Ask.cars.com calculates mileage estimates for a Mazda6 with a V-6 engine, as requested by an interested reader. Then go check out PickupTrucks.com for its "kinda sorta liveblog" following the Ford F-150 Raptor through the Baja 1000. Finally, MotherProof.com goes to the L.A. auto show and discovers new ways to keep pets safe during accidents.

What Mileage Can I Expect with the New Mazda6 if I Buy the V-6? (Ask.cars.com)
The Ford F-150 Raptor R Baja 1000 Kinda Sorta Liveblog (PickupTrucks.com)
L.A. Auto Show: Keeping Your Furry Family Members Safe (MotherProof.com)

Here some of the most important news items of the week: Porsche 914 rendering 2010 Ford Mustang 2009 Porsche Boxster 2009 Porsche Cayman 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe 2009 Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 Honda FC Sport Design Study Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder Infiniti G37 convertible .

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Of the two, I think I like the Kia better for my kids. (Full disclosure, I own a Kia Sedona). That doesn't mean I think it's necessarily the better of the two, but I think that, given the likely costs of each car, what they offer, and a comparison of features and interiors, the nod goes to the Kia.

In terms of spaciousness, the two are very similar, and they're also similar to the xB. I was able to sit pretty comfortably in the second row of each, which I consider important, especially if my teens are carting other teens around, or if I get stuck using the car on occasion. From the driver's seat, I thought both cars offered good visibility, although I give the nod here to the Cube, whose windows don't slope up and narrow as they run along the length of the car. The trade-off for that, though, is that I prefer the looks of the Soul better; I think it looks less frumpy and more aggressive.

The Soul also gets a big nod from me for the back hatch. Like the xB, the Soul's hatch opens up, which is far handier when you're trying to load stuff into the back. The door-like opening on the Cube, like the Toyota's RAV4's, is out of date and clumsy.

The Nissan definitely has a more expensive feel to it on the inside of the car; the surfaces have a nicer feel, especially on the headliner, which felt very cheap in the Soul. That being said, I suspect the Cube is going to run about the same price as an xB, and that likely will be a couple grand more than the Soul. In both cars, I like the lively feel of the center stack. Nissan has stashed a cupholder up and to the left behind the steering wheel; while that will no doubt be convenient, I think it will wind up with Red Bull splashing over many a driver's lap when making a turn at (relatively) high speeds.

In the very important mileage battle, I suspect that Nissan will win, but Kia and corporate sibling Hyundai have been getting better at focusing on achieving better mpg.

Overall, for its advantages on looks, back hatch and (likely) price, I would go with the Soul for my teens (if I ever actually bought a new car for them).

Porsche is preparing the next generation 911 (998) and the first test mule of the Turbo version has been spotted testing. The car will get the full 998 treatment including more upright headlights. One of the more peculiar elements from this spy shot is the door mirrors mounted directly on the door body, which has not yet been seen on any other 998. Porsche will not stray far from the usual formula with the new turbo. It will still be powered by a water-cooled flat-six engine, only now (...)

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The L.A. auto show brought a host of new models to the table for us to track, as well as a few updated release dates. Ford’s shared-platform trio of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ will go on sale in spring 2009 alongside hybrid versions of the Fusion and Milan. Also seen at the show were the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul, which will arrive in early 2009 and spring 2009, respectively. As always, we remind our readers that we don't list models that are rumored; we only list confirmed vehicles

Lotus Evora made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The new sports car will go into production in the first-quarter of 2009 with U.S. deliveries to begin in November or December of next year. Lotus will keep the production to a low 2000 units annually. The car mid-engined car will have a 2+2 seating arrangement. This will not only be the first car to mount the engine behind the passengers and in front of the rear axle, but it is also the first car that Lotus is building (...)

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Last week, Ford revealed a new energy-conscious instrument cluster — filled with interactive leaves — for the Fusion and Milan hybrids. Ford’s reasoning was that hybrid owners demand better communication in order to maximize fuel efficiency. Well, it appears Honda and Ford hired the same analysts, because Honda has just revealed a very similar system.

Honda’s system, dubbed Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist) will debut in the spring of 2009 on the all-new Honda Insight. The system uses a two-tier instrument cluster (similar to the Civic’s) to communicate effective driving habits. The speedometer’s background color changes depending on how you're driving — green for light acceleration and cruising, blue for hard acceleration and braking.

The system also features an "ECON" button that, when switched on, optimizes the transmission, powertrain and regenerative braking to optimize fuel consumption. It’s strange to us that Honda would offer such a feature. Why not just program the vehicle to always run in this mode?

Compared with Ford’s SmartGauge with EcoGuide dual LCD screens and reconfigurable software, Honda’s system is distinctly downscale, but then again the Honda Insight will be the cheapest hybrid on the road, according to the company.

We’ll have to wait and see if Toyota follows suit with its own eco display. No doubt it and others will. 

Honda finds yet another way to amaze with the help of the CBR600RR. In fact, they launch a whole new model called the CBR600RR ABS which represents the result of some bright minds in Honda's technical department. Introduction As the title says, the new bike aims at rider safety and complete thrust while piloting so the great addition is the brand new Combined ABS system which is electronically controlled not only for adjusting the braking power, but to prevent the wheels from locking (...)

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The unthinkable has come to pass: Gas has fallen below the $2 mark hitting $1.989 today. What does this mean? A recovered SUV market? The end of plug-in hybrid development? No, of course not.

But are ultra-low gas prices (so low that over the summer, no one would have believed them possible) a good thing? Well—probably not.

It's true that high gas prices on top of the current economic crisis would spell disaster. However, gas prices have bottomed out largely because of the economic crisis that has lowered demand so drastically.

