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Filed under: LA Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Mazda Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Mazda3 sedan Mazda has unveiled its 2010 Mazda3 sedan here at the LA Auto Show and we managed to snap some nice shots off as it was spinning around on a huge rotating stand. It's a good looking car that Mazda says carries on its "family face" with stylish bulges and creases that attract the eyes, and we're really looking forward to seeing the hatchback version as well. Underhood is a newly-enlarged 2.5-liter version of Mazda's MZR inline-four that offers up 167-horsepower and can be mated to either a 6-speed stick or 5-speed auto. As before, a standard 148-horsepower 2.0L four will be available and can be had with either a manual or auto tranny with 5 forward ratios each. Considering the low price class in which the Mazda3 competes, features like dual-zone automatic climate control, Xenon self-leveling head lamps, push-button start and hands-free Bluetooth...
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Filed under: LA Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Hatchbacks , Nissan Click above for a high-res gallery of the Nissan Cube The Cube is ready for America, and it's coming in three flavors just to make sure it has all... sides... covered. Each of them gets the 1.8-liter engine good for 122 hp and 127 lb-ft., with trim levels being just 1.8, 1.8 S, and 1.8 SL. The little box with the slightly droopy rear end is packed with goodies including ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, VDC, TCS, TMPS, and six airbags, and you can get it with Nissan's CVT or a six-speed manual. Opt for the CVT, and it will return something beyond 30 mpg. When it comes to accessorizing, there are 20 colors on offer, illuminated kick plates, a rear cargo organizer, and, um, pet blankets. Follow the jump to watch the video and read all about it, and check out the high-res photos of the "bulldog in sunglasses" below. Gallery: LA 2008: 2009 Nissan Cube Gallery: 2010 Nissan Cube (US Model) Continue reading LA 2008...
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for more high-res live shots of the Ford Fiesta sedan Ford's latest Fiesta subcompact is finally coming to America, which is definitely cause for celebration. To get it ready for U.S. consumption, the Blue Oval brand has grafted a trunk onto the ex-hatch's hind end, as we Americans inexplicably nearly always choose a sedan over a more functional hatchback. At least Ford has managed to keep the Fiesta's Kinetic design language intact, and the freshly unveiled Fiesta sedan bears a striking resemblance to the Verve sedan concept from the last Detroit Auto Show . For the record, the sedan body style will not be available in Europe, though we expect Ford to also offer the two- and four-door hatchback version in the U.S. Ford officially took the wraps off the Fiesta sedan at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China where the new car will soon go on sale. When the Fiesta makes its long-awaited American debut as a 2010...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Nissan Cheap, efficient transportation is highly desirable right now, and Nissan has stepped and delivered a super base Versa that will run you under 10 large. But what do you get for that rock-bottom MSRP? Well, you still get four wheels, four doors and six airbags, but things get thin from there. Nissan started with a one-two punch of crank windows and no air conditioning, making the economical sedan a bad choice south of the Mason Dixon line. A five-speed manual is standard fare, with automated cogs available for $1,000. Our friends over at Kicking Tires note that you also have to add A/C to the option box to get that slush box, and that'll run you a second $1,000. Nissan also saves coin by using cheap black plastic for the side mirrors and door handles, and the wheels have shrunk to 14 inches. Wait, where's the radio? Oh, there isn't one, at least not as standard equipment. Nissan provides the speakers and the wiring,...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Suzuki Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport with TRIP For the 2009 model year, Suzuki will begin offering navigation as standard equipment on all SX4 Sport models. Starting at a buck under 16K, the new 'Zook is the cheapest car in America so equipped, and that news was very well received by the media and car shoppers alike. In fact, so positive was the response, the decision was made to begin offering the GPS navigation about six months early as part of the TRIP package . We were intrigued by the idea of a low-cost commuter car coming standard with such a desirable feature, so we decided to procure one such TRIP-equipped 2008.5 SX4 Sport for testing. Is the navigation nothing more than a gimmick to get you into a sub-standard car, or does the SX4 have more going for it than just being well equipped? Read on to find out. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport with TRIP Photos Copyright...
