CO2 TARGET MISS: European car-makers will miss voluntary targets for reducing carbon dioxide by 2008, says Automotive News Europe. An EU source told the paper: "They will overshoot their target by a little. It's pretty common knowledge within the Commission, but politically incorrect to say it."
Under a 1999 agreement, Europe's car industry pledged to cut per-car CO2 emissions to 140 grams per km by 2008, compared with 185g/km in 1995.
FAREWELL, MONARO: Car fans in Australia are mourning the passing of the Holden Monaro. The high-revving coupé built by GM's Australian marque will be phased out at the end of the year. However, it will live on in the US, where the Holden coupé was given a bigger engine and sold as the Pontiac GTO. It will also live on in Britain under the Vauxhall badge.
RAC CUT BACK: The RAC hotel inspection and rating system is to be closed down next year after 101 years. The move brings an end to the motor organisation's hotel guidebook series.
A spokesman said the decision was made "for the sole reason that it has become very expensive to run. We didn't want to economise and risk lowering our standards, so this was the only option." The RAC will bring out one last edition of its Hotels and Bed & Breakfast in January.
NISSAN PROFITS LEAP: Nissan had a 10.7 per cent jump in quarterly profits thanks to booming domestic and US sales. Japan's second-largest car-maker, 44 per cent owned by Renault, reported an operating profit of €1.54 billion in the first quarter ended June.