Mazda MX-5 2016 News

Best-ever pedestrian ANCAP safety score for Mazda's smallest sports car, but lack of curtain air bags and autonomous emergency braking noted.

Turbocharged version of the 'Mazda MX-5' due in Australia by the end of the year.

The world’s biggest selling sports-car has taken out the auto industry’s top prize, as hybrids and luxury models take a back seat.

New Mazda MX-5 RF unveiled at New York show ahead of late 2016 showroom arrival.

Flares have never gone out of fashion in Japan and the annual Tokyo Auto Salon shows why.

Here's a recap of the year's stars, with impressive arrivals and value added to staples.

There are more than 300 individual nameplates in Australia today. From Abarth to Volvo, the badges sit on vehicles from 46 brands building electric cars, tiny runabouts, hulking SUVs and utes.The gold rush is not over by a long shot, with Chinese brands starting to get very serious about Australia and certain to push the number nearer to 50 in 2016.LDV has arrived via importer Ateco Automotive with a people-mover and delivery van. Haval is making big promises for BMW-style SUVs next year. A brand with British history but Chinese owners will have three new models next year: the MG 3, MG 6 and MG CS.Some brands have been in Australia, often for a long time, and are looking for a fresh start.Fiat is planning a renewed push, starting with the just-landed, family-focused 500X. Next year, it will have the 124 Spider, which it has cloned from the new Mazda MX-5. Having failed in recent years with the Panda and Punto, Fiat believes it can create some excitement with a new generation of cars."The last thing the Australian market needs is another nameplate or brand. I cannot turn up and pretend you need me," says Fiat chief marketing officer Olivier Francois.He is behind some creative work for Fiat Chrysler that features superstars including Pharrell Williams, J-Lo, Eminem and even Clint Eastwood, who starred in a Superbowl commercial.For Australia, he is banking on Fiat's Italian heritage and design, combined with better pricing and quality from Fiat Chrysler — an operation that is starting to get traction here.He is pushing — like the Chinese brands — a change in perception and says: "Think Fiat only builds small cars? Wrong."

Kia's family seven-seater stands out, setting a precedent in a singular field.

There are few bad cars on the road these days, which made it tougher than ever to pick a field for CarsGuide's 2015 Car of the Year award.The process started in December last year. A week after we awarded the Mercedes-Benz C-Class our gong, we were on the launch of the new Subaru Outback.It was the first of more than 300 new cars we pored over before arriving at 11 finalists. In between there were head-to-head battles and three-way shootouts between the most impressive of the newcomers and the existing benchmarks.Comparison tests are vital because it's easy to come away from a new car launch impressed by Brand X's latest and greatest. But it takes back-to-back testing — on the same stretch of bitumen, same potholes, same freeway — to sort the winners from the also-rans.This year's COTY judging threw up a few surprises. The first was the CX-3. It felt good to drive on the launch and when we tested it against the best in its class, it also came out on top. Up against our other finalists, it felt underdone and overpriced. The conclusion? The mini-SUV may be the new "must-have" automotive accessory but none of the new breed — there have been six all-new arrivals this year — is as practical or fun to drive as a humble hatchback.Next was the BMW X1, which fellow judge Joshua Dowling called "the most un-BMW BMW I've driven". An SUV from a German luxury brand for a tad over $60,000 sounds like a good deal, especially when a Toyota Kluger can cost similar money.While much improved over its predecessors in some areas, the X1 was underdone in others. The seats, usually a BMW highlight, were flat and unsupportive, while the front suspension crashed rudely over bumps.To a much lesser extent the same criticism could be levelled at our runner-up, the Mercedes-Benz GLC. It is still an impressive vehicle but not as well sorted as the C-Class. In their quest for new buyers, are the luxury brands losing their luxuriousness?The surprises weren't all bad, though. The fact that the Ford Ranger made our final five is testimony to the huge advances made in one-tonne utes in recent years. The Ranger didn't feel a million miles off the rest of the field on our road loop.A decade ago, jumping out of a Volvo into a Ford ute would have been like trading the Merc for a Massey Ferguson. Not now.Which brings us to the last — and most pleasant — COTY surprise: the winner, Kia's Sorento. Ever since the Koreans pinched Audi's head designer, Kia cabins have looked a cut above their competitors. Local suspension tuning has made them ride better, while their diesel engines are on par with some of the best for refinement. Add an industry leading seven-year warranty and there's plenty to like.If you're put off by the badge on the nose, it's your loss. 

This year's line-up is a dream team of pace machines, heavy-hitters and all-rounders.