
Mazda has just announced that it has commenced production of the Mazda2 subcompact in Thailand. No big deal, right? Well, not in and of itself, but the Japanese automaker also released three images of the car, and its sporting a revised front fascia that mimics that of its big brother, the Mazda3.
Mazda doesn't specifically indicate that all new 2s worldwide will get the smiley face treatment, but it seems likely that the automaker would want to keep all of its products in line with one another. Presumably, that would include the United States, which is slated to get the subcompact near the end of 2010.
In any case, we're expecting to see the car make its debut in North American-spec later this year at the LA Auto Show, so we'll know for sure if it will sport the new look soon enough.
The facelift Fiat's carrying out on its Grande Punto is subtle. Even so, it's hard to maintain your cover when the test mule self-immolates. A full replacement will be coming in 2012, and to bridge the gap, Fiat is preparing a slight nose job to the current GP. The headlamps and fascia are getting minor tweaks for the 2010 model year, and while out trying to blend into the surrounding snow and carry out tests, something went wrong. Firefighters handled the situation quickly, and only the car sustained injuries. Perhaps it's a stealth feature that will activate when the 2012 Grande Punto drops, as a way to stimulate sales.

The current Mercedes S-Class is getting the nip/tuck treatment, and when the newer, younger looking car arrives in mid-2009 -- as a 2010 model -- it will come with an Audi-esque band of LED daytime running lights below the headlamps, and a Porsche-esque band of LEDs in the lower front fascia. Out back, the rear lamps get a much slicker treatment in basic red and white. And for the interior, SPLITVIEW will make it's split-personality entrance so that passengers can watch movies without being disturbed by all that driving going on in the next seat.

When you produce one of several bad-ass SUVs available to consumers, there's no need to mess with a successful formula. So while the Range Rover is due for some cosmetic tweaks, they're very subtle. Spy shots show the upper-crust truck with the stiff upper lip in action at der Nurburgring, reportedly vetting some powertrains that may not make it to North America. We may see the rumored 5.0-liter V8, but probably not the 3.0-liter diesel. No surprise. The tape job covers up the small changes to the front fascia pretty well, though the grille looks a little different upon closer inspection. But we just can't get over the image of a Rangie screaming around the track like an angered top hat, no matter what the styling changes are.




