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Euro NCAP crash tests: hybrids score full marks

By Tim Swietochowski Motor Industry 26 August 2009 14:49 The Toyota Prius 3 and Honda Insight are among seven new cars to achieve five-star safety ratings in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests out today. Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP’s secretary general said: ‘The technology andknow-how is out there for car makers to deliver vehicles with better pedestrianprotection. Honda and Toyota are giving us a glimpse of the cars of the future thatconsider the natural and social environment in its entirety.’ A Toyota official said hybrids posed new problems for its engineers.

Saab unable to pay wages as financing crisis deepens

Saab's money troubles have worsened to the point that the struggling car maker is unable to pay its employees' wages on the eve of the Swedish mid-summer vacation period.In a brief official statement last night, Saab's parent company Swedish Automobile N.V (formerly Spyker Cars) announced that it was 'will be unable to pay the wages to employees as it has not yet obtained the necessary short-term funding.'  While Swedish Automobile and Saab continue to pursue options for securing short-term financing to solve the cashflow crisis, the company admitted 'there can however be no assurance that these discussions will be successful or that the necessary funding will be obtained.' Saab share prices tumble, Swedish government will not intervene Reaction to the worsening financial crisis from stakeholders has been predictably bleak. Swedish Automobile's shares dropped 61% in value yesterday, and are currently trading at 0.948 euro. The Swedish government, already guaranteeing a €400m loan to Saab by the European Investment Bank, shows no inclination to bail-out Saab, which employs 3800 staff.

Euro NCAP gets tough on whiplash

[ad#ad-1] As we reported a few days ago, the Renault Megane succeeded in achieving the joint highest ever score in the Euro NCAP tests. But as we noted then, this was the last bunch of NCAP tests under the existing regulations, and all changes from the New Year. As an introduction to the new tests, NCAP has just released test figures for whiplash testing on a group of 25 cars recently tested, and the results are rather enlightening.