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Mazda marks end of RX-8 production with Spirit R edition in Japan

Mazda will close out the RX-8 sports car's run in Japan with a Spirit R edition, the same way it brought the curtain down on the RX-7 in 2002. But the RX-8 Spirit R won't make it to U.S. showrooms.

Ford Escort set for Beijing motor show debut

Ford is set to unveil a production version of the Escort sedan at the China auto show this month in Beijing, meant exclusively for the Chinese market. The Escort was previewed in near-production concept form last year at the Shanghai motor show, and is meant to take on competitors positioned just above the Ford Focus sedan. Even though the Ford Escort has been absent from the automaker's global lineup since 2000, Ford of China is reviving the nameplate for this sub-Fusion/Mondeo model which will compete with cars such as the Volkswagen Sagitar and Chevrolet Cruze in the Chinese market.

More than a (gull)wing and a prayer

They make up just six percent of Mercedes car sales in the United States—but nothing preserves and proliferates the top-shelf, seductive image of a Benz like a sports car. This is a point that's been driven home to me in a wide array of circumstances this year: Mercedes sports cars are still rock stars. I'll admit, I've often been a skeptic.