Audi will unveil a sports car concept, aimed squarely at the Porsche 911, at the Frankfurt auto show in September. The car will use an aluminium spaceframe derived from the one Audi is building in Neckarsulm, Germany for the new lamborghini Gallardo. The Gallardo, often referred to as the 'baby Diablo' will be introduced later this year.

Beijing Automotive , the Chinese manufacturer which has partnerships with DaimlerChrysler's Jeep unit, Hyundai and Mitsubishi, has sold 101,500 vehicles in the first four months of 2003 which translates to a 95% increase over the same period one year ago. The company says it plans to build and sell 220,000 vehicles in 2003.

BMW motor sports director Gerhard Berger has been quoted as slating its Williams F1 partner. Berger, who will retire in August, said "BMW has been building the best engines for several seasons, but is always slowed down by Williams cars. This means we may win 1 or 2 races where our super engine will help, but the world championship will remain a dream.". He also indicated that BMW will remain in F1 racing, but not in the same way.

Continental has announced that it is now more of a diversified automotive supplier than a pure tiremaker, and says that making parts is a bigger and more profitable business than tires. Hanover- based Continental supplies braking and adaptive cruise control, air suspension and sensor systems which, in 2002, accounted for 40% of sales and 45% of the group's operating profits.

Ferrari is the most sought-after brand name on the internet, according to the world's biggest search engine. Of the 150 million requests Google dealt with each day last year, The Italian firm was the most common. Other popular brands included Sony, Nokia and Disney.

Fiat will facelift all models it does not intend to replace over the next 2 years. The strategy affecting 9 models over the coming 15 months reverses Fiat's 15-year policy of not having mid-cycle revisions for its models. The entire Alfa Romeo range will be revamped by July starting with the GTV Coupe and Spider. However, the Lancia flagship Thesis will not get a face-lift and sales have been much lower than expected.

Ford has begun looking for potential partners to produce a true mini - smaller than the Ka - to compete with the Renault Twingo and VW Lupo. Ford is considering a 3-door hatchback plus a small people-mover from the same platform, similar to the Opel Agila. Ford's partner Mazda already has a mini called the Carol which was engineered by Suzuki from its global Alto platform. Ford owns 33% of Mazda but is looking for a fresh start and may also decide to go it alone.

Ford is bringing back the famous 'Ford' blue oval as its official corporate symbol. The logo, modified slightly with a light-to-dark blue background, will officially debut when the company turns 100 in June. Ford will also return the oval to its headquarters and begin using it again on its corporate materials. The logo was replaced in 2000 by the script 'Ford Motor Company'. At that time it was the world's second-most-recognized logo after Coca-Cola.

Hyundai is looking for a site for a new European plant. One possibility is Ostrava, located on the far eastern border with Poland. Suppliers have confirmed meetings with Hyundai and government officials. There are two potential sites for Hyundai near Ostrava: a 200-hectare site in Orlova Lutyne and 290-hectare site in Nosovice. The Czech government owns the property at Orlova Lutyne and Nosovice has designated the site as a target for strategic investment.

Magna International Inc , the huge Toronto based Tier1 supplier, may soon be ready to spin off its Magna Steyr vehicle assembly unit in Austria. Previous Magna spin-offs include Intier Automotive (seating and interior components) and Tesma International (powertrain systems). Magna Steyr assembles vehicles for BMW, Chrysler, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz. It purchased DaimlerChrysler's neighbouring Eurostar plant early last year and has an annual capacity of 180,000 units.

Moskvich , Moscow's state-controlled automotive OEM, has slipped into bankruptcy, and may now attract a foreign investor. Initially Moskvich assembled Ford cars before turning to its own models. Its output peaked at more than 150,000 units annually in the 1980s, but poor quality eroded the popularity of the company's cheap vehicles. By 1999, Moskvich's annual output was fewer than 600 cars and it shut down entirely in 2001 with some $1.1bn in debt.

