US auto brand survey puts Toyota on top
Twenty five per cent of Americans are considering buying a Toyota as their next car, according to a recent consumer survey revealing the company's growing importance clout in the US market.

The survey by the influential magazine Consumer Reports also said Toyota had the strongest brand image among automakers in the United States, ahead of Ford.

Trailing behind were Japan's Honda with 17 pc, GM's Chevrolet brand with 15 pc and Ford at 13 pc.

Last year, Toyota overtook the German-US carmaker DaimlerChrysler to become the third-selling auto company in the US, catching up on Ford in second place.
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GM to launch electric car Volt
General Motors, the world's biggest carmaker, plans to launch a mass-market battery-powered car called the Volt, which it believes could finally end the days of the internal combustion engine.

Still at a conceptual stage, GM said the Volt would contain a plug-in battery capable of powering it for 40 miles. Unlike previous attempts at electric cars, it will also have an electric generator on board able to produce more energy when the battery runs low.

GM's vice-chairman for product development, Bob Lutz, said the project was "fundamentally, ground-breakingly new" and had the highest importance for the company.
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