On the night of the killing, Blake told police he had left his wife of six months in the car to return to Vitello's restaurant to retrieve his gun, which he had accidentally left inside.

CNN: Prosecutors won't seek death penalty against Blake

In January it said that for a 12-month period it would allow car buyers to return vehicles without incurring a penalty if they lose their jobs.

ECONOMIST: Consumer psychology

There is still uncertainty about when mature car markets will return to the kind of sales seen in the decade up to 2007 (according to IHS Global Insight it will not be for at least four years) and who will be the winners and losers among the big carmakers.

ECONOMIST: Signs of hope for the car industry