News of cars

1. Mazda2 Will Get an Upgraded Interior



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.

2. Audi Will Use e-tron Name For Its Electric Cars



Audi plans to use the e-tron designation for its electric vehicles.

Audi cars will carry the e-tron logo on their rear, similar to the way models now bear the "quattro" designation.

Audi plans to produce an initial run of 100 units of its e-tron electric sports car at its factory in Ingolstadt, Germany, in 2012. The car was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.An expansion of this small production volume to 1,000 units is planned. No decision has yet been made on where the vehicle will be built long term.

3. The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Rolls Out With a New Hybrid Powertrain

Volkswagen is banking on the fuel-saving properties of a new gasoline-electric hybrid and what it describes as a wholesale improvement in quality levels to bolster North American sales of its second-generation Touareg.

This new Touareg represents VW's first foray into the premium-hybrid-SUV market, which includes gasoline-electric entries from BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac, among others. Further competition will come from a similarly powered version of the new Porsche Cayenne, alongside which the new Touareg was developed.

4. Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid Race Car Revealed



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.

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.