Mazda2 Will Get an Upgraded Interior

Mazda Motor Corp. said Thursday that it is installing upgraded features for the North American launch of the 2011 Mazda2 this fall. The automaker unveiled the interior of the five-door hatchback at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

Compared to the current European edition, the North American model will have an upgraded audio head unit, higher-grade climate control knobs, and seats with higher-grade fabric and stylish piping. The look and feel of the top of the instrument panel appears to be less plasticky.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid Race Car

Porsche will bring its latest hybrid know-how to the racetrack in the form of the new 911 GT3 R Hybrid, revealed for the first time prior to a planned public premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.


Developed by a team of engineers at Porsche's Weissach R&D center, Porsche plans for the stripped-out race car to act as a rolling laboratory. The German carmaker wants to explore the potential of hybrid drivetrains in a racing environment before an expected announcement that it will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a factory capacity, perhaps in 2012, with a race car boasting technology based on that used in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.


Based on Porsche's recently revealed 911 GT3 RSR, the R Hybrid eschews conventional hybrid technology for an advanced new electro-mechanical flywheel system. Porsche sources said that the company is considering the system as a means of boosting the performance of its future race cars, and that the technology could end up on selected road cars, including a planned hybrid version of the 911. The new hybrid technology forms part of a broader program that goes under the name Porsche Intelligent Performance.