Ingolstadt, Germany - Audi has revamped its top of the range S4 and S4 Avant, giving it a more athletic look and a completely redesigned V6 engine which offers improved performance and efficiency.

First shown to the public at this month's Paris Motor Show, the three-litre V6 with direct fuel injection and mechanical turbocharging, delivers 245 kW/333 hp.

Acceleration of the sedan from zero to 100 km/h is listed at 5.1 seconds with an average fuel consumption of 9.7 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. The top speed is electronically regulated at 250 km/h.

Valencia, Spain  - The new Volvo XC60 crossover model is ready for European showrooms by November 2008 with the basic model to sell at 33,900 euros (49,416 dollars), the Swedish car maker announced at a presentation in Spain.

First unveiled as a concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2006, the XC60 is lauded by the manufacturer as "the safest Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the world".

It features six airbags, electronic stability programme (ESP) and the so-called City-Safety-System.

Tokyo - The Japanese carmaker Honda has announced measures to improve pedestrian safety with a new generation of crash test dummies aimed at reducing pedestrian lower back and upper leg injuries.

The car maker said the Polar III dummy improved the evaluation of the injuries common in collisions between pedestrians and taller vehicles such as SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicle) or minivans.

In 1998, Honda was the first car maker to develop a pedestrian crash test dummy to help identify parts of the vehicle most often causing injuries in collisions with pedestrians.

Crewe, England - Bentley is presenting the Arnage Final Series to mark the 10th anniversary of the model, the 50th birthday of the company's V8 engine and 90 years of Bentley heritage at the Paris Motor Show which runs until October 19.

The Bentley Arnage Final Series is an exclusive run of only 150 cars, the manufacturer has announced.

Powered by the Arnage T V8 with an output of 307kW/507 hp, the Final Series is listed with a top speed of 288 km/h and acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds.

Stuttgart, Germany  - From 2009, Mercedes will offer a new headlamp system that automatically adapts its range to the distance of vehicles ahead or to oncoming vehicles.

According to the car maker, the system will enable the driver to more easily recognise other road users, pedestrians or danger spots.

The dipped-beam range can be increased from around 65 metres to as much as 300 metres without dazzling other road users. Should the system recognise oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead, it continuously adjusts headlamp range so that the headlamp cone falls in front of other road users.

Hong Kong - A secret "hit list" of nearly 200 pilots Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific considered for sacking during a bitter 2001 dispute with cockpit crew was Wednesday circulating among staff.

The list - leaked by an unknown member of the management panel that decided which pilots to fire - includes the 49 pilots fired during the dispute and around 100 pilots still with the airline.

Serving pilots on the list include a deputy chief pilot with the Boeing fleet and a number of senior training captains. All but a handful of them had no idea they were once shortlisted.