Mazda will unveil the 2010 Mazda 3 at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month. The new Mazda 3 will feature a fresh new design inspired by the Kabura concept that Mazda revealed in 2006. This is evident in the new Mazda 3’s new face which is now dramatically swept back. This makes the Mazda 3 more akin to the new Mazda 6 in terms of aesthetics with its grinning front grille sitting between and below the sharp, angular headlamps.

The redesigned grill is flanked by two air intakes and a set of fog lamps. The redesign continues to the modern rising waistline and a sloping rear roof that emphasizes a restyled rear end with twin sporty tailpipes.

There were no specs revealed yet but the new Mazda 3 will reportedly come with either a 2.0 or 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. It is also supposed to weight significantly less than the current model incarnation of the Mazda 3. The new 2010 Mazda 3 will be available in showrooms by early next year.

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Just in time for the opening of classes throughout the country, CNN Money recently released its selection of the seven best college cars. Choosing the best from today’s crop of new, low-priced car models is not an easy task. The team at CNN Money found that there is a surprising number of options available for the college student or the recent college grad even though they restricted their choices to cars with a starting base sticker price of below $16,000. CNN Money’s criteria for choosing the best college cars include great fuel economy, functionality and safety and size. Based on these, here are the seven best college cars according to CNN Money, ranked from the lowest to highest base price:

Nissan Versa - $12, 450

Scion xA - $12, 780

Dodge Caliber - $13,425

Ford Focus - $13,450

Mazda3 -$13, 710

Honda Fit - $13,850

Kia Sportage - $15,900

Source

Apple has linked up with Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Mazda to offer seamless iPod integration in most of these automaker’s brands and models. This is good news for millions of iPod owners who would like to enjoy their iPod’s high quality sound in their automobiles. The iPod is the most popular digital music player in the world with over 58 million iPod units sold globally. With this partnership with Ford, GM and Mazda vehicles, over 70 percent of 2007 model vehicles in the US will have iPod integration. GM alone will deliver iPod integration on all fifty six of its models.

With iPod connectivity, owners can now enjoy the superb sound quality of their iPods while it is stored conveniently in the glove compartment. The integration will allow drivers to use their automobile’s multifunction controls to select their music, shuffle songs, and skip tracks and playlists.

The information gathered from more than 60 million visitors of Kelley Blue Books’ kbb.com, the most visited third-party auto web site in the net, comprised of the raw data of the latest most researched vehicles for the first six months of 2006. Included in the Top 20 list of America’s most trusted source of new and used automotive information are the following.

Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Rav4
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander
Chevrolet Tahoe
Honda CR-V
Ford Mustang
Nissan Altima
BMW 325
Acura TL
Toyota Sienna
Toyota 4runner
Ford Escape
Infiniti G35
Toyota Avalon
Mazda 3

On top of the list are Asian models, Honda and Toyota. Seven slots are occupied by Toyota and five by Honda, which are all included in the Top Ten. In place of the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has fallen off from the current list, are Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Tahoe. Together with the Tahoe is the Ford Mustang, the sole domestic models that made it to the most researched line-up.

Two utilitarian minivans came in at the 6th and 7th spots, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna respectively. Three entry level luxury vehicles also made it in the list - the BMW 325, Acura TL and Infiniti G35 (pictured above) – which according to Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com have definitely become the brands and vehicles that the public aspires to drive and own.

The legendary Chevrolet Corvette widely regarded as “America’s Sports Car’, zoomed to the top of 2006 list of the top ten “sexiest, hottest, and wildest wheels” released by Road and Travel Magazine. The other pony car, Ford Mustang, came in at second. Rounding up the elite list were the BMW Z4, Hyundai Tiburon, Honda S2000, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Dodge Charger, and the new Pontiac Solstice. As expected, almost all the cars listed were sports cars and coupes with the exception of the Dodge Charger, the only four-seater on the selection.

