1963-1965 Buick Riviera Rear Console Courtesy Lens on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch July 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman, Ben Whitworth and Alex Michaelides Motor Industry 31 July 2009 11:23 Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour  Friday 31 July 2009• Lamborghini today posted pre-tax profits of €5.4 million – despite a sales drop of 37% in the first six months of 2009. Sant'Agata said turnover hit €156.9m in the first half (down 43%) as it sold 825 cars globally (Lamborghini)• British motorists could have to pay £250 in tax to park at work from 2012.

Range Rover photography contest

Land Rover is offering a very exclusive prize to the winner of its latest photographic competition. In addition to Olympus E-PL2 cameras and Land Rover Experience vouchers for the runners-up, the overall winner will receive an exclusive Range Rover Evoque bicycle. Created by the Land Rover Design team, the top prize is just one of three Range Rover Evoque bicycles in the world.

U-turn for wheelchair row taxi firm

A TAXI firm that refused to pick up wheelchair users has had to perform a U-turn. Middlesbrough-based Boro Cars, the largest taxi firm in the North East, had originally said refusing disabled passengers was "morally wrong", but it brought in the policy anyway. The firm insists that minibuses cost drivers more to rent and that the standard fares, which are the only fares that can be charged to disabled passengers, are not high enough to earn operators any money.