Insight Concept, which it plans to unveil at the October 4-19 Paris motor show.

The Japanese company said in Offenbach near Frankfurt that the Insight Concept was aimed at families and would be the first of three new hybrid models to be launched over the next four years.

Fuel-saving hybrid drives are a combination of a small internal- combustion engine and an electric motor.