IT'S A PANDA BY GINGO: The car that Fiat hopes will help speed it out of its worst crisis in a 100 years, has run into problems before even hitting the road.
It was unveiled with panache at the Geneva car show in March, but French car maker Renault has thrown a spanner in the works saying Gingo's is too similar to its Twingo.
Fearing a lawsuit, Fiat has reverted to the Panda name for the car which is being built in Poland and is due to go on sale from September 1st.
Some good news for Fiat last week: second-quarter operating losses were much smaller than expected.
FERRARI TREAT: Ferrari fans may get the chance to see the new Challenge Stradale at Charles Hurst's new Ferrari showroom in Belfast from August 15th. Prices are estimated at €275,000. The car may make the trip down to the Phoenix Park races on August 16th and 17th for the races' centenary.
OUTBACK COLLISIONS: Kangaroo collisions caused more than €10 million in damage to vehicles in Australia last year, according to the country's largest motor insurer. A collision at high speed with an adult red kangaroo, which can weigh 90 kilos, canstand 1.8 metres and travel at up to 45 mph, can write off a car.
NEW FROM CITROÊN: The green light has been given for production of a new luxury car to replace Citroên's defunct XM. Based on the C6 Lignage concept shown at Geneva in 1999, it will roll out in the autumn of 2005.
NEW LOOK FREELANDER: Land Rover's Freelander has got a facelift just in time to head off BMW's upcoming X3 due in the middle of next year. It adopts the Land Rover family face with the twin-pocket headlights used by the Discovery, and a much needed improvement in cabin quality. Land Rover is also busy on a brand new Freelander for 2006.
HIGHER HEART RISKS: Bus and taxi drivers are subject to a significantly increased risk of heart attacks compared to the general population, according to Swedish research. This is partly expained by "unfavourable" lifestyle and social factors - long working hours were an element.
Truck drivers also have a higher than normal risk, though researchers concluded that "individual risk factors" were more important here, compared to the "working environment" of bus and taxi operators.