Mazda

The movement of the crowds at the semi-funereal 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show said it all. No one, it seemed, wanted to hang out with the most beleaguered of the Detroit automakers, Chrysler and GM. As plenty of attendees noticed, Chrysler’s large expanse of showroom floor was all but empty most hours of the day. Same across the room at the General Motors stand: Aside from a small group milling about the Chevy Volt, all was quiet.

Japanese automakers have finally figured out what the Germans have known for years: Family sedans don't have to be boring. Following on the heels of Nissan's exhilarating overhaul of the Altima, Mazda will soon introduce the zoomy 6 sedan. With a sport-tuned suspension, svelte styling, optional 219-horsepower V6, and yes, room for five, the 6 should be the perfect antidote for your Accord-inspired doldrums. Honda, are you paying attention? Available late this year. Price not set.

Life just got easier for those who buy compact sedans and turn them into tuners -- street rods with ground-shaking sound systems. Now Mazda has done the work for them, creating a 'factory tuner' named after a popular music technology.

The 2001 Mazda MP3, a hopped-up edition of the Proteg sedan, is the first-ever car with a factory-installed MP3 player. That means owners can listen to more than 10 continuous hours of personalized music programming without changing a disc. The system plays MP3 files copied on recordable CDs, as well as conventional CDs.

Life just got easier for those who buy compact sedans and turn them into tuners -- street rods with ground-shaking sound systems. Now Mazda has done the work for them, creating a 'factory tuner' named after a popular music technology.




The 2001 Mazda MP3, a hopped-up edition of the Protegé sedan, is the first-ever car with a factory-installed MP3 player. That means owners can listen to more than 10 continuous hours of personalized music programming without changing a disc. The system plays MP3 files copied on recordable CDs, as well as conventional CDs.