Southern California auto maker announces fully-electric sedan

While hybrid vehicles have found considerable popularity in the United States since their introduction, one difficulty associated with the rollout of a fully electric car has been the comparably high price and poor performance, compared to an internal combustion engine-driven car of similar size. Tesla Motors claims that their Model S, a sedan which runs solely on electricity, will be more affordable.

Tesla first entered the automobile market in 2006, with a prototype of an electric vehicle designed on the roadster style. While the car, whose exterior design was based on the Lotus Elise, accelerated well and had considerable range, its cost of US$109,000 was prohibitive for many and to date only 300 have been sold, with a thousand more ordered.

Wind-powered land vehicle breaks speed record

Richard Jenkins, an engineer from the United Kingdom, broke a record for the fastest speed attained in a wind-powered land vehicle on Friday.

Jenkins managed to reach a speed of 126.1 miles per hour (202.9 kilometres per hour) in his Greenbird car along the plains of Nevada's Ivanpah Lake.

Jenkins said that he had worked for ten years to break the record, and that "things couldn't have been better" on the day he broke the record. "It's great. It's one of those things that you spend so long trying to do and when it actually happens, it's almost too easy," he said to the BBC.

"It has been an incredibly difficult challenge. Half the challenge is technical, having to create a more efficient vehicle than the previous record holder, then the rest is luck, being in the right place, at the right time, to get the perfect conditions, with the right people watching. I must have been on record standby at some remote location around the world for at least two months of every year for the past ten years," he said. "Then everything came together perfectly and the Greenbird stepped up to the mark and performed amazingly. I am absolutely delighted."

EU warns France about auto rescue plan

On Monday, France announced a rescue plan for its struggling automotive industry. The plan totals €6.5 billion (US$8.5 billion). The European Commission, which enforces European Union legislation, said the conditions may break EU rules.

The plan calls for PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault, the two largest French automakers, to receive a five-year loan of €3 billion at 6% interest, each. Meanwhile, Renault Trucks, which is owned by Volvo Group of Sweden, will receive a €500 million loan.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the funds should be invested in environmental technology. Sarkozy added that "Renault and PSA have also committed to not to close any production sites for the duration of their loan and to do whatever they can to avoid layoffs."