Silver stars

Peugeot is marking its World Rally Championship success in New Zealand with a limited-edition version of the 206GTi. Only 10 cars are available, each costing $43,990 and with a silver plaque signed by Peugeot WRC drivers Marcus Gronholm and Richard Burns. The plaques are mounted inside the cars and are numbered 1 to 10. The special models come in aluminium silver, just like the WRC cars, and have 17-inch rally-inspired white alloys, sports suspension, sports exhaust, rear spoiler, GTi body kit, aluminium gear knob, special mats and high performance air filter.

Hydro power

Energy watchers in Europe say Iceland could eventually export enough hydrogen gas to serve a country the size of Denmark. Iceland opened its first hydrogen fuelling station the other day, the first stage in its aim to become the world's first hydrogen economy. The station was built by oil company Royal Dutch Shell and will run three fuel-cell buses in the capital Reykjavik. DaimlerChrysler built the buses at a cost of about $2 million each. Seventy two per cent of Iceland's energy comes from renewable sources, primarily geothermal and hydro-electric. Hydrogen could eventually serve as an alternative to petroleum in its cars, trucks, fishing vessels, even aircraft.

Road deaths up

More people died on America's roads last year than any year since 1990, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The toll was 42,850, up 1.7 per cent over the 42,116 deaths in 2001. Almost 25 per cent, or 10,626, of the deaths involved a vhicle rolling over; 42 per cent were associated with alcohol use, a number that's been on the rise since 1999; 59 per cent of the fatalities were not wearing seatbelts, the agency reported. In 1990, 44,599 people were killed on America's roads.

Euro pressure

Nissan may freeze new investment at its key plant in northeast England if Britain does not opt to join the euro single currency, its chief executive Carlos Ghosn says. Ghosn said Nissan would pour more money into its Sunderland plant to start building its new Almera model in two years if Britain has by then indicated it wishes to join the euro. If not, it would take its money elsewhere. "If the signs are clear and reassuring, we will reinvest in Sunderland," Ghosn said. "If there are too many risks we will go elsewhere. We want our main cost base in Europe to be in the same currency as our receipts." The British Government is expected to rule on membership of the euro within weeks.

Wheel love

The average American spends 450 hours each year behind the wheel, more than twice as long as Britons, a study for the American public transport association reveals. Given a choice between kissing their mother or father-in-law or their car, one-third of respondents opted for the car, according to a poll by Goodyear. "The automobile has a special place in the American culture," it says. "Americans devote whole songs and movies to them. They have been a focus of individual expression. You are what you drive."

Tassie red devil

One of Saab's most successful motorsport cars from more than 25 years ago will compete in the Targa Tasmania road race, May 13-18. A privately owned Saab 99 Turbo Coupe, almost identical in specification to the model raced by Swedish rallying icons Stig Blomqvist and Per Eklund in the late 1970s, will challenge past exotic competition cars in the classic division of the 2300km Tasmanian road race. The red two-door weighs 1050kg and is powered by an eight-valve, 2-litre turbocharged engine generating 128kW.

We are the world

Saddam Hussein's government ordered 5000 Volga taxis from Russia, only weeks before America invaded Iraq. Now the Volga car company is arguing that the $27 million contract must be honoured under international law. It might have to wait in line.