Source: Thomson Reuters

Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it would launch a new, low-cost hybrid car in Japan, North America and Europe in early 2009 as it seeks to cut the lead of Toyota Motor Corp in the green car race.

Despite the pressure of record-high oil prices and concerns over climate change, fuel-efficient and low-emission hybrids still occupy a small niche in the global car market, partly due to their higher costs for both consumers and automakers.

China Daily

The Chinese government is raising sales tax on big cars, while reducing taxation on small ones, in an effort to curb fuel consumption and control emissions that are destroying the air quality in most Chinese cities.

The Guardian

The roads were unusually clear but skies remained stubbornly smoggy in Beijing today at the start of an attempt to curb smog before the Olympics begin in three weeks.

The final stage of the programme, which began yesterday, saw half the city’s 3.3m cars banned from the roads each day, depending on whether their number plates end in an odd or even digit.

Reuters

Toyota Motor Corp plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power for a vehicle, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.