MAZDA2 is the latest in a line of stylish, insightful and fun-to-drive small cars from Mazda, and will bring an all-new level of refinement to the segment. MAZDA2 is a car that only the engineers at Mazda could have created.  It was designed and engineered from scratch to be a pure Mazda, offering the sort of driving experience that could only come from the company that developed the timeless MX-5 two-seat roadster, and it brings a combination of athletic design and dynamic performance to the subcompact class.

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced pricing on new mid-year 2010 Impreza® WRX® Limited Models. The 4-door WRX Limited will be priced at $28,495 while the 5-door model will be priced at $28,995. The Limited models are priced $1,000 more than the Premium models, and are enhanced with High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, SIRIUS(®) Satellite Radio and leather-trimmed seats.

This year, Subaru is the only manufacturer with a 2010 IIHS Top Safety Pick for all models, more than any other brand, and a winner in all 4 vehicle classes in which it competes. “We are extremely pleased to be the only manufacturer with a TOP SAFETY PICK winner in every vehicle class in which we compete. This is an outstanding success and a tribute to the engineering that goes into Subaru products,” said Tom Doll, executive vice president and COO, Subaru of America, Inc. “To have this recognition by the IIHS reinforces to our customers that we maintain the highest standards when producing vehicles that are safe, durable, reliable as well as fun-to-drive.”

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO), in cooperation with General Motors (GM), debuted two new fitments on GMC and Cadillac concept vehicles at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, which started Jan. 11 in Detroit. The GMC Granite sports concept Dueler(tm) 245/40R20 tires. The Granite is a small, highly versatile, premium four-door crossover. The U.S. designed and produced Dueler tires feature a unique asymmetrical tread pattern that provides solid traction while also complimenting the vehicle’s ultramodern style. The Granite won the EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle during the show’s opening media days.

As an exciting example of its EfficientDynamics engineering philosophy, BMW announced the North American debut of the 7 Series with a twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine. Featuring BMW’s award-winning inline-6 engine that produces V-8 power on six-cylinder fuel consumption, the new BMW 740i and BMW 740Li achieve a remarkable balance of power, efficiency, and sporty driving dynamics. Both models will go on sale in the United States as 2011 models in Spring 2010. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Once again, MINI achieves all this by consistently expanding the model range and through the unconventional creativity of MINI design. Just a few months prior to the launch of the brand’s fourth model announced for autumn 2010, MINI is now demonstrating its potential for further enhancement of driving pleasure and diversity through another spectacular concept car: the concept of a brand-new type of vehicle proudly presented by MINI at the North American International Auto Show (16–24 January 2010) in Detroit. The MINI Beachcomber Concept is a four-seater concept car designed consistently for maximum driving pleasure, taking up the enhanced options of the new MINI and combining these potentials with the vision of a radically open body concept.

The heart of every Mustang is its engine, and beneath the hood of the new 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 beats a technological tour de force. Displacing 3.7 liters, the dual-overhead-camshaft (DOHC) 24-valve V-6 uses Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) to produce 305 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque and is projected to deliver up to 30 mpg highway – a combination unbeaten by any other vehicle in the industry.

BMW M GmbH now offers a truly outstanding performer based on the BMW M3 Coupé also ideal for Clubsport events – exactly the right car for the truly discerning customer demanding the very utmost in terms of power and performance. The BMW M3 GTS is largely hand-built by the most skilled craftsmen at BMW M GmbH as a perfectly harmonised package of outstanding modifications, with production exclusively to the customer’s personal order. Focused on motorsport, the modifications comprise both the drivetrain, the suspension and the body of the car, as well as its interior. Market launch of the BMW M3 GTS will be in spring 2010.

The 2010 Ford Taurus has won in the ‘Best New Family Car over $30,000’ category at the annual Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) Car of the Year TestFest. The Ford Taurus was put through its paces, undergoing strenuous road and track testing by teams of skilled drivers who performed uninterrupted comparisons of each vehicle under the same conditions. Through the ratings of a panel of judges from AJAC’s TestFest, the 2010 Ford Taurus came out as the winner.

Ford Motor Company, as the final phase of its research into the cause and effects of distracted driving, is utilizing high-tech goggles that measure the amount of time drivers take their eyes off the road to help validate in-vehicle technologies such as GPS navigation systems. The special “occlusion” goggles are used in testing at Ford’s Human Machine Interface Verification Laboratory – or “Distraction Lab.” Ford engineers and technologists use the data to accelerate the safer design of telematics systems that keep drivers connected and informed.

Ford Motor Company’s fuel efficient EcoBoost™ engine will be honored Thursday evening with a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award at a ceremony at the Hearst Tower in New York City. The Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards, now in their fifth year, recognize products and celebrate innovations poised to change the world, and the passionate, smart creators behind them. Ford is the only automaker this year to receive a Breakthrough Award.

Ask any fashionista, and she’ll tell you: Don’t even think about wearing those chandelier earrings with shorts and tennis shoes. No way. There are, after all, certain rules that apply to fashion and accessories. Ask Earl Lucas, exterior design manager for the 2010 Taurus, and he’ll tell you those same accessorizing rules apply even if you’re designing a sophisticated sedan. Just like a person, every car has a personality and an image to convey, says the former jewelry designer. The “accessories,” which in this case are the headlamps of the 2010 Ford Taurus, must be designed and detailed to project the proper image. The Taurus is a confident, well-balanced car. It has the jewelry to match.

For present and future customers, carmakers are in search of sustainable lightweight solutions that are aesthetically pleasing as well. ContiTech Vibration Control, the internationally successful maker of passenger car engine mount components, and BASF have combined their strengths to create solutions that offer just that. The result is an innovative torque roll restrictor for the new Porsche Panamera. Made of a high-strength polyamide from the family of Ultramid® CR materials and a function-optimized natural rubber compound from the NR+ group, the high-load composite component ensures sturdy suspension for engine torques of up to 650 Nm.

Some automotive enthusiasts express their love for cars by purchasing new wheels for their ride, while others simply collect toy model replicas. Not 24-year-old Daniel Verlarde, a longtime Mustang fanatic who decided to express his love permanently – by getting a new custom Mustang pony logo tattooed on his body. The psychology student and Los Angeles resident’s tattoo also inspired the customization of his all-new 2010 Ford Mustang, which was designed to match the permanent ink on his skin.

To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of “good” in the Institute’s front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with electronic stability control. Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as top crash test ratings and the rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on the Legacy and Outback.