The 2013 Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 sedan will be shown in Tokyo next month, but thanks to some early release info, we are able to take a look at it before it is formally revealed. The Mazda 6 will come with the "Sky Activ Technology," which helps with gas mileage, and it also comes with a slew of newer features. How would you like to get your hands on this updated sedan?

The next Mazda 6, due on sale in around a year and a half, will benefit from the full array of the Japanese automaker's ‘Sky Activ Technology'. That includes new, more efficient gas and diesel engines (obviously, and sadly, likely not available here in the U.S.), compact, lightweight automatic and manual transmissions, new suspension systems and a new modular steel platform. 

The Takeri saloon sports the firm's new "Kodo" design language — which the carmaker claims means "Soul of Motion," also seen on the CX-5. 

The result? As you can see — it's a much bolder, Jaguar XF-like look, than the current-generation 6 four-door. The bigger, happier, more LOL-like grille also looks much more pleasing on the front end of the sedan than it does on the crossover.

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Mazda Teams Up With Dr. Suess

In collaboration with the upcoming Dr. Seuss film The Lorax, Mazda has put together an ad for the CX-5. This clever co-branding with a children's themed film is likely to strike families as a big selling point, as will the movie. The new ad shows the CX-5 friving through "Truffula Valley"  ad is "Truffula Tree Certified," and there is a lot of focus on the new Skyactiv Technology. What do you think of the commercial?

Aston Martin has the chap Bond, Acura has its Avengers and now Mazda has its own movie vehicle, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. The computer-generated film from Universal will feature a "Seuss-ified" Mazda CX-5 rolling through a forest of lollipop-like truffula trees. 

It's a slightly strange movie for a car company to call its own, since the original book was a enviromentalist tale and the Lorax – who spoke for the truffula trees against the industrial ambitions of the Once-ler – complained even more when trucks began rolling into the forest. The case is aided by the fact that Universal got rid of that storyline almost completely, and Mazda's Skyactiv credentials are what's really in play here.

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A Look At The New Cee'd

Pictures of the new Cee'd are out before the Geneva Motor Show, and we love what they've done to the hatchback. Kia's latest design is the "tiger nose," a more prominent and stylish hood for the car. We don't know very much about what's under the hood, but we do now that there re talks about bringing the vehicle to the U.S. soon. We're excited to see what is unveiled in Geneva, and until then we'll have to make due with the teaser pictures!

The latest Kia Cee’d – which is likely to remain a European exclusive – remains a hatchback, but shares only its daylight opening shape with its forebear. The new Cee’d packs plenty of Kia’s latest design DNA into a compact vehicle: the corporate “tiger nose” grille is more prominent than ever, and flanked by long, tapered headlamps and a dramatically flared hood. As usual, the car also receives LED running lamps placed along the lower edges of the headlamp housings. 

Further back, the new Cee’d shares a number of cues with the smaller Rio: taillights are mounted high up the curvaceous rear end, although the bumper cut echoes the shape of the hatch stamping itself. The lower diffuser is also a little more sophisticated, with raised accents surrounding the rear reflectors, license plate, and lower diffuser.

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2012 Chicago: The New MX-5 Miata Special Edition

23 years ago, Mazda showed off their roadster at the Chicago Auto Show. Now, at the 2012 Auto show, Mazda featured their new MX-5 Special Edition which comes with a premium package (Bluetooth, Satellite radio, Zenon headlights, and keyless entry). Only 450 of these are available in the states, but for only $32k these will not last long. Take a look before they are all gone!

This year, the automaker is using the show to unveil its 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition. While it may not be as groundbreaking as the debut of the first-gen model, it should be special enough to attract the roadster’s most loyal fans. The Special Edition treatment begins with a range-topping 2012 MX-5 Miata with the power retractable hard top. Next, it’s painted in either Velocity Red or Crystal While Pearl, both of which are exclusive to this model. The power hard top, which is usually color matched to the rest of the car, is finished in all black. The 17-inch rims sport a Black Gunmetal finish, while the outside mirror housing, door handles, and the trim around the front grille and fog lamp assembly also get the blacked-out treatment. Inside, the steering wheel spokes, dash trim, and roll bar trim are finished in black. The treatment definitely adds a sporty feel, with a touch of masculinity. 

Standard on the Special Edition model are the Premium Package (Bluetooth, Satellite radio, xenon headlights, alarm, and advanced keyless entry) and the Suspension Package (Bilstein shocks and limited-slip differential).

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KIA to Sponsor The Voice

Kia Motors joins Starbucks and Sprint to sponsor the hit TV show The Voice. The show finds singing talents and chooses contestants to continue on based on voice alone. The show is run by Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton as celebrity judges. Each celebrity judge creates a team of contestants for an all-out team competition.

Take a look at Carson Daly's explanation of the show and what it is all about:

As for Kia, the company's 2012 Sorento CUV will be used during Battle Rounds, and the contestants will be seen driving Sorentos. Oh, and season one's Dia Frampton will be featured driving a Sorento in series of webisodes. 

Starbucks will be supporting online content for The Voice, which will "feature the contestants focusing on ways to serve local communities." And the coffee company will (of course) be the beverage of choice for coaches and contestants.

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