IN BRIEF (Page 17)

VW buys Suzuki stake

Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, agreed to buy 19.9 percent of Suzuki Motor Corp for 222.5 billion yen ($2.5 billion) to boost its presence in India.

Suzuki, Japan's fourth-biggest automaker, will spend as much as half of the amount it will receive from Volkswagen on buying VW shares, Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen said yesterday. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and will probably be completed by January, the companies said.