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GM leapfrogs Toyota

By Chris Hope Motor Industry 24 July 2007 10:19 Is General Motors winning the battle, but not the war? GM this week wrestled back its top spot as the world's biggest car maker from Toyota. The Japanese maker was the global number one in the first quarter of 2007 but GM has hit back in the second quarter from April to June to reclaim its 76-year-old crown.

Ford prices new 2012 Focus ST from £21,995

Ford has confirmed prices for the new Focus ST. The new 247bhp hot hatch will cost from £21,995 for the hatchback, or £23,095 for the Focus ST estate. That undercuts the VW Golf GTI, which has bumped up in price in recent years to a stout £25,330 despite having a more modest 207bhp. It also makes it better value than the £26,995 Vauxhall Astra VXR and Renaultsport Megane RS 265 at £24,840.

Mercedes SLA Roadster looks likely

As car manufacturers start to look with fresh eyes at smaller, cheaper cars, reports from Germany confirm that Mercedes is close to committing to the SLA, a small Roadster to be based on the next generation A-Class platform. The original SLA concept was shown at Detroit in 2000, and aimed to slot in beneath the SLK. But at that time Mercedes didn’t have a suitable platform on which to base the car, and the project was shelved.