After the car first broke cover in Euro-spec form at the Geneva Auto Show, Mazda has finally rolled out the second-generation of its Mazda5 model at the LA Auto Show. The car’s clever packaging has yet to catch on, which is surprising when it delivers as much space as a mid-size crossover and comes with a fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engine. Oh, and Mazda has always offered the 5 (based on a version of the Mazda3 platform) with a manual transmission – how very European!

For 2012 the all-new Mazda5 gets a more swoopy design, while the engine grows in size from 2.3-liters to 2.5-liters with a total of 157-hp and 163 ft-lbs of torque. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard on most models, with a 6-speed manual the base transmission on the Sport trim.

Mazda says fuel economy is unchanged, despite the displacement increase.

In terms of safety, the 5 comes with stability control as well as a new Brake Override Feature.

For 2012 the Mazda5 will be offered in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trim levels. Standard features on the Sport model include 16-inch alloy wheels, power windows and door locks, power mirrors, A/C, a 6-speaker audio system, tilt and telescopic steering, remote keyless entry, a driver’s one-touch up/down window, a 50/50 split 3rd row seat and steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls. Touring models get the 5-speed automatic, 17-inch wheels, an aero kit with rear spoiler, fog lights, Bluetooth and a leather wrapped steering wheel. The top-level Grand Touring trim then gets a power moonroof, HID automatic on/off headlights, heated mirrors, rain sensing wiper, driver’s seat lumbar, heated front seats and leather throughout.

GALLERY: 2012 Mazda5

Get even more details on all three trim levels after the jump:

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At the New York Auto Show earlier this year Hyundai debuted its new Equus flagship luxury sedan complete with several premium services, including an iPad Owners Manual. With the car now set to go on sale at select dealerships, Hyundai has given us a brief glimpse at this particular feature and how its so much more than just a dull owners manual on a fancy piece of Apple machinery.

Priced at $58,000 the Equus is a serious bargain as far as luxury saloons go. The only problem is, it’s in stark contrast to much of the rest of the Hyundai lineup and so the company hopes to keep potential customers out of Accent-filled lots by bringing the car right to them. That’s right, anyone interested in an Equus can have the car brought to their house or office for a test drive. And when it comes to service, Hyundai will pick up and drop off your Equus, leaving you a loaner – which they promise will be, at the low end, a Genesis Sedan. These features are all part of the “Your Time, Your Place,” service program that Hyundai created in an effort to appeal to the fact that potential owners value their time.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Equus

Citing the company’s long history of affordable compact cars that are environmentally sustainable, Mitsubishi today launched the U.S.-spec version of the electric i-MiEV at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

With some 4,000 i-MiEV models already on the road in different parts of the world, the car is now somewhat familiar, but the U.S. version has a few changes on the outside and underneath. The front fascia, in particular, has been reworked for U.S. standards, and Mitsubishi tells us this four-passenger car is intended to be the first salvo in the company’s push towards better overall emissions and consumption by 2020.

Power comes from a lithium-ion battery and electric motor that can be recharged in 16 hours from a conventional household outlet or 8 hours using a 220V outlet. A special 220V quick charger will, however, be able to charge up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.

The other announcement today was that Mitsubishi has teamed up with Eaton to supply home recharging stations, and Best Buy to sell and install them. One last mention was the pricing, which will start at under $30,000 before any government incentives – or the optional graphics packages that will be available when the car hits showrooms next Fall.

Cars will hit dealers in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in November of next year with larger scale sales at the end of 2012.

GALLERY: U.S.-Spec Mitsubishi i-MiEV

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If your in the market for a new Corolla, the new A8 from Audi might not seem all that important, but to the German automaker it’s a crucial product for the U.S. market.

Audi is making huge sales strides here and built the new A8 to rival the very best from BMW and Mercedes. Again, the extended wheelbase “L” model might seem like a rare type of vehicle but in the U.S. it represents more than half all A8 sales. And after a look at the new car, debuting at the LA Auto Show today, it’s not hard to see why.

With a total length of 17.28 ft, the L is roughly 6-inches longer than the standard A8 – with all that space coming between the wheels to deliver half a foot extra in rear seat room. In that extra six-inches of space Audi has crammed the sort of luxury you might only expect on a yacht – and as much wood as a yacht too. The rear seats are heated and ventilated and can not only more forward and back, but also provide settings for cushion depth and seat back angle. And of course, there’s lumbar support and massagers built in. We particularly like the feature in the full-length center console that allows the rear seat passenger to push a button and have the front passenger seat move forward – making it easier to stretch out with the flip out ottoman and enjoy one of the two 10.2-inch LCD screens.

Other highlights include a fridge and folding table in the center console, as well as a 1,400-watt, 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System

Matching all that interior luxury is a suitable extravagant engine; displacing 6.3-liters and making 500-hp and 461 ft-lbs of torque. The W12 powerplant can accelerate the A8 L to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Pricing for the A8 L starts at $84,000; a reasonable increase of just $6,000 over the standard wheelbase model.

GALLERY: Audi A8L

A full four years before the Mitsubishi 3000GT Spyder debuted, another Japanese sports car with a folding hardtop made its debut. You may not have heard of the Nissan 300ZX Spyder, partly because they only ever made one example.

While the 300ZX came in either hardtop, t-top and convertible variants, the folding hardtop was a novel idea that never made it past concept form. The aforementioned 3000GT paid the price for its innovation, selling less than 2000 units over two years, leading us to believe Nissan’s decision to not produce the 300ZX Spyder was a wise one.

