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LOS ANGELES--The Green Car Journal gave its 2009 Green Car of the Year award to the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. This year's list of nominees included the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and Smart ForTwo. The Jetta TDI uses a 2-liter, turbocharged, diesel, four-cylinder engine to achieve an EPA-rated 41mpg highway fuel economy and 30mpg city. Volkswagen's new clean diesel technology makes the car legal in all 50 states, meeting California's stringent Air Resources Board requirements, under which is qualifies as a SULEV, or Super … Read more

We find ourselves at the beginning of day two of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Looking back on yesterday's announcements, there's a lot to be excited about.

There were luxury performers, such Maserati's 2009 Quattroporte and Porsche's updated Boxter and Cayman mid-engine sports cars. A few manufacturers introduced cabin tech refreshes, such as Lexus' new Remote Touch interface in its 2010 RX SUV or Aston Martin's Bang & Olufsen audio system. Those in search of power will no doubt want to check out the 2010 Ford Mustang or Nissan's new, smaller, more powerful 370Z Coupe.… Read more

On Tuesday, Nissan revealed the 2009 370Z Coupe at the 2008 LA Auto Show and we've got the pictures to prove it.

Viewed in the round, we can see the new Z's shapely rear end and muscular shoulders. Hints of Nissan GT-R can be seen in the catfish's mouth front air dam and concave roof. Factor in dimensions and proportions that are more in line with the classic Z car formula and you've got what at least looks like a winner.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of the Z's new look. Pop over … Read more

Mazda presented its new 2010 Mazda3 sedan at the 2008 LA Auto Show, and I have to admit that I don't really know what to make of it.

The revised front end has more overtones of Mazda's Nagare concept than any Mazda vehicle to date. From certain angles it's decidedly sinister, with its sharply raked bi-xenon headlamps, enlarged lower grille opening that eliminates the need for an upper grille, and organically styled side grille openings with integrated foglights. But from other angles, that huge grille opening looks like a big goofy grin.

Moving back across the body, … Read more

Lotus shows off its new Evora model at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, proving the company can make a car for people over 5' 10". Unlike the Elise and Exige, cars that let short people have all the fun, the larger Evora was designed for less athletic ingress and egress, as Lotus puts it in the press release. And unlike its sister models, the Evora gets some real horsepower courtesy of two extra cylinders. Designed for more than sport driving weekends and track days, the Evora brings useful car technology into the cabin, with a full-featured Alpine system. … Read more

At the 2008 LA Auto Show, Porsche unveiled its new Boxster and Cayman models, presented alongside the first Porsche ever, a 1940s-era Porsche 356.

While the tweaked exteriors aren't drastically different from the previous generation, the technology under the hood has changed quite a bit. Four new, larger engines are also more efficient, thanks to the inclusion of direct injection technology and optional PDK double-clutch transmission.

See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Aston Martin DBS is a beautiful car, and sitting in one is a very special experience. Sitting in a DBS and listening to a Bang & Olufsen audio system takes that special experience and adds a choir of angels. The high-end Danish audio-components maker lends its expertise to Aston Martin with its Beosound DBS system, now coming as standard in the new DBS. At the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show we sat in the DBS as a Bang & Olufsen representative played a variety of music through the system.

The car spun around on its turntable as a drum-and-bass … Read more

The gods of automotive design say that five years is too old for a car, so Ford went and redesigned the perfectly good Mustang for the 2010 model year. Fortunately, Ford didn't fix what wasn't broken, instead choosing to enhance design elements of the Mustang that make it such a good take on the classic 'stangs from the late '60s and early '70s. For this update, the hood gets bulgier, the front fenders drop a bit while the rear fenders climb a little higher. Roof options include metal, convertible soft top, and glass--the latter a unique design from … Read more

Maserati showed off an updated Quattroporte sedan for the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2009 Quattroporte gets a design consistent with the 2008 GranTurismo, including the toothy grille, and it gets reworked head and tail lights. The S model of this curvy sedan gains some oomph, with a big 4.7-liter V-8 under the hood, half a liter bigger than the standard model. Best of all for car techies, Bose contributes an audio system and infotainment package that combines navigation, cell phone, and stereo.

See the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte.

See all coverage of the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. … Read more