In a bid to add power to its pr

Stockholm  - The Swedish government Thursday moved to help Volvo Cars, the troubled Swedish subsidiary of US carmaker Ford.

The government said it has given the Swedish National Debt Office the task of negotiating the terms for a 5-billion-kronor (525 million dollars) credit guarantee to Volvo Cars and Ford.

New York - US automotive concern Ford reported Thursday that it lost 5.9 billion dollars in the final quarter of 2008, boosting the full-year red ink to 14.6 billion dollars.

In 2007, Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford had lost 2.7 billion dollars.

The fourth quarter losses came as meanwhile sales plunged by one- third to 29.2 billion dollars, the company said. Full-year sales in
2008 came to 146.3 billion dollars, down 15 per cent.

The German luxury car manufacturer, BMW AG Germany is on the verge of launching its five more new models in the Indian market.

In India, BMW marks its existence as BMW India, the wholly owned arm of the world’s major luxury carmaker.

BMW India has already launched the all-new 7 series sedan and the new 3 Series sedan. The company would also launch two more versions of the 7 series in the coming months.

Moreover, it will also launch SUV X6 and X3 diesel and a new sports model in 2009.

India's largest passenger carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, has decided to hike prices of its various models following foreign currency fluctuations and rise in input prices. The prices have been revised in the range of Rs 5,000-10,000 and would be effective from January 28 onwards. However, prices of economy-end vehicles like M800, Omni, Alto, WagonR, Zen Estilo, Gypsy, and Versa besides the SUV Grand Vitara were not increased.

Stockholm - Volvo Cars, the Swedish subsidiary of US carmaker Ford, has urged the Swedish government to introduce more incentives to help the flagging industry, reports said Wednesday.

Suggestions included reintroducing a premium for the demolition of old cars, extending a tax-break scheme for ecologically friendly cars and conducting a review of diesel fuel taxes.

"A demolition premium has a double benefit. Old cars that cause more harm to the environment than new cars disappear while the car industry gets a boost and more people keep their jobs," Volvo Cars chief executive Stephen Odell told financial daily Dagens Industri.