Car and Driver’s annual 10Best Cars awards are back and while other publications focus on the best new cars of the year, what makes Car And Driver’s 10Best unique is its consideration of all vehicles that are currently on sale.

The rules of the 10Best list state that winners from the previous year get an automatic entry into the candidate list, but once a car is removed, it must wait until is has undergone a major overhaul to be eligible again. For the 2012 10Best, only the Chevrolet Volt and Hyundai Sonata have been removed to make room for the Audi A6/A7and Ford Focus while the remaining eight cars are carried over from the 10Best winners of 2011.

The 2012 Car and Driver 10Best winners are:

Audi A6/A7
BMW 3-Series/M3
Cadillac CTS-V
Ford Focus
Ford Mustang GT/Boss 302
Honda Accord
Honda Fit
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Porsche Boxster/Boxster Spyder/Cayman/Cayman R
Volkswagen Golf/GTI

To go with the supposed 1.3L turbocharged powerplant the next-generation MX-5 will be getting, Mazda‘s MX-5 development boss Hirotaka Kanazawa also revealed that the 2014 MX-5 will go to a back-to-basics approach towards being a fun sportscar, just like the 1989 original model.

“We will return to the original. It will be lightweight and the cost will be lightweight too. It will be easy to handle and fun to drive,” he said in an interview with What Car?

The next-generation convertible will also utilize Mazda’s new Skyactiv technologies and as we reported before, it’ll shed some weight – though now it’s a more believable figure of 2,200-lbs. Originally Mazda hoped to get it around 1,780-lbs but now it appears that the next-generation MX5 will be more in line of the original which weight 2,178-lbs.

Mazda is also exploring the idea of multiple models in order to appease all the MX-5 enthusiasts out there. Whether they want power or comfort, they’ll be able to make a choice rather than being alienated. Design boss Ikuo Maeda also hinted that the company’s new Kodo design language could find its way onto the MX-5′s design.

[Source: What Car?]

The last time Mazda offered a coupe model based on the underpinnings of its mid-size sedan, it was called the MX-6. It was quite popular in its day, and two-generation of models had been produced before Mazda pulled the plug on the sports sporty car back in 1997.

Now a unnamed senior company source has revealed that the new Mazda6 will spawn a coupe model, which will be based on the stunning Takeri concept car, which was a hit at the recent Tokyo Motor Show.

While the new sedan model of the Mazda6 is expected to hit the market in early 2013, the coupe version might arrive a year later. The coupe will follow the principals of other new Mazda SkyActiv vehicles, while adding new technologies like i-Eloop, which is Mazda’s version of a regenerative braking system which can help improve economy by 10%.

While European markets will likely get a 2.0-liter petrol and 2.2-liter diesel engines, the North American model could also be offered with a V6 engine. Only time will tell.

[Source: WhatCar?]

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The Tokyo Motor Show has come and gone and won’t be back for another two years. If you missed out on all the excitement (and wacky concept cars) then watch AutoGuide’s video wrapup, with ten short spots highlighting all the most exciting new models. If you’re after more in-depth coverage, then see our Tokyo Motor Show page here and see all of our videos at the AutoGuide YouTube page here.

Watch more videos from the Tokyo Motor Show below:

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A while back, we reported that the next-generation Mazda MX-5 would be going on a major diet and could be powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged powerplant rather than the 1.8L or 2.0L naturally aspirated motor used today. Now reports are coming in that the new MX-5 will likely sport a 1.3L turbocharged four-cylinder, with Mazda’s SkyActive technology.

Scheduled to be released sometime in 2014, the 1.3L turbocharged motor will feature variable cam phasing, lighter, low-friction reciprocating parts and possibly a new exhaust manifold to achieve better exhaust gas evacuation. Mazda is also looking to lighten the load in the transmission as well as reducing the friction in order to make each shift short and snappy on the manual. For the automatic fanatics, Mazda will probably offer a paddle-shift, torque-converter auto with a lock-up clutch.

The next generation MX-5 has been confirmed to be built on a new rear-wheel-drive SkyActive platform called the S-platform, and Mazda engineers continue to work towards their goal of making the sports car weigh in at a scant 1,765-lbs or so.

[Source: Autocar]

10. Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept

The only non-Japanese car to make our Top 10 cars list of the Tokyo Motor Show, the Volkswagen Cross Coupe Concept was also one of the few true surprises. While a show car, it makes use of an all-new VW platform, an impressive AWD plug-in hybrid system, while also taking a look at the future styling direction of the brand.

On the later note, that’s by no means a bad thing. And while hardly a significant departure from the current VW style guide, the Cross Coupe is certainly an attractive machine.

Built on the brand’s new MQB (modular transverse matrix) platform, the Cross Coupe is the first example of an electric differential with front and rear electric motors that can be “attached” to deliver an all-wheel drive system. VW claims the system can be used for two AWD scenarios, one for added grip and the other for an AWD electric only drive mode with 25 miles of range. (For a more extensive run-down on the system, see our post and video here). Paired with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine up front, VW claims a total power output of 261-hp and a 0-60 mph time of 7.0 seconds.

Making all this technology all the more significant is that it is being unveiled on a new platform, with the obvious suggestion that both could be paired together in a near-future production model.

As Honda and Toyota soldier on with the same old designs, Mazda has taken heed of the attractively styled products coming out of Korea these days and decided to fire back. Using the brand’s new Kodo design language the Takeri Concept is a look at the next-generation Mazda6. Based on an all-new platform and powered by a diesel engine it’s also the first example of a Mazda vehicle using the brand’s new i-ELOOP regenerative braking technology.

GALLERY: Mazda Takeri Concept

For more on the Takeri concept, watch the video below:

Continue Reading…

During a press conference at the Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda‘s global chief, Takashi Yamanouchi said that a rotary powered MX-5 is a possibility down the road; he also went onto say that the company might consider merging its two separate sports car lines [MX-5 and RX-8], into one.

“I have been saying everywhere that we will continue research on the rotary engine,” he declared. “We will not extinguish the flame of the rotary engine. That kind of product is iconic for our brand. So the current MX-5 or RX-8 we have decided in the future to maintain that type of [sports car] product.” Yet he went on to state that “I can’t say, however, that they will be separate … they may be merged into one.”

However many questions remain. If a single rotary powered sports car were to materialize (there’s speculation it could be a hardtop coupe/convertible in the idom of the Mercedes-Benz SLK, or possibly offered in both piston and rotary powered forms), it would be a ways off. Mazda has already said the next generation MX-5, slated to debut in 2013, will feature a conventional in-line ICE engine, incorporating Mazda’s SkyActiv technology.

As for the RX-8, when production ends next year, there’s currently no definite plans for a replacement, though from Yamanounchi- san’s comments it’s clear development on the rotary engine will continue. The question is, whether it will remain solely as an internal combustion unit or be used as a range extending hydrogen fueled generator (Mazda already has  such a prototype engine being evaluated by government agencies). Stay tuned for further developments.

[Source: caradvice.com.au]