2009

The Mazda Mazda2, 2008 World Car of the Year, finally gets its North American debut in U.S. production trim. However, while the diminutive B-segment hatch was certainly on display at the 2009 LA Auto Show, Mazda was surprisingly shy with the details. We weren't even allowed to take interior photos, which doesn't exactly bode well for a vehicle that's scheduled to launch as early as summer 2010.

What we do know is that the Mazda2 will feature a front MacPherson strut and rear torsion-beam axle setup that's similar to the European variant. The subcompact is … Read more

I finally made it out to the 52nd Annual International Auto Show at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco yesterday, and I'm sure glad that I made the trip. Today is the final day of the show that started over this last Thanksgiving weekend, and in case you can't or didn't make it out to the Moscone to see it all in person, here's an in depth highlight reel to show some of what you may have missed.

Yes, I know the soundtrack to this clip is kinda annoying, but this web video is quite … Read more

California will be the "lead market" for the Chevy Volt when the electrically driven car is available at the end of next year, General Motors said Wednesday.

California was chosen because the state has the largest U.S. car market, and Californians are "known to be leaders in adopting groundbreaking new technologies," GM's vice president of global Chevrolet brand, Brent Deware, said in a statement pegged to this week's Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Production of the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010. GM has not announced pricing for the 2011 model, … Read more

The software scene is crowded with Registry editors and cleaners, each promising to improve your system's performance and enhance your online security by deleting old, broken, invalid, and downright dangerous entries in the Windows Registry as well as cleaning your disk drives, browser caches, and other stores of sensitive information. They typically offer a free download version that will analyze your system and uncover rows and rows of malicious-looking items, which of course you want to delete because they look so threatening, highlighted in red. However, to actually clean or tweak your system, you must fork over 30 bucks … Read more

In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 25-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$700 budget models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.

In the "Budget" category, covering laptops up to $699, we found a collection of largely indistinguishable systems, along with a few that stood out as particularly good or bad. Most of these will provide a decent low-end experience, as long as you stick to one of the models with a dual-core CPU.

Our favorite, by a hair, was the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6980, with an Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 CPU and a big 500GB hard drive.

Note: For a roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

The hot topic that's being discussed all over the 'Net and at water coolers all over the world is how Tiger Woods ended up crashing his 2009 Cadillac Escalade into a now-famous tree in Florida after what is being rumored as a fight with his wife over reports that he'd been steppin' out with another woman. I'll leave all the gossip and speculation on the why's and how's of that situation to TMZ or the National Enquirer. But I'm the type of person who tries to find light and humor in all situations, so … Read more

Chevrolet has confirmed details and unveiled images of the 2011 Cruze compact sedan, which is set to be revealed in the sheet metal at the 2009 LA Auto Show on December 2. Set to compete directly with the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet expects the Cruze to stand out because of its expected highway fuel economy of 40 mpg.

The Cruze achieves this 40 mpg rating (and a cruising range of more than 500 miles) when equipped with its new, small-displacement Ecotec 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. Standard on LT and LTZ models, the … Read more

In an unlikely alliance, Capstone, manufacturer of electricity-generating microturbines, and Electronic Arts Chief Creative Director Richard Hilleman have built a hybrid sports car for the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. The CMT-380 uses an electric power train with a range-extending diesel-fueled microturbine. A lithium polymer battery pack gives the CMT-380 80 miles of pure electric range, and the microturbine generates power for an additional 500 miles.

The car itself is built on a kit car platform, the Factory Five Racing GTM supercar. Capstone cites performance figures of 3.9 seconds to 60mph and a 150mph top speed. Impressively, the microturbine … Read more

A burgeoning small car market in the U.S. convinced Mazda to finally sell its tiny Mazda2 here. The car, available around the world since 2007, will be shown in U.S. spec at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It joins the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Scion xD, and Kia Soul in a subcompact market that has seen increasing sales.

The U.S. spec Mazda2 will get a 1.6-liter four cylinder engine mated to a five speed automatic transmission. Cabin tech offerings will be minimal, although a Bluetooth phone system should be present, along with audio controls on … Read more