2003 Mazda Protege Speed prEview and safety features

Sharing the stand with the Shinari sports saloon concept at this month's Los Angeles Auto Show will be the North American version of the Mazda5 minivan. Shown for the first time to the public at the Geneva Salon this past March, the new Mazda5 gets a swoopier design with flared front fenders and a trio of three side creases starting from the front door and continuing all the way back to the tail lamps.

In order to take full advantage of the aftermarket fanboys trolling around SEMA, Mazda released more than a few examples of the paths tuners could take when modifying its MX-5 roadster, Mazda2, and Mazda3 models.

The Mazda2s seen here are designed with two different goals in mind: looking slick on the street, or tearing it up at the track.

The Mazda2 Street keeps it simple by getting lowered on a set of 15x9s and adding some lower-body graphics, while the Mazda2 Evil Track gets the same rims, more aggressive vinyl, and enough safety/racing gear to meet NASA and SCCA standards. The "Evil Track" also wears a Mazda Design body kit and rides on H&R coilovers.

Automakers are planning to unload a raft of new vehicles at the rapidly approaching Los Angeles Auto Show. According to the event planners, the LA convention center will host 20 world premieres and more than 30 North American debuts.

We already know about several world debuts such and Nissan's completely redesigned Quest minivan, Murano Cross Cabriolet concept and Ellure sedan study, but today the organizers [officially] confirmed a few more premieres.

These include -in no particular order- the well-received Mazda Shinari sports sedan [read the full story here]; the five-door version of the Land Rover Evoque; Saab 9-4X; Kia Optima Hybrid; VW Eos facelift, and the U.S.-spec Hyundai Elantra compact sedan and Fiat 500

In an unusual announcement today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) voiced concerns that millions of Ford vehicles previously recalled for a faulty cruise control system may have not been repaired, despite FoMoCo's notification efforts.

The safety agency noted that Ford Motor Company "has been diligent in contacting owners of the affected vehicles, including sending re-notification letters to owners in many cases."

At the end of last week, Mazda lifted the covers off its all-new BT-50 pickup truck at the Australian Motor Show in Sydney. Now, the Japanese automaker has released three videos with static shots as well as footage from the motor show reveal. As a reminder, the BT-50 was co-developed with Ford, which also presented its proposal in Sydney, the new Ranger. The BT-50 shares its powertrains, including four- and five-cylinder diesel units and new six-speed automatic and manual transmissions, with Ford's pickup truck. Follow the break to watch the videos.

For the past seven years, the most important automotive design studios in Southern California compete in a Design Challenge organized by the Los Angeles Auto Show. For this year's edition of the show, which runs November 19-29, the event planners decided to add an international flavor to the contest by inviting studios from Germany and Japan to join the competition for the very first time.

The theme for the 2010 Design Challenge is the creation of a super-efficient and lightweight four-passenger car: "The objective is to envision an efficient, light-weight, four passenger vehicle (not to exceed 1,000 lbs.), that is both comfortable and safe, while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the styling consumers demand. "

Follow the break for the first group of concept models by Cadillac, Honda, Maybach and Mazda, and stay tuned for the second part.

Shortly after the reveal of the 2011 Ford Ranger that we told you about in our previous post, Mazda released the first photos of the all-new BT-50. As we've mentioned many times before, the two pickup truck models are the result of a collaboration between Ford and Mazda and will both get their world premiere at this week's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

The Japanese automaker's iteration of the compact pickup truck theme gets its own unique exterior cues and interior styling inspired by the firm's passenger car range. Though far less aggressive than originally implied on the first teaser sketches, the BT-50's exterior design is more funky than it's Ford sibling. The same can be said about the interior which is said to feature all the accommodations of a passenger car.

In anticipation of the all-new BT-50's launch that will take place at next week's 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Mazda has released a second teaser drawing of its compact pickup truck. This time, it's the BT-50's interior design that we get a peek at.

The subtly updated Mazda2 was given its European premiere in Paris today. The Fiesta's brethren enters the 2011 model year with a new face featuring a revised front grille and a re-sculptured front bumper. A fresh choice of exterior colors and alloy wheel designs complete the look.