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Sky takes Mazda powertrains to the next level

Mazda's next-generation of powertrains, called Sky, will feature a variety of new technologies that company engineers say improve fuel efficiency by 20 percent. The Sky engines--Sky-G for the gasoline version, Sky-D for diesel--coupled with a Sky-Drive automatic transmission or a six-speed manual, were offered for test drives during a technology day in Berlin. The Sky-G engine we drove was a 2.0-liter inline-four that made 160 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque.

European Car of the Year shortlist announced

THE SEVEN CARS that will battle it out to become European Car of the Year (ECOTY) 2014 have been announced. Decided on by a jury of 53 motoring journalists from across Europe, the shortlists is made up of the BMW i3, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda 3, Mercedes S-Class, Peugeot 308, Skoda Octavia and Tesla Model S. This is the first time the ECOTY shortlist of contenders has included two electric vehicles with the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S.

BMW 1-series hatchback (2011) first official pictures

BMW has peeled the last pieces of camouflage sheeting from their F20 1-series and announced details of the upcoming entry-level car. BMW 1-series: the evolutionary new look As revealed in CAR's spy images last month, the 1-series is a clear evolution of its predecessor, featuring smoother lines but a more aggressively-angled front-end. The new headlight design dominates the nose, providing the 1-series with a pronounced squint compared with its predecessor.  F20 has grown in most dimensions over the first 1-series: it is 85mm longer overall, and sits on a 30mm longer.