It is believed that Ford is counting on the strength of the brand to draw bidders. A spokesman for Ford could not be reached for an immediate comment.

On Monday (December 1), Ford said it was reviewing options for Volvo and could sell the luxury Swedish car brand as it looked to shore up cash amid a deep industry downturn. Ford said the review of Volvo was part of its efforts to ’strengthen its balance sheet’ at a time when auto sales are plunging worldwide.

In response to the panel debate titled ‘Car Dependency of individuals: lazy and wasteful drivers or lack of viable and acceptable alternatives?’ Ms Dainton will explain that the vast majority of UK car users are not wasteful or lazy drivers, they simply lack viable and acceptable alternatives to the private car. If badly designed policies are implemented to reduce car usage for climate change, carbon emission, congestion, road safety or human health reasons unforeseen economic and social consequences are likely to result. Ms Dainton will argue that the trade-offs required need to be better understood before policy is developed and implemented.

Drawing on the RAC Foundation’s previous** and forthcoming research*** Ms Dainton will explain that the reason people use cars is complex, motivated by individual needs and wider society planning. The term ‘car dependence’ has so far helped and hindered the debate, by confusing the issue, suggesting that all administrations addressing car usage require a fresh way of looking at future challenges.

Ms Dainton will describe car use as an activity that has now spread across the UK population, especially to those groups who have not traditionally had access, such as women, older people and lower income groups. Car ownership continues to be aspirational, particularly for young people.

The growing pressures on car usage are such that non-voluntary car restriction policies are likely to increase. Ms Dainton will argue that these policies should not proceed without full understanding of the social and economic consequences of reducing people’s travel horizons in this way.

Elizabeth Dainton, Research Development Manager at the Royal Automobile Club Foundation says:

‘Car use has become the norm. It is an important feature of modern life, which has provided an unparalleled level of mobility and access to people going about their everyday activities. Car ownership and use has formed the basis of people’s decisions on where to live, work and educate their families. These decisions are hard to reverse’.

The fall in demand has been blamed on difficult economic conditions, expensive financing and reduced consumer confidence.

Sales will fall 10-11% in 2009, with the situation “at least as bad as during the recession in the 1990s”.

Sales in Germany, France and UK have accelerated their decline lately.

“A sharp economic slowdown appears inevitable and the most important question which remains to be answered is how deep and long this event will be,” J.D. Power said.

After a 23% fall in October, the UK market is seen as particularly vulnerable, with J.D Power predicting a “significant double-digit decline in 2009″.

In Spain and Italy, where new car registrations have already fallen dramatically, “sales appear to be closing in on a more stable, but much reduced level”.

“The family car sector has come on leaps and bounds in recent years,” commented Bill Caven, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. “The quality of the vehicles available has risen dramatically as the manufacturers strive to offer something special. All of which is good news for those families seeking a solid all‑round transporter.

“Mazda has more than met the ambitions of many motorists following the introduction of its all-new Mazda6.”

Mazda6 impressed the ASMW judges, with the panel selecting it above family car rivals Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Lancer, Citroën C5, Kia pro’ceed, Ford Focus, Dodge Avenger and Peugeot 308. Bill Caven added: “Not only does the Mazda6 look rather spectacular, but it also performs to the same high standard of cars costing considerably more.”

Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson added: “We are truly delighted that the Mazda6 has been named Scottish Car of the Year’s ‘Best Family Car’. This 2008 award is further confirmation that the all-new Mazda6 continues to attract family buyers thanks to its people and luggage carrying abilities and very competitive CO2 emissions levels, ideal for family motoring needs.

“The new Mazda6 has built upon the original model’s sportiness and design flair while the new bodyshells, which are significantly stiffer as well as lighter, mean that both the hatchback and the estate models deliver even more responsive handling.”

With a comprehensive range of 25 derivatives, including 10 diesels and nine estates, five equipment levels, four engine choices and a broad £7,020 price span, it’s not surprising that the Mazda6 is one of the company’s best-selling models. The Mazda6 is priced from £15,110 (OTR) for the Mazda6 1.8 5dr S model up to £22,130 (OTR) for the 2.0 Estate Sports Luxury model.

Until 31 December 2008, Mazda is offering the new Mazda Service Plan (valid for the first three annual services), free of charge to customers who purchase a Mazda6. Customers can also take advantage of two typical 6.9% APR* finance offers on all models - Hire Purchase with a 20% minimum deposit over three years, or a Mazda MultiOption (PCP) plan also over three years.

Buyers who order a new Mazda6 Sport or SL model can specify a ‘Smart Nav’ (worth £700 as a Mazda accessory) free of charge. These offers are available for retail sales only, until 31 December 2008.

The moves follows Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to make 198 people redundant at its plants in Birmingham, Solihull and Merseyside, while other manufacturers, including Ford, Honda, Toyota and General Motors have introduced short-time working and cut shifts.

Nissan says that if too few employees volunteer to take redundancy then it will instead reduce its 5,100 headcount by shedding temporary workers. It could also extend the Christmas break to cut production - an approach being taken by Honda.

LPG currently retails at around half of the price of petrol and diesel, and in the recently published study, 47 per cent of people questioned said they have already considered converting their car to save money.

Autogas business development manager, Chris Taylor, said switching to LPG can save up to 40 per cent on fuel bills. “The cost to convert a vehicle to run on LPG is around £1,800 and based on current fuel prices and an annual mileage of 20,000 miles it would only take around 22 months to recoup this initial cost.”

“LPG is by far the most widely available alternative fuel available in the UK, although it is surprising that so few manufacturers are currently producing LPG powered vehicles. However, most petrol powered cars, and even light commercial vehicles, can be easily converted to run on LPG.”

The survey, conducted by Zussi Reseach, found that 90 per cent of motorists have changed their driving habits as a result of current fuel prices. Almost two thirds of motorists have cut down on the number of car journeys they make, and 41 per cent have made an effort to change the way they drive to save fuel, for instance, by driving at a lower speed.

When asked about choosing a new car, sixty per cent of people cited reduced running costs and 40 per cent considered reduced carbon emissions as being ‘Very Important’ when making a purchase.

As well as dramatically reducing fuel bills, LPG’s environmental credentials weigh up too. All LPG vehicles are entitled to up to 100 per cent exemption from the London Congestion Charge and as Chris explains, LPG motorists can rest assured they are doing their bit for the environment too: “Vehicles running on LPG produce far fewer harmful emissions that contribute to environmental and health problems than traditional road fuels.

“LPG vehicles produce 17 per cent less carbon dioxide than petrol and 2 per cent less than diesel, 120% less NOx than petrol and a staggering 2,000 per cent less than diesel and up to 120 times less small particle (PM10) emissions than diesel vehicles.”