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Mazda 3, Mazda 6 get customized for the SEMA Show

We like the look of Mazda's current lineup, from the basic 2 to the sleek 6. Kodo design language has a lot to do with it -- Mazda North American Operations design director Derek Jenkins says that, thanks that Kodo styling, "the Zoom-Zoom genetic code is further being embraced, not buried, through increasingly expressive vehicle design." (Ugh.-ED) We didn't know genetics had anything to do with it, but hey -- tough to argue with the results. Perhaps Kodo's effectiveness is why Mazda's SEMA show concepts are fairly...restrained compared to what other automakers are bringing to Las Vegas.

Ford's automotive assembly line celebrates 100th anniversary

A mere century ago, on Oct. 7, 1913, Henry Ford rigged up a rope tow to get Model T chassis across the floor of his Highland Park assembly plant -- essentially winching cars across the factory floor and adding a set schedule of parts at certain intervals. The implementation may have been a bit primitive, but Ford was on the cusp something big: applying the concepts of the moving assembly line to the complicated, costly process of automobile production.

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid unveiled

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Volkswagen has revealed the VW Jetta Hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show, with a 1.4 litre turbo and electric motor promising 54mpg  and 168bhp. VW has revealed the Jetta Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show which will, if nothing else, show the Americans that a small capacity – in thyis case a 1.4 litre TSI engine – can offer not just decent economy but also some reasonable performance. With the aid of a 20kW electric motor the Jetta Hybrid can muster 168bhp and scoot ro 60mph in around 9 seconds, but still offer 54mpg.