This new baby follows the Nagare concept.Nagare means flowing so expect this SUV concept to have flamboyant lines and exotic detailing just like the Nagare concept car.

These three sketches are the first hint to what the new car will look like and judging from the drawings, it will probably have hints of the gorgeous SX9 but have a bit more drama.

It is great to see a great car company like Mazda, which has focused its effort on driver enjoyment, finding a wonderful new design language that could push it back onto the top rung of the automotive industry.

It is a long time coming and I am happy to see Mazda on the path to greatness.

Below is the full Press release

New Mazda Concept Car to Premiere at Moscow International Automobile Salon

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda will present an all-new show car at this year’s Moscow International Automobile Salon. The concept is a sporty, compact crossover SUV designed especially for the Russian market.

The Moscow show car is the latest concept to be developed using the new design direction called Nagare – following in the footsteps of Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai. Nagare, which means “flow” in Japanese, represents a new approach to expressing movement in car design, taking as inspiration the flow patterns of natural elements, such as the wind. The design theme of Mazda’s concept for the 2008 Moscow motor show is “crosswinds”.

Compact crossover SUV concept

ussia is one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets and is rapidly becoming the region’s largest automobile market. SUVs are particularly popular in Russia, with a segment share of about 20 percent. Mazda’s latest concept car is designed to appeal particularly to younger SUV owners who have a strong sense of style.

The Moscow show car, the name of which will be announced in due course, again showcases the depth of creativity within Mazda design. In February 2008, the Mazda Design team received the coveted Grand Prix du Design at the Festival Automobile International in Paris.

The Moscow International Automobile Salon media days are on August 26 and 27, whereas August 28 caters for industry and trade specialists. The show is open to the public from August 29 through September 7. The new show car will be unveiled at the Mazda press conference at 10:15 on August 26 at the Mazda stand.

The Suzuki SX4 is not what it seems, looking tall and a bit like a crossover MPV, this car is actually just an oversized hatchback.

With its high roof and roomy cabin, the SX4 is a well sorted out family transport and deserves more consideration from the market.

The modern and expressive styling is a breath of fresh air, thanks to its high roof, this car literally stands out in a crowd.

From the front we see the trademark Suzuki S framed by a neat grille and swooping headlamp design that helps to give it a unique face. Unlike many other unique faces, this one is actually a pleasure to look at.

The oversized and slightly aggressive bumper with its large underbreather and foglamps blend perfectly into the flared wheel arches to create a wide and sporty stance.

Those flared arches work very well fromt eh side as well, giving the SX-4 a bottom heavy look that lends visual stability.

Once inside, the reason for the SX-4’s oversized proportions become obvious. The high roof does wonders to create an airy cabin within it’s modest wheelbase and track.

Everything in the passenger compartment has been designed with practicality as the guiding principle. The front seats are large and comfortable, if lacking in side support while the rear bench is relatively flat and can take three large adults at a pinch.

The dashboard design is typical of modern Suzuki, simple bordering on austere.

To help lift the dark dashboard, designers have given it a nice aluminium detailing. It flanks the centre console like twin metal pillars holding up the dashboard

Suzuki says the chassis has been tuned for drive pleasure, well this is true to some extent.

For a relatively soft sprung vehicle, the SX-4 enters corners confidently and they can hold the line accurately at normal speeds.

We did not really push it hard but on the few corners that we intentionally approached at higher than recommended speed, the SX-4 will tuck in neatly if you just lift the throttle so it is a safe car for all drivers.

The SX-4 is at home both in the city and the highway where the soft suspension absorbs all road irregularities while the well judged dampers keep body movement under check on medium and long undulations.

Our verdict: This is definitely a car that you should consider if you are looking for a family hatchback, especially since it hits the sweet spot in terms of price.

Pegged at RM87,450 (OTW without insurance) this fully imported Suzuki is great value for money expecially when you compare it with the other Japanese competitors be they hatchback or saloon.

Over 80 Toyota vehicles took part in the Tribe Toyota- Amazing Trails 2008 which centred around the hunt for good food.

Members gathered as early as 6:30 am to register themselves for a fun-filled day looking for food.

The Amazing Trails treasure hunt is different from the regular hunts as it incorporated activities that involved teamwork and mild physical challenges.

At one of the stops, a local café in TTDI that serves organic food, participants had to roll a giant dice to choose from a menu of 1 of 6 drinks, blended from different organic ingredients.

Batu Caves was also another stop point, where the participants had to climb 272 steps to get one of the clues after which, a “teh tarik” challenge awaited them.

At the final stage, participants had to go through the “ mix-of-spices” challenge; members were put to test where different spices were mixed up together and they had to identify which were the spices they tasted.

The hunt ended at Genting Sempah before the participants headed up to Genting Highland for a night’s stay and the prize presentation.

The prize presentation and dinner was held at the Genting International Convention Centre (GICC).

The National Automotive Policy, which was designed to give extra incentive for manufacturers to locally assemble their cars has sometimes been accused of being too protective of the local auto industry but then again that was the intention of the policy drafters.

With oil prices shooting up, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says that they are studying the NAP for possible revision and apart from taking a closer look at the protectionist clauses, the ministry will also look at ways to encourage the sale of fuel efficient cars in the country.

He told reporters this at teh launch of Kawasaki Motors Malaysia’s new factory in Glenmarie Shah Alam.

Muhyiddin said that the time is right for them to look at ways to help Malaysians save fuel through the introduction of new technology that can significantly reduce fuel costs.

He said that ministry officials are poring over the policy and would take a few weeks before they can come up with recommendations.

Honda is the only company offering Hybrid technology in Malaysia but the lack of any incentives means that the fuel efficient car is priced significantly higher than teh standard 1.8-litre hybrid, making it unattractive to the average buyer.

So far they have sold a handful of Civic Hybrid, mostly to well-off older buyers who feel they want to do somethign about the enviroment and make a statement.

The industry has been pushing for better quality fuel, especially diesel so that they can bring the latest fuel sipper to the country but subsidy issues and the related price cap have made it very difficult for the oil producers and retailers to offer higher grade fuels.

At the same time, Energy Telecommunicatiosn and Water Minister, Datuk Shaziman Mansor told Autoworld Blog that the ministry is working on an energy policy for the country but admits that their scope of work is limited to the needs of the country in terms of power generation so it may not encompass transportation energy needs.

As the Government plans to gradually reduce fuel subsidy to 30 sen per litre, we well see petrol prices rise further in the near future and this makes it more urgent for them to introduce fuel efficient technologies as it can save the Government billions in terms of subsidy and push Proton to take the plunge into similar areas.

It’s always nice to see the crazier side of Toyota. This time they came up with a mid-engined 200 horsepower Aygo that not only looks great but goes like a bat out of Hell

Powered by the same 1.8-litre VVTI unit found in the Celica and MR2 roadster, they bolted on a TRD turbocharger to make it special.

The body is custom made so that it can take the engine amidship, afew inches behind the driver seat. The shell was also cut up so that it could receive the entire suspension from the MR2

.

It rides on a set of 17-inch alloys and thick, sticky Goodyear 225/45 rubber along with a carbon fibre rear wing that would not look out of place on a Formula One car.

The suspension comes straight from the MR2 Roadster, with MacPherson struts front and rear qand adjustable Tein dampers while the front and rear track are one inch wider than on a standard Aygo.

Weighing in at just 1,050kg (approx 2,200 lbs), Aygo Crazy is capable of going from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.7sec and on to an estimated top speed of 127mph or 204 km/h.

It will debut at teh London Motor Show at the end of July.