I swear, all the Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Infiniti, Hyundai, rear ends are starting to look alike if not straight rip each other off.  New Lexus language is unique except that all their cars look the same now.

Not sure if this image (or car) has been massaged, but this looks really killer for a car that starts under $21k.

edit: Found out it was an artist render pre-reveal. Pretty damn accurate in hind-sight.

So, info on the tax credit is looking far less likely to be true.

This leads me back to the Eco, but (!) then I see someone mention the Mazda Skyactive-D is coming later this year (sooner than I expected). It will be interesting to see where it is priced and what options and trim packages it will come with. The base Mazda 6 is $22k with auto and a 184hp I-4, then there is a touring model at $24.5k that is probably similarly equipped to the 2LT package the Cruze-D is coming with, then a grand touring model at $30k that's loaded with stuff. It's a bigger car (still about 10" shorter than my current, though), which I don't want really, but it does look quite nice from all angles, especially the front, and it's actually about 200-300 lbs lighter than the Cruze 2LT (3475 lbs vs 3232 lbs) despite being about 7" longer. At first glance through some videos and the Mazda site, it looks to be more car for the money, assuming the diesel will be priced around $22-26k. The other really nice thing about the Skyactive-D is it uses no fluids or special after-burn techniques to meet emission standards, so people are expecting it to be priced very similarly to the standard gas model. It will just depend on which trim level they will offer the diesel with. Interior looks nicer all around and has more room. I'll be checking this car out in more detail and perhaps look at a gas model at a local Mazda dealer since they apparently already have this latest 6 released as of January.

Mazda is still trying to figure out what they want to do with the 6. The first one was widely praised for its handling, but the engine choices were poor (reheated Ford leftovers) and it was a bit cramped for US tastes. They still sold a fair amount of them though. The second one was an attempt to cater to Accord buyers, it was far larger and had a bunch of really nasty fake wood inside. The V6 finally had power that the original always lacked, but it was a gas hog and no match for the first MazdaSpeed6. I haven't seen any sales numbers for it, but honestly I don't think I've EVER seen a Gen 2 on the road, only at Mazda dealerships.

The latest one is a big improvement. I think it's by far the best looking car in the mainstream sedan class, with Kia Optima at number 2 and Ford Fusion at number 3. The Sonata design isn't aging all that well, the new Accord is fine but forgettable, the Altima is bland and too conservative, the Malibu is a snooze fest, and the Camry looks like a cheese wedge.

Mazda is trying to focus on efficiency now, so the V6s are all gone. I really think they are missing out by not having a turbo version of the 4 though, Mazdas are still supposed to be about performance and driver involvement, and part of that means the car has to be able to get out of its own way. That, and whoever is in charge of interior tech at Mazda needs to be fired, like yesterday. Seriously, if you guys are that inept at electronics, just shove an iPad mini in the dash and call it a day.

I love the new york times!