Slick conversion

Hyundai's CCS concept car, first shown at the Frankfurt motor show in September, will go into production in three years time. The Coupe Concept Studyis based on Hyundai's third generation coupe and will have a roof mechanism engineered by specialist German company Karmann. The system will allow the driver to transform the car from a glass-roofed coupe to a convertible at the touch of a button. There is also an intermediate configuration, where the central glass panel slides beneath the rear window to give a taste of wind-in-the-hair motoring. Hyundai said the car's appearance at Frankfurt prompted a stack of emails from potential customers, a response that led it to confirm it would build the car.

Defying gravity

One of this year's most celebrated TV commercials will be shown on the big screen before Peter Jackson's The Return of the King, which opens tomorrow. Honda's award-winning "Cog", a one-minute film of an Accord Euro sedan building itself, won a Gold Lion at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival and was short-listed for the Grand Prix award in the film category. The commercial took five months of planning. Film assistants tiptoed around the set so as not to disturb the feather-sensitive arrangement of 85 parts of the car. At one point, three tyres defy gravity and roll up-hill, a feat made possible through the precision placement of bolts and screws inside the tyre.

Light-duty Honda

Honda has signalled its intention to enter the pick-up truck market in the United States. Its first offering, a concept based on the same platform as the MDX four-wheel-drive sold in Australia, will be unveiled at the Detroit motor show next month. The new Honda will be a ute-like, five-passenger cabin mated to a short pick-up bed, a concept aimed at a niche segment rather than the heart of the huge US pick-up market. Honda says its sport utility truck will set a new standard for fuel efficiency, low emissions and safety performance in the light-duty truck segment. It is expected to be built at one of the two Honda truck plants in North America.

Ten out of 10

Nissan's 3.5-litre VQ V6 engine has been named on the annual Ward's 10 Best Engines list for the 10th year in a row - the only engine that has been part of the list every year the award has been presented. The versatile VQ powerplant is offered in a variety of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles around the world. In New Zealand, it is under the bonnet of the Maxima and 350Z sports car.

Stingray surfaces

A red 1974 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was a bargain buy at an auction in Melbourne. The Corvette fetched A$9000 ($10,300), A$22,000 less than another all-American model, a red 1996 Ford Mustang GT Coupe. Other sales included a 1977 Holden Torana A9X sedan (A$25,000); 1927 Chevrolet Capitol Tray Truck (A$10,500); 1928 Ford Model A Roadster Utility (A$10,250); 1947 MG TC (A$23,000); 1954 Triumph TR2 Roadster (A$19,000); 1991 Madison Roadster (A$15,000); 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Roadster (A$15,000); 1981 Fiat Spider Convertible (A$23,000); 1968 MGB Roadster (A$8,000). The feature car, a 1962 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster, was passed-in just below its A$50,000 reserve.

We are the world

* A British university student who crashed a BMW he had "borrowed" from a dealership as part of a rugby club's initiation rite has been banned from driving for a year and sentenced to 200 hours community service. He may also be expelled from the University of Dundee. Jonathon Cummins led police on a high-speed chase before crashing the car into a tree.

* A court in America has banned the FBI from electronically plugging into cars' onboard satellite-navigation systems to eavesdrop on conversations. Sat-nav uses mobile phone technology.