All these cars possessed one common denominator: pure sex appeal. Road and Travel Editor-in-chief Courtney Caldwell explained the predilection towards sports cars. She said that ‘sports cars are all about the sensations they inspire from how the supple leather feels on our skin to its aromatic splendor, from the youthful spirit felt driving one to the sun on our back and wind in our hair; Sports cars are about fantasy and self image. Just looking at one incites erotic thoughts and visions of grandeur. Owning one turns those images into reality!’

The other cars who made it to the list have already won accolades from other award-giving bodies. The Pontiac Solstice took home the ‘Most Sex Appeal’ award at the 2006 International Car of the Year Awards. The Dodge Charger won the coveted top plum: Car of the Year. Meanwhile, Nissan 350Z’s ads won for it the 2nd Annual Heart String Award for best car commercial, also given out by Road and Travel Magazine.

Halo cars are designed to showcase what an automaker can offer in terms of design, engineering and technology. Usually a halo vehicle will feature all the talent and resources that the automaker has. Halo cars are special vehicles, typically sporty or a luxury model designed not really to sell but to draw in more customers who will hopefully believe in what the company can offer and purchase a vehicle, albeit a more practical one. However, putting out a halo car also has its risks. If the vehicle fails to live up to its promises and the expectations of the customers, these buyers will likely stay away from the automaker.

Halo cars have been around for quite a while in the automotive industry. For instance, the Corvette was Chevrolet’s halo car back in the ‘50s. It transformed the company’s image to sportiness. The Ford Mustang has played the role of halo car for Ford along with other models such as the Thunderbird and the GT. However, among these three models, only the Mustang has had a smashing success.

Meanwhile, the Pontiac Solstice played as a highly successful halo car for the GM marquee, named as one of the automaker’s ‘damaged brands’. Recently, another GM brand offered the Sky, featuring the brand’s future design direction and critics love it.

Here’s a list of the halo cars from both the past and present. So, what’s your favorite ‘halo’ car?

Pontiac Solstice
Saturn Sky
Ford Thunderbird
Ford GT
Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
Dodge Viper
Mazda Miata
Lincoln Navigator
Chrysler 300
Volkswagen Phaeton
Toyota Prius
Chevrolet Corvette
Oldsmobile Aurora
Studebaker Avanti
Honda/Acura NSX

From fuel to interior parts, corn is growing in importance in various aspects of automobile manufacturing and operations. Corn is the main feedstock used in producing ethanol, which can be used as fuel either by itself or as an additive to gasoline, forming E85. Now, the same crop is going to be used in producing a stronger and much improved form of bioplastic. Mazda Motor Corporation, in partnership with leading Japanese companies, research institutes and universities, has developed a new corn-based plastic that can be used for automotive interior parts.

The new bioplastic is made mainly from natural materials – it is 88% corn and 12% petroleum. The new bioplastic turned out to be much stronger than current bioplastics, with three times better shock impact resistance and 25 percent higher heat resistance. This bioplastic is also significantly more environment-friendly – it is carbon neutral because it uses less fossil fuel and has a lowered amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Also, compared with producing petroleum based polypropylene plastics, producing bioplastic reduces energy use by as much as 30%.

Another feature of this newly-developed bioplastic is its higher rigidity, which allows for thinner molds and less materials used. This feature will surely be an advantage in the manufacture of auto parts especially because most parts, both exterior and interior are manufactured through injection-molding. Mazda said that this promising new material will be the subject of further research for the next few years with new advances to be utilized and introduced in future Mazda products.

A number of exciting new concept vehicles were introduced this year. Some debuted to resounding success and roused the interest of the public. Which among the concept vehicles unveiled this year is the best among the rest? This year, a jury of professional automotive journalists from all over North America will choose the best concept vehicle from among a field of twenty five concept vehicles and twelve production preview vehicles that were introduced into the North American market for the 2005 Auto Show season.