But the similarities don’t end there. The  300ZX Spyder costs $62,000 and the roof conversion was done by noted coachbuilder ASC – just like the 3000GT Spyder did in 1995. At least the Nissan will hold its re-sale value.

[Source: eBay]

Poor Kia, always playing second fiddle to big brother Hyundai, including when it comes to Hybrids. Many months after the debut of the new Sonata Hybrid, the car’s twin, the new Kia Optima, now gets its own hybrid variant.

Using the same 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor and lithium-polymer battery, the combined output is 206-hp and 196 ft-lbs of torque. Fuel economy is projected to be 40-mpg on the highway says Kia, and if the package matches the Sonata Hybrid it will also get 36-mpg in the city. As a two-mode hybrid the system can operate on just electric power at up to 62 mph.

Unique to the hybrid model is a new front grille and 16-inch wheels, as well as headlights, fog lights, new front and rear lower bumpers and a rear spoiler.

Standard features include eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, dual zone climate control with rear vents, push-button start with smart key, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, automatic up/down on front windows, chrome interior door handles and a fixed rear seat with ski pass-through. An optional Premium Technology Package includes a panoramic sunroof, four-way power passenger seat, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, HID lights and a Nav system with 8-speaker infinity audio system.

Unique to the Optima Hybrid is a Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS), that plays an engine sound when in pure electric mode to notify pedestrians that the car is running.

Kia will also give the car an industry best 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

Click Here to Read AutoGuide’s Review of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Click Here to Read AutoGuide’s Review of the 2011 Kia Optima

GALLERY: 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid Debut in LA

GALLERY: 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

Official release after the jump:

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Fiat released their list of retail outlets in the United States and Canada, and one interesting tidbit jumped out at us. While 99% of Fiat franchises are paired with Chrysler dealers, one company, the Remo Ferri Group of Automobiles, which operates two Ferrari locations in the Toronto area, is listed as a distributor.

A more detailed list shows two outlets, one at 200 Autopark Circle in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan, where the Ferrari-Maserati of Ontario dealership is located, and the other at 101 Avenue Road, site of a smaller boutique in the ritzy Yorkville district the currently houses Ferrari and Maserati products, as well as a lone Alfa Romeo 8C. At this time, representatives from the Remo Ferri Group have not commented on their Fiat sales plans.

Get more Fiat 500 news and info at Fiat500Owners.com

Every auto show brings a Scion debut of some sort, and while we don’t always get to see a new tC or some wild concept, you can count on something from Toyota’s youth brand.

Debuting at the LA Auto Show is the latest special edition of the popular xB model. Dubbed the xB Release Series 8.0 this Voodoo Blue box is the eighth special edition xB to be released – a hint at just how popular these limited edition cars are with the Scion crowd.

The Scion xB RS 8.0 comes with a four-piece bodykit designed by Kenstyle that adds some more aggression to the boxy shape. Also included in the package is a sunroof (with tilt and slide function not available on the current xB), as well as a a black fabric with blue highlights to match that exterior Voodoo Blue paint.

Just 2,000 xB Release Series 8.0 models will be built and priced from $18,405 with a stick shift or $19,355 with an auto-box. The rear spoiler can be had for an additional $320.

GALLERY: Scion xB RS 8.0

Buick‘s LA Auto Show press conference included the launch of two new vehicles that span the gamut from performance to fuel economy. Along with the new Regal GS performance mode, Buick also announced the introduction of the mild-hybrid LaCrosse – dubbed the LaCrosse eAssist.

Taking a page out of Honda’s playbook, the LaCrosse eAssist uses a relatively low-tech hybrid setup, combined with a rather advanced lithium-ion battery, to achieve 25-mpg city and 37-mpg on the highway. Those are very impressive numbers for a full-size luxury sedan.

This isn’t a two-mode hybrid system so the eAssist LaCrosse can’t operate on electric power alone, but it is a simple, compact and less expensive powertrain.

Using a 115-volt lithium ion battery and 15-kilowatt electric motor, the eAssist LaCrosse gets 25 percent better fuel economy, with an electric bump of 15-hp and 79 ft-lbs of torque helping out the 182-hp and 172 ft-lbs 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. The car also makes used of a 6-speed automatic transmission, rather than a CVT. Like Honda’s IMA setup, the eAssist uses regenerative braking and a start/stop system.

Additional upgrades are also used to bump-up fuel economy, namely added underbody panels to help make the car more aerodynamic, as well as shutters inside the front grille than can close of at highway speeds.

Inside the car gets funky hybrid dash that shows the operation of the hybrid system and an eco-meter to display how “green” your driving is. The system itself is light weight, tipping the scales at just 65 lbs and thanks to its compact size, there’s still a passthrough from the trunk to the rear seats.

All 4-cylinder 2012 LaCrosse models will get the eAssist technology standard, with pricing set to start at close to $30,000.

GALLERY: 2011 Buick LaCrosse eAssist

General Motors long awaited IPO began trading on Thursday, and was up approximately $2 as of 12 noon, Thursday. Listed at $33 a share, the stock price quickly climbed to $35 a share, as GM’s CEO Dan Akerson rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

IPO’s are often volatile, with new startup Tesla Motors stock price dipping to around $15 over the summer, and now trading at over $30. The original GM stock was once one of the world’s most popular stocks before GM was forced into bankruptcy in 2009. With the IPO, the United States Treasury was able to unload 75% of their shares and recoup $12 billion of taxpayer money. GM stock would need to rise to $41 a share for the government to break even on its bailout.

[Source: Left Lane News]