Limited edition Armani

Giorgio Armani

Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armaniis wheeling around Milan in a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz bearing the signature "Mercedes-Benz CLK designed by Giorgio Armani." It is one of only 100 the carmaker will build to Armani's specifications, which include a matt sand colour - a classic Armani trademark. The collaboration between the two began with a show car unveiled at the Milan Fashion Week in 2003.

More outback for your dollar

Australian economy driving specialist John Taylor drove the 2991km between Darwin and Adelaide at 3.86 litres/100km, or 73.57mpg, in a Peugeot 407 HDi turbo-diesel manual sedan. He used just over 115 litres of fuel for the journey, filling up once at Alice Springs, for an average tank distance of 1700km. His wife, Helen, following behind in an automatic version of the same 2-litre car, squeezed 1445.6km out of a tank. Her achievement is believed to be a world record for the longest distance driven on one tank of fuel in an automatic vehicle.

Around the world in a Kia

Swedish adventurer Christer Gerlach is to drive a four-wheel-drive Kia Sorento solo around the world, during which he will complete the claimed first crossing of largely unmapped Siberia by car. He will leave Sweden in August and drive across Europe, Russia, and Siberia to Korea, where the Sorento will be shipped to Los Angeles. Gerlach, who is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to circumnavigate the globe by car, will then take Route 66 to New York before shipping the vehicle back to Sweden.

Milestone for Saab

Swedish carmaker Saab has produced its four-millionth car, a 9-3 station wagon. After coming off the production line, the car went straight to the Saab Museum. The milestone model came 55 years and six months after the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Aircraft Company Limited) built its first car, the aircraft-inspired, teardrop-shaped 92 model, the beginning of the company's diversification into the automotive business. The one-millionth car (a Saab 99 Combi Coupe) was rolled out in January 1976, the two-millionth (a Saab 9000 Turbo) in March 1987 and the three-millionth (a Saab 9-5 Saloon) in October 1997.

Mazda6 best car to crash in

Australian motoring magazine Wheels says the Mazda6 is one of the safest cars in which to avoid an accident. The magazine put 15 of Australia's best-selling cars through a series of tests to calculate the vehicle's ability to avoid a crash. Other vehicles tested include the Ford Falcon. Holden Commodore, Toyota Corolla and the Holden Astra. The tests define how hard the cars grip in corners, how rapidly they can swerve and recover, how quickly they stop and how much time you spend on the wrong side of the road when overtaking.

We are the world

British entrepreneur Colin Dowse has released a product called "Sprayonmud" for urban four-wheel-driver owners who want to pass themselves off as all-terrain adventurers. It's basically dirty water chemically treated for greater stickiness and costs about $20 a bottle.

A Maryland judge has convicted Ben Meacham, 23, for his role in the death of a friend who wanted to do something unusual on his motorcycle before it was repossessed. Meacham taped his friend dropping his pants, doing wheelies on the bike, and crashing into a parked truck.