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Chrysler, LLC. , Dodge , Nissan , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Dodge Trazo C1.8 Early this year Chrysler and Nissan formed a partnership to share products . The big news at the time was that Nissan would be replacing its Titan pickup with a version of the Dodge Ram. But before that deal went down, the two automakers from different continents had already agreed on a partnership that would see the Nissan Versa sold in some South American markets as a Dodge . Today Dodge unveiled that vehicle at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil as the Trazo C1.8 sedan. It is a direct port of the Nissan Versa we know in the U.S. and the Tiida sold in Japan, though will only be offered as a sedan in South America and not as a five-door hatchback. As far as we can tell, not a body panel or interior appointment has been changed, save for new Trazo badging and slightly different black plastic grille. We couldn't even find a Dodge logo on the...
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Filed under: LA Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Mazda Click above for three high-res images of the 2010 Mazda3 Mazda has confirmed the time and place for the unveiling of its all-new 2010 Mazda3: November 19th at the LA Auto Show . In anticipation of the car's public debut, the Japanese automaker released these three images of the remodeled 3 sedan that reveal the car's new design. While the new 3 retains a similar shape as the current model with a high beltline and rear decklid, the new car sports a much more expressive face with a "smile" grille positioned low up front that's flanked by vertical air intake/fog light combos. The front fenders, likewise, are more distinct from the elevated hood and roll nicely back into the car's forward canted character line. Out back are bigger taillights embedded in what appears to be a larger trunk above dual exhaust tips. The overall shape is a logical evolution of the current car that combines current Mazda design...
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Paris Motor Show , Chevrolet , GM Click above for high-res gallery of the Chevy Cruze LT The Chevrolet Cruze is three kinds of car: small, American and important. And with the state of General Motors, it isn't even the individual words that mean the most: it's whether The General can combine them into a reliable, fuel efficient and cost effective package. True, we don't get to drive these things while they're parked under the lights, but to have a seat in the Cruze is to imagine a GM that begs the question, "Where was all this before the meltdown?" The studio imagery we've seen so far translates nicely into real life, and the center console looks and feels substantial - in fact, it looks like it could be foreign - even if the silver mesh treatment in the show car was a bit much. The car has a compact yet full-bodied stance, and will probably look even better on the road in a color other than scarlet, and not under klieg...
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Filed under: Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Volkswagen , First Drive 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI click above for high-res gallery The state of California has the toughest vehicle emissions regulations in the world in its LEV II (and the corresponding national Tier 2 Bin 5) standards. Those rules treat all engine types the same regardless of what fuel they use. It doesn't matter if the engine runs on gasoline, diesel or cow dung, the emissions standards are the same. These rules are so tight that no manufacturer has been able to sell light-duty passenger vehicles powered by diesel engines in California and four other states for the last several years. That's all about to change beginning with last month's sales launch of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta TDI is the first new diesel-powered car to meet the tough T2B5 standards, and it's fitting that VW invited us out to the birthplace of these emissions regulations to drive it. We spent a day...
