Stuttgart  - Peugeot has treated its 10-year-old 206 to a makeover in a bid to keep it near the top of the supermini registration league, Germany's auto motor und sport magazine reports.

The Lion marque designers have restyled the front of the car to give it the same gaping grille and heavily-sculpted look of the 207 hot hatch which it is sold alongside. The new model for Europe will be officially unveiled at the Geneva show in March.

Munich - An entry-level One version of the practical Mini Clubman estate is to make its debut at the Geneva car show from March 5 to 15 and will go on sale in Europe the same month, owners BMW have announced.

The Mini One Clubman uses an upgraded version of the 1.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine turning out 95 horsepower. Combined fuel consumption is given as 5.4 litres per
100 kilometres with a CO2 emission figure of 128 g/km.

Tokyo  - Mitsubishi is to begin trials in Europe with the iMIEV, the egg-shaped city car which goes on sale in Japan this summer.

According to the carmaker's German importer in Hattersheim, the tests will help designers gauge whether the battery-powered sub-compact is suitable for the European market where it could be offered from 2010.

Only 12 Mitsubishi prototypes will be put through their paces, with the number divided between Spain, the Netherlands and Britain. Trials in other countries are set to follow.

Stuttgart  - A striking new museum which celebrates German sports car manufacturer Porsche is to open in Stuttgart on January 31.

The finishing touches are currently being made to the landmark building close to the company's head office in the suburb of Zuffenhausen.

Moerfelden, Germany  - Volkswagen-owned Seat is the latest manufacturer to announce plans for an eco-friendly, diesel-electric hybrid.

The Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive is based on the Spanish marque's Leon saloon and features the same powertrain as the recently unveiled prototype VW Golf TwinDrive which mates a 1.9-litre, 105 horsepower common rail diesel engine to a 35-kilowatt electric motor.

Waldlaubersheim, Germany  - The entries in the guest book or Book of Concerns at this church beside the autobahn in the German state of Hesse show that modern mobility and spiritual solace need not be mutually exclusive.

The comments written in English, Polish, Czech, Dutch and German are from motorists who took time off from a journey to find peace of mind beside a busy motorway in Waldlaubersheim. Some of the visitors leave behind their most intimate thoughts, wishes and prayers.