According to a report in Automotive News Europe, VW is planning to cut its prices.

However, before getting excited over a cheap VW in your local dealer, buyers should be aware that this is a plan that will take effect as each current model is replaced. VW does not want to be seen to be resorting to panic price cuts, so will slowly re-align its prices. The forthcoming Fox city car will be priced well below the current Lupo, although that one is a bit of a no-brainer. The Lupo has been a slow seller ever since it was launched - smart has the market for premium city cars sewn up and few could see the point of a bland VW tot at a high price. The next Passat may also feature a cheaper entry-level model.

The big problem with this strategy is where it leaves Seat and Skoda. If VW has now dropped its previous plan to become an alternative Mercedes and go back to the mid-market (which, in truth, it never really escaped from), will Seat and Skoda have to be pushed a bit further downmarket so as not to tread on parent VW's shoes?

The results of the latest round of Euro NCAP safety tests have been released.

Amongst small cars, the Fiat Panda and Kia Picanto scored three stars, but the Hyundai Getz scored an excellent four. Korean cars are not usually associated with top safety results, but four stars for a supermini is very creditable: generally speaking, it is difficult to get a good score with a small (and cheap) supermini.

In small family cars, the new Citroen C4, Ford Focus, Seat Altea and BMW 1 Series all scored the maximum five stars.

Amongst larger cars, the Citroen C5, Audi A6 and VW Touareg also scored five stars. However, the new BMW 5 Series only scored four. Given that it is large, expensive and brand new, that is a poor result. Expect a revised 5 Series to be submitted for testing in the not-too-distant future.

The new Focus has been awarded a record score by Euro NCAP for occupant safety.

The new Focus has been awarded a 100 per cent occupant safety rating for both offset frontal and side impact test modes, and to have achieved 100 per cent for child dynamic injury protection for 1½ and 3 year old child crash test dummies.

Euro NCAP has presented the new Ford Focus with a five-star overall safety rating, a four-star child protection rating, but a very average two-star pedestrian protection rating. Adrian Hobbs, Secretary General of Euro NCAP said: "The Ford Focus achieved the highest score for occupant safety ever achieved since we began testing new vehicles seven years ago and this makes it the best performing vehicle in its class. The Ford product development team has helped raise the benchmark in terms of safety - giving other manufacturers something to strive for."

In addition, the new Focus achieved top honours in two independent neck injury evaluations carried out by Folksam and the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG). This performance is important as neck injuries in rear impact make up 75 per cent of all personal injury claims in Europe.

Ferrari has shown the first pictures of its new Superamerica - essentially a 540 bhp 575M Maranello convertible.

Highlight of the car is its roof - and not simply because it comes off. It is made from electrochromic glass which means that the driver can control the amount of light entering the cockpit. There are five tint levels available and the glass can go from dark to light in under a minute, at the touch of a button. When the driver wants to put down the roof, it rotates through 180 degrees to sit on top of the boot. Suddenly, folding metal roofs look a bit last year.

Incidentally, if you were wondering about the name, it is not political. Superamerica was a name used in the 1960s for the most outrageous front-engined Ferrari and the new limited-edition model certainly fits that description.

  Hundreds Protest Jaguar Job Cuts

Hundreds of Jaguar workers and their supporters have demonstrated in protest against plans by Ford to end car production and cut 1,150 jobs at Jaguar's main plant in Coventry.

The Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) said protesters marched through the centre of Coventry on Saturday to demonstrate against the cuts at the luxury carmaker's Browns Lane plant, which were announced in September. Members of the Amicus and T&G unions will begin voting on Monday in a ballot on industrial action that runs until December 13.

T&G General Secretary Tony Woodley joined his Amicus counterpart, Derek Simpson, at the head of the march.

"This is a justifiable dispute to stop British workers and Jaguar workers being the cannon fodder of multinational companies," Woodley told the crowd.

Jaguar management and unions are scheduled to meet in the first week of December to discuss the measures, which have drawn attention from senior government officials. But Ford has insisted the steps are needed to stem chronic losses at Jaguar. Jaguar Chief Executive Joe Greenwell said last week the brand would lose hundreds of millions of pounds this year and not break even until 2007 despite the job cuts.

Jaguar is shifting car production from Browns Lane to another factory near Birmingham.

Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 for 1.6 billion pounds. Despite sales growth in Europe and high quality levels, Jaguar has been unable to keep pace with larger rivals in the premium car sector amid a slump in U.S. car sales.

  BMW Names New Rolls-Royce Boss

German carmaker BMW says it has appointed its head of South African operations to run its luxury brand Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, from next February.

Ian Robertson, 46, will take over as Rolls-Royce chairman and chief executive from BMW group finance chief Stefan Krause, who held the post on an interim basis after Karl-Heinz Kalbfell resigned last month to head Fiat's Alfa Romeo brand.

The change, announced on Monday, marks the latest switch in quick succession at the luxury brand. Tony Gott resigned as head of Rolls-Royce in May. He had held the position since 2002.