Scania of Sweden and MAN of Germany, two of Europe's leading truckmakers, have announced plans for a long term collaboration in components, fuelling speculation that they might eventually merge. The companies have agreed to develop and supply gear boxes and axles together, believing they can achieve substantial synergies without jeopardising their brands or products.

Toyota has been rated top of an annual survey monitoring OEM supplier relationships. This years survey by Planning Perspectives Inc, ranked Toyota best and GM worst. The survey measures supplier attitude in 17 areas such as trust, willingness to share technology and rewards for cost-cutting ideas. It then distils results into a single rating for each OEM. This year Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Chrysler all improved while Ford and GM worsened.

Toyota is building a one-passenger electric car prototype that is only about 3 feet long and weighs 330 pounds. Called the i-unit, the tiny car will feature a lithium ion battery and a host of technology that includes an object detection and accident avoidance system, electronic steering and accelerator and an electronic device for 'authenticating' the driver.

TWR has been purchased by Menard Engineering which bought the company from the receivers last week. Menard employs 30,000 people in the US and is owned by John Menard, ranked 67 on the American rich list with a net worth of $5.4 bn. The TWR name (Tom Walkinsaw Racing) will be lost but its 200 staff will keep their jobs.

On the lighter side .... some strange but true stories.

Drunk Giorgio Persia was killed by a passing lorry as he stumbled out of a bar in his home town of Torre, Italy. He had been 'out on the town' celebrating a $400,000 win on the Italian lottery.

Troy Hart of Chicago , USA, has a novel anti-car-theft device. It is a mesh cage housing 2 boa constrictors.

Scientists in America believe it is possible to grow a substitute for petrol. They say the Aveloz and Gopher trees produce a latex liquid which is chemically identical.

Drivers in France may have to destroy their old cars before buying a new one, if the French Noise Abatement Society forces a law change.

A blind man in Jonesville, Texas was jailed for driving. He claimed his guide dog would bark once at a red light and twice at a green one.

Authorities in Beijing , China refuse to issue vehicle registration numbers that end in the number 4. It is considered a bad omen since it sounds like the word for death.

A policemen in Chelm , Poland shot dead a driver. He was sentenced to 2 years in jail and banned from the police force for 5 years. Asked why he thought the court was so lenient, he explained the person he shot had been suspected of exporting cars to avoid paying tax.

Volvo is benefiting from the latest single by the trendy rock 'n' roll band called Everclear. Their latest single is entitled 'Volvo Driving Soccer Mum' and contains lyrics such as 'I really used to be a bad girl...Yes, I used to be a real wild child...But now I'm a Volvo-driving soccer mum.' The video for the single features semi-naked young women who become suburban housewives. Volvo estate cars get a lot of air time as well. Volvo execs say they welcome the song but have no plans to adopt is as part of their future marketing.

Police conducting a campaign against people urinating in public in Ostend, Belgium, caught a man 'relieving himself' against a police car. The 33-year-old was find $25.

A church in Perth , Australia is wheel-clamping cars that park in its grounds. The priest said guilty motorists would be forgiven once they had paid their fine.

A motorist from Hamburg , Germany was given a 3 year driving ban after eating 53 liqueur chocolates. He was found to be over twice the legal alcohol limit.

A thief in Riga , Latvia made the fatal mistake of trying to steal a car which belonged to a local gangster. When he hot-wired the car, it detonated a bomb planted by a rival gang.

A man hijacked a bus full of terrified passengers and raced to catch a train in the Egyptian city of Alexandria after the driver went to buy a snack. Police stopped the bus at a roadblock and arrested Mahmud Abdel Gawwad, who said he was afraid of missing the train to a nearby town. When asked why he was so keen to reach the town he explained that he had an appointment to appear in court to face trial for motoring offences.

People in Austria who try to differentiate their country from the country of Australia suffered a set back this month when a Kangaroo was run over and killed in Styer, 150 Kilometers west of Vienna. A police spokesman said, 'The animal was a pet that had escaped from its cage. Kangaroos are extremely rare in Australia ..... I mean Austria'.