Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mazda Taiki concept.

Mazda is finally going to employ the styling cues shown on its Taiki, Ryuga, Hakaze and Furai show cars with a supermini concept, due to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. The concept aims to slot in below the Mazda2 and may be the first production model to benefit from the Nagare design theme. Other models utilizing Laurens van der Acker's swooping and sculpted lines are expected to come to production in 2010, including the redesigned Mazda3.

Mazda also plans to unveil a small crossover concept at the Moscow Motor Show later this year, which will likely be based of the Ford Kuga and utilize the same Nagare DNA. This new CUV will be specifically designed for the Russian market, which Mazda maintains could overtake Germany as the largest market in Europe. But bringing this cute 'ute to the UK and the US is a possibility, as consumers continue to downsize their rides.

[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo crash tests.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has finally released its official data on the smart fortwo, and it appears that the lil' urban runabout held its own during the IIHS' tests. The fortwo racked up a rating of "good" on both the frontal and side-impact tests, while rear impacts were scored as "acceptable." IIHS President, Adrian Lund, made it clear that normally bigger and heavier vehicles are the safer choice, "but among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."

Make the jump to read all the details of the IIHS' findings.


[Source: IIHS]

After years of talk, Chery is finally entering the North American market later this year, but the small car will be badged as a Dodge, and it'll be sold exclusively in Mexico. The decidedly un-Hornet-looking A1, which was designed by Bertone of Italy, will be rebadged as a Dodge and virtually unchanged from its Chery twin. While Chrysler execs are adamant that the A1 isn't coming to the US, the Pentastar is still working with Chery on a small car to be sold north of the border. Don't hold your breath waiting for an ultra-cheap Chery in the US, though. Chrysler co-pilot Tom LaSorda says Chery has "three or more years" before the Chinese automaker can meet US safety and emissions standards.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tata Nano.

Indian carmaker Tata chose a site in Singur, India for the plant that would make the Nano, the world's cheapest car. Not long afterward, eleven petitions were filed in the Calcutta High Court stating that the purchase of the land for the factory violated the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. It was alleged that the government of Bengal forcibly took "fertile multi-crop agricultural land" from farmers for industrial use, which isn't allowed.

Earlier this year, the Calcutta High Court found in favor of the government of West Bengal (where Singur is) and Tata. Now another petition has been filed with India's Supreme Court over the issue, and the Supreme Court has asked the West Bengal government and Tata to respond.

The issue for the moment is that the Nano is supposed to go on sale in October -- but the next hearing over the land use petition won't be held until July. Some suppose a revised land deal might drive up the price of the car. Regardless, if Tata doesn't work out a production alternative, Tata won't get the head start it was hoping for on what could be a huge market.



[Source: Times of India via Detroit News]

It was rumored that Nissan/Renault was serious about fielding a low-priced competitor to the $2,500 USD Tata Nano, and the automaker made it official today by announcing a plan to produce an equally inexpensive car called the ULC in conjunction with Indian automaker Bajaj Auto. The two companies are forming a joint-venture to produce the ULC, which will be built at an all-new facility in Chakan, India at an initial rate of 400,000 units per year. The Tata Nano has no need for concern just yet, as the ULC isn't scheduled to go on sale until early 2011 in India and then even later in export countries. We're doubtful that the U.S. is among those export considerations, but parts of Europe will likely see the ULC not long after the Nano arrives in their market.

[Source: Nissan/Renault]

When the Chevy Cobalt first hit the scene as a 2005 model, it was a much better car than the basic transportation it replaced, but it was still a bit too Cavalier-looking for some. All that is scheduled to change for the 2010 model year, as the bow-tie will unveil a new Cobalt based of the same global Delta platform that will also underpin the Volt and next Saturn Astra.

Brenda Priddy and her voyeur minions caught a well-disguised 2010 Cobalt roaming the streets, and while it looks like it was doused in silly-string, we can still see plenty of promise. Most noticeably, the 'Balt's profile looks much more refined than that of the current model, with a more graceful greenhouse and prominent nose. Thankfully, the handsome two-tier grill looks to be making its way over from the Malibu, which will help further separate the Cobalt from its economy car past. A sedan and coupe will be available, and we're assuming that we'll see a new, faster Cobalt SS, as well.

High gas prices already have the Cobalt selling in record numbers, and if GM can pull off a better Cobalt by next summer, the amount of them leaving dealer lots should grow considerably. Hit the read link below to see the spy shots. Thanks for the tip, noe!

[Source: Motor Trend]

Countries like China and India are a hotbed for the auto industry, and every major automaker is looking to improve its standing in the emerging markets while they're still on the ground floor. Low-cost micro cars are all the rage in the East, and Nissan/Renault is looking into getting a piece of that action by producing a Nano fighter. Nissan Motor India Director Neeraj Garg told The Times of India that while higher priced sedans and SUVs are also scheduled for India's booming auto market, a low-priced hatch is also on the wishlist if the pricing is right.

Company officials say that the low-cost transportation could be among six new products scheduled for India by 2012, and with the country's low-cost labor, Nissan/Renault could also export any vehicles it makes there.

[Source: The Times of India]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi metroproject quattro Concept.

Buyers of the next generation of Volkswagen-developed small cars will have one more option box to tick when placing their order: all-wheel-drive. The new platform, dubbed PQ25, will find its way underneath a handful of new models, spanning the range from the low-end (SEAT), mid-grade (VW) and luxury (Audi). All-wheel-drive won't be an option for the new SEAT Ibiza, but consumers of the next VW Polo (specifically the CrossPolo) might be able to outfit their tiny runabout with AWD, while the Audi A1, due out in late 2009, will continue the automaker's love affair with quattro.


[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Though Men's Vogue has already attempted to disprove the theory that only women can get away with driving one, it seems that smart has seen the need to dispel some rumors about the fortwo, their little urban runabout. Specifically, many people apparently question how large of a person the smart can easily handle, how safe a car this small could be, how much room there is for stuff and what features the fortwo is equipped with. In all honesty, the smart would probably work for a large percentage of the population of both the U.S. and the U.K., but certainly not for every situation likely to come up in everyday life. As a second car or strictly for commuting, we imagine that the smart would meet the needs of quite a few drivers who would never even consider a vehicle this small.

Just for fun, why not check out the truth about smart here. Even if you hate the car, you may enjoy seeing it mildly-mangled by a wrecking ball.

[Source: the truth about smart]

This latest rendering of the long-rumored return of the Isetta brand, an offshoot of BMW, looks much more modern than any previous rendering that we've seen of the rolling mini-retro-mobile. According to the accompanying report on Autocar, the rear-engined zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) has indeed been approved by BMW, though we've heard nothing truly official as of yet. If true, the U.S. would be the likely first market to see the Isetta, possibly as early as 2012.

At this point, BMW is reportedly still deciding whether or not to offer both electric and internally-combusted versions of the new city car. BMW has quite a few small engines currently powering their line of motorcycles, and one of these engines could make an appearance in the rear of the vehicle. Possible powertrains also include a hybrid, natural gas or even fuel cell variants. Because of the high investment required to get the proposed vehicle off the ground, BMW could partner with Daimler-Benz which already offers its own tiny car under the smart brand. Rumors also link long-time BMW partner Manga Steyr to the project. Interestingly, the Canadian based auto parts giant has recently confirmed that they are working on hybrid vehicle development.

[Source: Autocar]