A round up of today's other stories in brief...
Ford to show off new Focus RS at the British Motor Show
Enthusiasts will get the clearest view yet of the new Focus RS at this month's British Motor Show in London.
Although some details may change as the car goes through its final development ahead of going on sale early next year, Ford will show off a preview of the final car.
What the company has confirmed is that the car will have a 296bhp turbocharged version of its 2.5-litre engine. Also producing more than 300lb ft torque, this should be enough to power the car from 0-100km/h in less than 6 seconds.
The car remains front-wheel drive, so to cope with the engine's high power output, Ford has developed a new front suspension system which works with a limited-slip differential to reduce torque steer.
MG production by Chinese firm faces legal challenge in Britain
A descendant of an English motoring dynasty is taking on China's largest carmaker in a battle over one of Britain's iconic brands - the MG sportscar.
At stake are two separate plans to relaunch the historic badge in the UK following the high-profile collapse of MG Rover in 2005. The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the Chinese carmaker that acquired the MG assets through a merger last year, has invested in restarting production at the former MG Rover factory in Longbridge, Birmingham.
A hitch has emerged, however, in the form of William Riley, a motoring enthusiast and descendant of the founders of the Riley car marque. Mr Riley claims that he owns the rights to produce the MG X Power, a limited edition handmade racing coupé. He has tried to revoke 32 other MG trademarks as well. Now the UK Intellectual Property Office is being asked to weigh in on who owns the rights to the MG name.
Toyota planning solar panels for some Priuses
Toyota plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodelling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said.
The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the petrol-electric Prius, the source said.
"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."
Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year. It is unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.
Fiat and BMW to co-operate on small cars
Fiat will work with BMW to develop a new platform for small cars, industry magazine Automotive News Europe reported yesterday, citing supplier sources. It will feature on the Fiat Grande Punto and next generation Mini. Fiat and BMW are also considering developing a new family of petrol and diesel engines, it claimed.
The report came as Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne told reporters it would sign an industrial alliance in the car sector this week, though he did not identify the partner.
"We've been working on it for a good while. It's something simple," he said on the sidelines of a session to test drive the Abarth version of the Cinquecento (500) city car. Press officers for the firms declined to comment on the report.