A round-up of other motoring news in brief
Audi A5 convertible due for debut at upcoming US motor shows
While the photos we received were rather grainy, they revealed an Audi A5 convertible due for launch in 2010.
The images were taken during a sunrise photoshoot.
In what appears to be Audi's Ibis White, this brochure-ready convertible two door is also likely to come in an S5 guise.
Though we aren't sure if the convertible will carry the coupé's 354bhp powerhouse engine, a diesel A5 range is likely.
The A5 cabrio should go into production in Ingolstadt sometime in the latter half of 2009. Look for the official debut at one of the upcoming US shows, either in Los Angeles or Detroit.
Two-week production halt for Nissan UK
The deteriorating conditions for the car market were highlighted this week with news that falling orders have forced the carmaker Nissan to halt production for two of its Sunderland-made models for two weeks.
Production of the Micra and Note has been cancelled from Friday.
When output of the models resumes on November 10th, their production lines will, for the next fortnight, run only an average of three days a week and speed will be cut by 10 per cent to slow output.
These moves, at the UK's biggest carmaking site, will affect 800 employees working on the Micra, a super-mini, and the Note, a small family car.
Nissan has also said its Spanish operation, where it last week announced it was cutting more than a quarter of its staff after a "dramatic decline" in sales, is also to see its output curtailed.
The Barcelona plant, which makes larger vehicles, including Nissan's Pathfinder and Navara models, is to have a week's non-production and eight weeks' short-time working.
Mini to build electric car with 150-mile range
Mini is to start building electric versions, beginning with an electric-powered Mini E that will feature at the Los Angeles Motor Show. A fleet of 500 cars will then go on a year-long test.
The Mini E is based on the existing hatchback, but is only a two-seater - the rear seat has made way for lithium-ion batteries which power a motor that gives a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds and a max 153km/h.
It has a range of 150 miles, and the initial 500 customers will be supplied with a wallbox which fully recharges the batteries in two-and-a-half hours.
If necessary, the car can be recharged through a standard power outlet. After 12 months, the cars will return to Mini so the company can gain information to help in the development of the eventual production car.
The Mini E looks virtually identical to the standard, with a few changes - a silver roof with a stylised plug logo and a battery level indicator in place of the rev counter.