Renault Samsung Motors Co. is offering a 20 percent discount on mechanics fees and selected parts until Feb. 18.During the period, those replacing engine oils, batteries, anti-freeze fluid and brake pads will be able to receive services at the discount rates at the 448 directly-operated and associated service centers across the country. The offer is available for all Renault Samsung vehicles. For

GENEVA (DPA) ― Ferrari is apparently planning to unveil at the Geneva Motor Show in March a Shooting Brake station wagon concept car based on the 612 Scaglietti, after spy shots of a car were revealed recently.The Italians could be testing the market for cars that could compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera or other luxury sports utility vehicles, fitted with a V12 engine of some 540 h

BERLIN (DPA) ― Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, has brought plans for a fuel-thrifty car out of abeyance and will display an ultra-light hybrid car at the Qatar Motor Show at the end of this month, according to a German magazine.Volkswagen has spoken for years of making a car that can travel 100 kilometers on just 1 litre of fuel, but has never put one on sale. The magazine Wirtschaftswoche

Facebook Inc.’s valuation topped Amazon.com Inc., leaving the social-networking company behind only Google Inc. among U.S. Internet companies. Facebook is valued at $82.9 billion on secondary exchange SharesPost Inc. and has jumped by more than 40 percent since mid-December. Amazon shares dropped 7.2 percent Friday after a disappointing sales forecast, pushing its stock market value down to $77.2

The government has hinted at a delay in launching a greenhouse gas emission trading system. A government bill put on public notice last November set the start date on Jan. 1, 2013. The Presidential Committee on Green Growth reported to President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday it would make the bill more flexible regarding the timing of implementation and allocation of emissions permits before submittin

The decision by Standard & Poor’s to cut Japan’s sovereign credit rating by a notch to AA minus has again highlighted the fiscal mess that the Tokyo government has gotten itself into.Japan’s public debt is expected to hit 204 percent of GDP this year, the world’s highest ratio. The liabilities are forecast to surpass 1,000 trillion yen next year and, according to the International Monetary Fund, c

The tale of the Stuxnet worm is one of those seemingly good-news stories that grows more worrisome over time.Security experts first became aware of the mysterious Stuxnet malware last summer, but it wasn’t until months later that they agreed on its likely target: Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. The worm hid itself benignly in personal computers, spreading (often through USB drives) until

There’s a move afoot to give the states the authority to repeal measures enacted by Congress and signed by the president. It’s a bad idea. It’s also dishonorable.The measure, led by Republican Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah and taking the form of a proposed amendment to the Constitution, would allow the dis-enactment of “any provision of law or regulation” upon the vote of two-thirds of the state legisla

LUXEMBOURG ― Much dedication and energy are currently being devoted to institutionalizing a crisis-management mechanism for the euro area. This is a good and important goal. But a far more significant challenge ― largely covered in the accompanying debate ― is the need for crisis prevention.At the European Union’s pre-Christmas summit, European heads of state and government agreed in principle to