News in brief

The U.S spec Chevrolet Cruze will debut at the forthcoming LA motorshow. 10 airbags, XM Satellite Radio & Bluetooth will be standard. Powering the car will be a 1.4 litre turbo petrol 4-cylinder engine delivering upto 40mpg. Sales start Autumn 2010.

A Porsche dealer from the Netherlands decided to drape a brand-new 911 Carrera S in smooth milk chocolate. 3kg of white chocolate was used to cover the headlamps, fog-lamps and tail-lights. 175kg (386lbs) or 1,100 bars of chocolate were melted down and used on the exterior.

The car will be on display untill the end of the year and will be kept at tempretures of under 27°C to prevent melting.

Volkswagen's forthcoming Amarok pick-up truck will be supplied to the 2010 Dakar Rally as an official event vehicle. A total of 35 Amarok units are to be used, with 20 going to the organiser and 15 scheduled for press and shuttle services.

The 2010 Dakar takes place in South America from 1st - 17th January. It starts off in Argentina, goes through parts of Chile and ends up back in Argentina. The race course covers about 9,000km (5,592 miles).

The 2011 Mazda2 supermini will also debut at the LA autoshow on the 2nd December. "Bringing Mazda2 to North America completes the bookends in our line-up," said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North America. The newcomer will hit showroom floors late next year with either a 1.3 litre or 1.5 litre petrol engine.

Mercedes-Benz is set to launch a smaller, two-seater, affordable version of the SLS AMG supercar in 2013. "The feedback we've received since showing the car at the Frankfurt motor show has been extremely encouraging. A second model that will project a similarly exclusive image but be more accessible in terms of its pricing is already in planning." - Via Autocar.