Toyota has overtaken Ford in terms of US sales for the first time, figures have revealed. Demand for Toyota's environmentally-friendly vehicles, such as its hybrid Prius model, have driven sales in the US and the company saw its sales surpass those of Ford during October. According to the statistics, Toyota sold 197,592 vehicles during the month, which was its best ever monthly sales figure for the US, while Ford saw its sales at 195,462. Overall, Ford is still leading Toyota in terms of annual sales in the US market, with 2.5 million vehicles sold so far in 2007, but Toyota is not far behind with 2.2 million sales during the first ten months of the year.

However, things were not so good for General Motors (GM) during the second half of the year. The company revealed a record quarterly loss for the three months to the end of September, although it stated that this was due mostly to a on-off accounting charge. GM announced it had lost £18.5 billion during the three months and the company's Chief Financial Officer admitted to the BBC that its current performance has been "inadequate". Fritz Henderson said: "We've got to keep working very hard to improve, to launch our great products, improve the quality of our brands, which we are doing, and take cost out of the operations, which we are doing."

Meanwhile, Ford has announced its plans to improve its position in the car market and compete more effectively with the likes of Toyota. The company has announced that it is developing a new plan that is aimed at significantly boosting the production of green vehicles and cars that use alternative fuels. Ford is aiming to make half of its production in the US capable of running on alternative fuels by 2020, the company announced.

In Europe, Volkswagen has announced some upbeat sales figures for the year so far, stating that it expects to surpass six million units. The company said it is currently on track to surpass the six million sales mark for the first time, with robust demand in China and South America said to be behind the growth. During October, Volkswagen saw vehicle sales rise 11.2 per cent to 528,500, helping push up its ten-month sales to a record 5.14 million, the company said. However, sales in Germany, the firm's biggest market, dipped by 3.2 per cent over the first ten months of 2007, but this was offset by an overall three per cent rise across Europe

Mercedes-Benz has announced the launch of two new engines for European markets, which will be used in its E-Class models. The Bluetec engines have been developed for use in the company's E-Class sedan and wagon range in Europe and were first displayed at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. The company explains that the Bluetec system is designed to reduce emissions and uses an oxidising catalytic converter and a particulate filter which are aimed at ensuring "effective exhaust gas aftertreatment". It is thought that the new technology could be used to meet the future EU6 standards on emissions.

Chrysler has announced plans to launch three new concept cars next year that are designed to run on environmentally-friendly power systems, including fuel cells. The company revealed that the Chrysler ecoVoyager will be designed to be powered by lithium-ion battery and a small hydrogen fuel cell that will extend its range to around 300 miles. Spokesman Rick Deneau revealed that all the concepts will be drivable when unveiled next year, but will have conventional powertrains until the technology is completed for their ultimate, eco-friendly, powertrains. "The issue is really more the packaging, today's knowledge of what the packaging will be in the future," Mr Deneau explained, the Associated Press reports.

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