With the aim to strengthen its presence in the Indian market, Skoda, a Czech automobile maker and part of the fourth most established automotive company in the world, has decided to launch four new models by the coming year.

The company said that it will make foray into the small car, MPV and SUV segments with its new launchings.

Moreover, Skoda plans to increase local content in its cars to bring down their cost of production by 2010.

It is also looking to terminate the Octavia by the next few years.

Come September and Toyota's sports utility vehicle 'Fortuner' will hit the Indian markets! The announcement about the SUV's projected launch was made by the Indian unit of Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday.

The world's biggest carmaker, which marks its Indian presence through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group - Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd -, said that the SUV with a three-litre futuristic common-rail diesel engine will cost nearly Rs 20 lakh.

A Special Edition of the blockbuster saloon from Mercedes-Benz India - Special Edition E-Class - has been launched exclusively to cater to the Indian markets! The automaker intends producing just 192 of these cars, which have been tailored to meet Indian style preferences, in order to maintain the car's distinctiveness!

Washington - The US Treasury Department on Wednesday launched a new programme to aid US car suppliers who have struggled to stay afloat as the wider industry stands on the brink of collapse.

The plan would focus on parts suppliers for General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, both of which face possible bankruptcy within the next few months. The two US carmakers are in a race against time to shed massive debt and cut operating costs or risk losing government support.

Seeking to enhance its presence in the Indian automobile market, Porsche SE, the maker of luxury automobiles and sports cars, announced yesterday that its luxury sports car Panamera will be launched in India by October this year. The Stuttgart, Germany based Porsche stated that it will roll out three models of its expensive sports car Panamera in India.

Russelsheim, Germany - Opel is working on a compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid drive system in cooperation with car parts supplier Bosch and the University of Stuttgart to combine a turbo engine with an electric motor.

A prototype based on an Astra Caravan and equipped with a start- stop-system achieved a carbon dioxide emission figure of just 90 grammes per kilometre, the car maker said.