TODAY'SCAR

  The Mazda 6, certainly of the most attractive cars in its segment, and supposedly among the best handling as well, is getting a complete redesign for next year. And the company has been busy releasing “teasers” for a while now, the best of which we’ve put up here.  Mazda plans to debut its new midsize sedan with a 2.0-litre “Skyactiv-G” 4-cylinder, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, and also feature their new i-ELOOP capacitor-based regenerative braking system that will apparently improve economy by up to 10%. It remains to be seen how much of this tech appears in GCC-spec models. The reworked Mazda 6 is debuting in August at the 2012 Moscow Motor Show. The new model is being touted as a 2014 model, which means it will only reach showrooms by early 2013 at the latest.

Launching in Japan, the new Auris comes in a few trim levels, with the most efficient package being the 1.5-liter model with Super CVT-i transmission and optional Toyota Stop & Start idling-stop function for 19.2 kilometers per liter (45 miles per gallon) on the lenient JC08 test cycle. All of the 1.5-liter models qualify for incentives under the Japanese government's Green Taxation System. The 1.8-liter model uses improved engine technologies to reach 38 mpg on JC08. Start/stop is not available on the 1.8-liter models. On the style front, the new Auris is 55 mm (2.16 inches) lower, 30 mm (1.18 inches) longer and has new bumper openings for improved aerodynamics. An RS trim line in the 1.8-liter model offers seats with exclusive red stitching and an optional panoramic roof window. The Auris will start at 1,710,000 yen ($21,515 U.S. at today's exchange rates). Toyota says it expects to sell 2,000 Auris models a month in Japan. The ...