President-elect Barack Obama hit the nail on the head when he said in his recent "60 Minutes" interview, "This has been our pattern: We go from shock to trance. You know, oil prices go up, gas prices at the pump go up, everybody goes into a flurry of activity. And then the prices go back down and suddenly we act like it's not important, and we start, you know, filling up our SUVs again."

Rest assured, the shock will be back. It's just a question of when.

Oh, irony, are you always this delicious?

While American automakers face complete demolition and pundits everywhere scream about the terrible products coming out of Detroit, GM has managed to win the award for European Car of the Year.

The vehicle? The Opel Insignia. Opel is GM's European brand, and the Insignia is also sold under the Vauxhall brand in England. The four-door sedan has a 256-hp, 2.8-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Ready for more? The runner-up for European Car of the Year, losing by only one vote, was another Detroit offspring: The Ford Fiesta.

Naturally, neither vehicle is available Stateside, but Ford has plans to bring the Fiesta to the U.S. by 2010, while the Insignia may someday be available in the U.S. as a rebadged Saturn Aura.

Both of these moves, however, do hinge upon important details: Ford and GM not going down in a catastrophic economic fireball, for starters.

European Car of the Year Goes to … General Motors (Wheels)

We have good news to report for EV fans.

First, Oregon has announced a partnership with Nissan to encourage the production and implementation of EVs across the state. In the deal, Nissan will supply the state with electric cars beginning in 2010, while Oregon and Portland General Electric, a utility, will begin to develop a network of recharging stations to serve the vehicles.

Not to be outdone, San Francisco announced its intent to become the "electric vehicle capital of the U.S." In fairness to its neighbors, Oakland and San Jose are also part of the nine-point plan to introduce the necessary infrastructure when EVs hit the market in a couple years.

The mayors of the three cities will work with Palo Alto start-up Better Place in a public-private partnership that many California politicians see as the model for shifting cars off gasoline. All of them, it seems, eagerly await the federal money that is likely to come pouring in when President-elect Barack Obama takes office.

Bay Area Stakes Claim as the "EV Capital of the U.S." (Autopia)

Ducati North America has announced that additional units of the Desmosedici RR MotoGP replica will be produced and addressed to the market in cause.So few lucky riders who remained with a bitter taste in their mouths after closing out of the ordering process now have the opportunity to get their hands on one of those pre-sold units which meanwhile became again available. Press release after the jump Press Release: DUCATI ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL AVAILABILITY OF THE DESMOSEDICI RR GRAND (...)

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Having created a two-wheeled Department of Protective Security and Emergency, the authorities in Dubai thought that their six highly trained and specially chosen women officers must rely on some serious horsepower in order to follow up the Gulf region's exotic cars often driven insanely crazy by rich guys. The response came in the form of black painted Suzuki GSX-R1000 patrol bikes and the fairly-slower Yamaha 1200. Now, I don't know how some people get that lucky, but considering my heavy (...)

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Some people just need to make sure everything they own says that they have more money then they know what to do with. Why else would a select few decide to get the their Lamborghini key fob studded with over two carats worth of diamonds? Amosu Luxury, a British company who is very famous for adding diamonds on the most unusual things, is willing to transform key fobs for not only Lambos, but it will also cover fobs from a Bentley, Mercedes-Benz or Ferrari as well. The key in this picture (...)

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After two days of hearings, the CEOs of Chrysler, Ford and GM failed to convince Congress that they deserve federal assistance in the form of a $25 billion loan. The Democratic leadership requested more-concrete written proposals by Dec. 2. If the argument is compelling enough, more hearings will follow and Congress will convene Dec. 8 for a vote. This will be the automakers' last chance for action before President-elect Barack Obama takes office Jan. 20. GM in particular warns that it might run out of cash before year end, touching off a domino effect that could take down suppliers and other automakers.

Congress was left questioning if a loan would work, if the companies would be back soon asking for more money and whether assistance would result in long-term viability. The Detroit executives didn't help their case by flying to the hearings on corporate jets and becoming cagey when asked how they arrived at the $25 million figure and if they would personally accept salaries of $1 per year as a symbolic gesture.

Earlier this month BMW showed a teaser video of its go-fast parts for the 3-Series, but now the full reveal is out from the German carmaker. The new upgrades for the 3-Series sedan includes a new body kit, new carbon fiber mirror covers, side stripes, carbon fiber trunk lid, exhaust system, brakes, and 5-spoke alloy wheels. Inside there are new race buckets covered in Alcantara leather, new sport steering wheel with integrated LED display and new door sills. (...)

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The first rumors about a Spider version of the 599 GTB appeared back in 2007. Now AutoGespot received some delayed spy images of a possible variation to the 599 GTB Fiorano. This shot isn't exactly fresh. The photographer took this last summer and didn't know what he may have had. What the photographer did notice was the cut in the roofline at the A-pillar. This suggests that the 599 Spider could feature a targa roof or a glass sliding roof like the Superamerica. If a open-top 599 (...)

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At Los Angeles Auto Show, Mercedes announced the 2010 GLK350 will go on sale in early 2009 at a price of $34,750. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic model will start at $36,750, including shipping. The GLK is $2,675 cheaper than its closest German competitor, the 2008 BMW X3 AWD and $295 more expensive than the 2009 Acura RDX AWD. Smaller and lighter than its well-known SUV siblings, the GLK features a fuel-sipping 3.5-liter V6 engine that delivers 268 hp, a sophisticated seven-speed (...)

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At the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show Honda has revealed the FC Sport design study, a hydrogen-powered, three-seat sportscar concept. The car was developed by Honda's Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, California.