World Car Of The Year: Top Three Finalists Announced

Three finalists of the World Car Of The Year awards are announced. Last year the Lexus LS 460 took the award to home and this year judges have to select between the Ford Mondeo, Mazda2 (a.k.a. Mazda Demio), and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The three were chosen from the initial list of top ten finalists, which includes the Audi A5/S5, Audi R8, Cadillac CTS, Ford S-Max, Infiniti G37 Coupe, Nissan Qashqai, and Volvo C30. The award is scheduled to be announced at the New York Auto Show on March 20th.

There are also other minor-league awards such as the World Performance Car, World Green Car, and the World Car Design of the Year titles. The three finalists for the World Performance Car award are the Audi R8, Audi S5 Coupé, and BMW M3. The three finalists for the World Green Car award are the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics, SmartForTwo cdi, and Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI. The three finalists for the World Car Design of the Year award are the Audi R8, Mazda2 (a.k.a. Mazda Demio), and Volvo C30.

2009 Honda Fit To Debut At New York

The 2009 Honda Fit is ready to make its American debut at the upcoming New York Show. The new car, which made its world debut last October at the Tokyo Motor Show gets a makeover that gives it interior space equal to that of a midsizer.

While the Japanese version is available with 1.3L and 1.5L engines, the 1.5 i-VTEC will be the only engine in the US. In Japanese trim, it's good for 118 horsepower (120 PS) -- a 9-horse bump over what the engine in the current car delivers. The Japan-spec 1.5L Fit can achieve fuel economy of 46 mpg (19.6 km/l).

Spy Shots: 2009 Nissan Maxima

The 2009 Nissan Maxima will be officially unveiling at next month's New York Auto Show. And the new 4-door was spotted for the first time before its public debut.

Because of the heavy camouflage the new Maxima's details are difficult to discern. But it appears that the rear end will be less bulbous than its predecessor. The rear fenders also flare out a bit, which makes for a sportier looking stance than the flat lines of the current model.

Gallery: 2009 Nissan Maxima

NY 2008 Preview: 2009 Acura TSX To Be Unveiled In Big Apple

Acura has released the first official photo of the 2009 TSX and announced that the car will make its debut in the Big Apple next month. No specifications of the car were released. But we know that the new TSX will go on sale this Spring. And surely with Honda's new i-DTEC clean diesel engine offering.

Acura's new identical grill, which we've first seen on Acura RL, found its way to the front of the new TSX. The car actually looks refreshed than restyled. The headlamps still retain the shape of current car's. We'll get definitely a good idea of what to expect before the New York Auto Show in late March when the car is unveiled as the new Euro Accord earlier in the month at the Geneva Motor Show.

Rumored: Suzuki To Unveil V8-Powered Kizashi 3 At NY Show

There are some rumors that Japanese carmaker's Kizashi concepts, unveiled in Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, proved popular enough for Suzuki to move ahead with production plans and target a late 2009 roll-out.

But before it settles on what form the production version will take, Suzuki is reportedly preparing a third iteration to show at the New York Auto Show in March, and this one will be powered by a V8 driving all four wheels, compared to its turbodiesel and V6 predecessors.