The 2006 Concept Vehicle of the Year award will recognize the concept vehicles that have made the strongest impact in terms of automotive design, engineering and market responsiveness. The four categories are Best Production Preview Vehicle, Concept Car, Concept Truck, and Specialty Concept. The semifinalists were recently announced at the Atlanta International Auto Show. Meanwhile, the awards will be handed out in June in Detroit. The semifinalists are:

Concept Car
Chevrolet Camaro
Dodge Challenger
Saab Aero X
Mazda Kabura

Concept Truck
Dodge Rampage
Ford Super Chief
Suzuki PX
Toyota F3R

Specialty Concept
Ford Reflex
Maserati Birdcage
Volkswagen GX3
Mitsubishi CT

Production Preview
Aston Martin Rapide
Buick Enclave
Mini Traveller
Volvo C30

Kelley Blue Book recently named the top ten coolest new vehicles priced under $18,000. With the average price of a new vehicle at over $25,000, this list is an excellent guide especially for new car buyers who think that there aren’t any cool cars, trucks, and SUVs below the $18,000 price mark. The editors of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com first put together a list of all the new vehicles available at $18,000 then picked the top ten coolest from the list. Coolness refers to a wide range of characteristics and values such as performance, reliability, styling, versatility, economy, comfort or any combination of these. The vehicles on the list definitely offer quite a good mix of these values.

Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelly Blue Book’s kbb.com remarked that “While everyone bemoans the fact that new cars are so expensive these days, we found a wide variety of cool, fun-to-drive vehicles that are still affordable. We settled on the $18,000 price point, because it offers most buyers a monthly payment of less than $350 over the course of a five-year loan.” The 2006 Yaris, Toyota’s best seller in Europe and the least expensive vehicle in Toyota’s current line up, was the least expensive cool car on the list with an MSRP of $14,630. Meanwhile, the 2006 Toyota Scion tC was the most expensive at $17,640. So if you are planning to buy a car, these choices are definitely worth considering.

Here are the top ten coolest new cars priced under $18,000:

Come April 13 to 24, 2006, the automotive industry will once again converge at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in the Big Apple to witness the world’s automakers bring out and introduce their newest vehicle models and concepts at one of the biggest auto events this year – the 2006 New York International Automobile Show. The NY Auto Show promises a very exciting presentation this year with automakers expected to pull out all the stops to unveil their latest offerings. Nearly 1,000 cars, trucks, minivans, SUVs and crossover vehicles with prices ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 will go on display at the auto show.

John LaSorsa, the chairman of the NY Auto Show said that “There are more all-new cars and trucks coming to the 2006 Show than we’ve ever seen before, from the luxury new S-Class Mercedes and Jaguar XK Convertible to the nimble and fuel efficient Nissan Versa and Honda Fit, the Javits Center will be overflowing with completely new and re-styled 2006 and ‘07 model year vehicles.”

Expect to see a good mix of both import and domestic car makes and models from industry heavyweights Toyota, Ford, Honda, GM, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Volvo, Audi and many more. Among the most anticipated new models to be unveiled at the show include the 2007 Ford Edge, the Jaguar XK convertible, the crossovers Mazda CX-7 and CX-9, the Nissan Versa, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford GT, Ford Adrenaline, Saturn Sky, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz GL Class, Jeep Compass, the all-new 2007 Chrysler Aspen, a new SUV from Daimler Chrysler and the Audi Q7, a seven seater from the German automaker.

The automakers will also whisk the coves off more than a dozen concept vehicles at the show. These include the Chrysler Imperial, Aston Martine Rapide, Acura RDX, Hyundai HCD9, and the Toyota F3R. The auto show will also witness the debut of several new hybrid vehicles such as the GMC Sierra Hybrid, Ford Focus FCV, Lexus RX 300H Hybrid, Honda Accord Hybrid and Saturn Vue Hybrid.

All roads will definitely lead to the Javits Center between 34th and 39th streets on April 14. A special public sneak preview will be held on the 14th while the official opening day will be on the 15th. In case you will not be able to go, just stay tuned to The Auto Blog. We will provide you with the latest news, important events and reviews from New York.