The good oil: A Bridges too far

Hyundai in the US was all ready to bombard tomorrow night's Oscars ceremony with a raft of television commercials - until it was told they were unfit. The problem centred around Jeff Bridges, nominee for best actor for his role in Crazy Heart. Bridges (pictured) has been doing voiceovers for Hyundai commercials in the US since 2007.

But Oscar rules say that TV ads featuring celebrities or celebrity voiceovers cannot run near segments of the programme that could feature those very same stars. Trying to figure out where seven Hyundai ads could run and not violate Oscar conditions was simply too confusing.

So Hyundai hired seven other celebrities - Kim Basinger, Richard Dreyfuss, David Duchovny, Catherine Keener, Michael Madsen, Mandy Patinkin and Martin Sheen - to read the ads. A 30-second TV spot in the Oscars costs between US$1.3 million ($1.8 million) and US$1.5 million.

Hummer on a bummer

General Motors is still hoping to find a buyer for its four-wheel-drive Hummer division, now that the Chinese have bailed out. It's a myth that Hummer's popularity took off when actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought one of the first civilian versions in 1992. The vehicle gained traction two years earlier, in 1990, when two original Humvees (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles) raced from London to Beijing, via the coarse roads of Russia. The drive was broadcast on TV in the US, sparking initial interest in the go-anywhere model. What made it really famous was the 1991 Gulf War. US soldiers driving military Humvees were often seen on the news in America.

Buzz around Nano

India's top vehicle maker, Tata Motors, will bring an electric version of the Nano, the world's cheapest car, to Europe within three years, starting with Britain and Scandinavia. Tata has said it would begin selling the petrol-engine Nano in Europe by next year, as it aims to expand its reach beyond India and other emerging markets. Tata vice-chairman Ravi Kant declined to disclose to reporters at the Geneva motor show a price range for the electric Nano.

Ford's new status

Ford led the US new-vehicle industry to a 13 per cent sales gain in February, topping General Motors in monthly sales for the first time in 12 years. Ford sold 142,006 light vehicles, 471 more than GM, which was up 12 per cent. Chrysler sales rose around 12 per cent. The last time Ford topped GM for the month was in July 1998. GM has been market leader in the US each year since 1931. Toyota fared better than analysts had projected, dropping 9 per cent in the midst of its recall crisis. Subaru, up 38 per cent, and Nissan, up 29 per cent, had the strongest advances behind Ford.

We are the world

A city in China has come up with "women only" parking spaces - designed to meet females' "strong sense of colour and different sense of distance". The spaces in industrial city Shijiazhuang (meaning "stones village"), 320km south of Beijing, are a metre wider than regular parking spots and painted pink and purple. "Trained" attendants are on hand to "guide" women into parking spaces.

alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz