Hero Honda Motors Ltd has announced financial results for third quarter of this financial year. The auto maker reported 7.1 per cent increase for Q3 despite 4 per cent drop in sales.

It should be recalled that government had announced 4 per cent excise duty cut in the economic booster package which helped to propel demand in automobile sector. Banks had also cut auto interest rates in line with key rate revision by Reserve Bank.

New York  - Japan's Toyota Motor raced past General Motors to become the world's largest car manufacturer, a position that the US car giant has held for 77 years.

GM said Wednesday its sales in 2008 fell 11 per cent, with fourth- quarter sales plunging 26 per cent, as the company lost its world top ranking to competitor Toyota.

Detroit, Michigan-based GM said it sold 8.35 million vehicles last year, of which fourth-quarter sales were 1.7 million.

New Delhi, Jan. 21 : Bajaj Auto Limited launched a new 135 cc sports-commuter motorcycle ''Bajaj XCD 135 DTS-Si'' on Wednesday here.

Powered with a 10.5 bhp (horse power) engine and many other attractive features, the XCD 135 DTS-Si is available in two variants of 125cc and 135cc with price tag ranging between Rs 40,000 to 46,000.

Managing Director (MD) of the Bajaj Auto Limited Rajiv Bajaj at the launch function said that the new offering from the company wouldl attract the buyers because of its styling and world- class features.

Bangkok - Thailand's auto parts industry is at risk of shedding 40,000 permanent jobs this year as domestic and global demand for vehicles shrinks, media reports said Wednesday.

Discussions Tuesday between the Industry Ministry and 1,600 auto parts manufacturers concluded that 20 per cent of 200,000 permanent employees in the sector were in danger of losing this jobs this year, the Bangkok Post reported.

Arjeplog, Sweden - They do things differently in Arjeplog. In most parts of northwest Sweden, the landscape is shrouded in an eerie silence from late autumn onwards, but when the days are very short and the nights bitterly cold, this remote settlement near the Arctic Circle suddenly comes to life.

Detroit - The long-awaited cleaner, greener version of the Mercedes M-Class off-roader is due to go on sale this autumn, the German carmaker revealed at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25.

The M-Class hybrid mates the familiar 3.2-litre, low-emission Blue Tec diesel engine to a 4x4 transmission incorporating twin electric motors. Mercedes says the combination will cut fuel consumption by 30 per cent compared to the standard model. Carbon dioxide emissions are set to be under 200 gm/km.