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Filed under: Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Plants/Manufacturing , Chevrolet , GM , Earnings/Financials Click above for more high-res shots of the Chevy Cobalt SS General Motors cites the success of the current Chevy Cobalt as the reason for delaying the launch of the Cobalt's replacement, the upcoming Cruze , in the States. In order to meet the market's soaring demand for small cars in general, and the Cobalt in particular, earlier this year GM added a third shift to the Lordstown Plant where the Cobalt is built. For '09, the General plans to build an extra 70,000 Cobalts, expecting fuel prices to remain high and demand for its compact sedan and coupe to follow suit. Unfortunately for the struggling automaker, those extra cars may not necessarily add up to extra profits, with the Cobalt priced below its main competitors from Japan. For this reason, GM will be adding a few bucks to the bottom line of the Cruze , in a pricing move similar to the recently released Malibu...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Chevrolet Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevy Cruze Remember when we told you that GM plans to make more money off of its small cars by upping its prices? Well, as far as the Cruze is concerned, not only do they plan to charging substantially more than the outgoing Cobalt, they might demand more cash than a comparably equipped Corolla, Civic, or Focus. According to GM, that's because it needs to make more per car than Honda or Toyota. With the average Civic rolling away for $19,184, GM doesn't have a lot of room to play before hitting the $20,000 ceiling. And if GM was to get an average price of $19,500 for the Cruze, that would be a $3,000 premium over the current (average) price for the Cobalt. That still gives no indication of how much money GM would actually be making on the car, though. Design honcho Ed Welburn feels the car's styling and interior will justify the extra dosh, and said he believes "we...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Paris Motor Show , Hatchbacks , Honda click above for more shots of the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid It's the impending debut of the all-new Prius-assaulting Insight hybrid that's got our hearts all aflutter over Honda's booth at the upcoming Paris Motor Show , but that's not all the automaker will be bringing with it to the City of Lights. Along with the new dedicated hybrid we'll see the latest version of its older and somewhat less interesting brother, the Civic Hybrid, that along with the rest of the Civic line for '09, gets a small bit of freshening for the new model year. We do like the looks of the new front-end, but besides that, there's not much to see here... and so we move along to the CR-Z hybrid coupe that Honda's been showing off since Tokyo. Big H's other stab at saving the world runs on hydrogen, the FCX Clarity . Despite the fact that nobody in Europe will...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Paris Motor Show , Hatchbacks , Honda click above for more shots of the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid It's the impending debut of the all-new Prius-assaulting Insight hybrid that's got our hearts all aflutter over Honda's booth at the upcoming Paris Motor Show , but that's not all the automaker will be bringing with it to the City of Lights. Along with the new dedicated hybrid we'll see the latest version of its older and somewhat less interesting brother, the Civic Hybrid, that along with the rest of the Civic line for '09, gets a small bit of freshening for the new model year. We do like the looks of the new front-end, but besides that, there's not much to see here... and so we move along to the CR-Z hybrid coupe that Honda's been showing off since Tokyo. Big H's other stab at saving the world runs on hydrogen, the FCX Clarity . Despite the fact that nobody in Europe will...
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Honda Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda City Despite the fact that the entire world got an unabated view of it already, Honda has just dropped the curtain on its brand-new City economy car that's now officially on sale in Thailand. No, we won't get this car in the States; it's destined to remain primarily in Asia and emerging markets. That's a shame, 'cause we can see plenty to like here, starting with its powertrain. A 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine sends a healthy 120 horsepower to the front wheels through either an automatic or manual transmission with five speeds. As you might imagine, it will positively sip fuel in the process. In Thailand, the new City will sell for 524,000 - 694,000 baht. Not that it matters since it won't be sold here, but that equals about $15,000 in U.S. dollars. Gallery: 2009 Honda City [Source: Honda] Continue reading All-new Honda City launched in Thailand Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Coupes , Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Hyundai Hyundai swung with the Genesis and connected big time. But even though the Korean automaker wants to take its public perception upward, that doesn't mean it plans to keep releasing big, luxury sedans. For the six new and redesigned models that will appear by 2011, Hyundai America's product development chief says "We're looking at small, fuel-efficient cars." The company will also be giving buyers the option of putting smaller engines in some of their vehicles. The i10 , only on sale in India right now, is being considered for America (or not ). And if the fortwo does well, Hyundai could invest in giving the i10 the safety and engine changes it would need to make it Stateside. A four-pot Genesis Coupe will available for the low twenties. Hyundai's first hybrid will be installed on the redesigned Sonata, which gets redesigned in 2011, and the reworked Tucson...
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