Judging from exterior shots of the 2010 Mazda3 that were released last week, Mazda is looking to be more than a bit player in the small car market. The styling of the new Mazda3 looks more expensive than the current model, and is perhaps a better example of the brand's new design language than the also recently redesigned Mazda6. We've been looking forward to seeing pics of the Mazda3 on the inside, and judging from this one spy shot we've seen so far, the Zoom Zoom designers didn't go cheap on the interior.

Mitsubishi's new trapezoidal grille design is spreading throughout the lineup, and the Outlander looks to be the next vehicle that gets struck with the corporate underbite. At least now the Lancer won't be the only Mitsu wearing a grille cribbed from the '57 Chrysler 300. The new front fascia will include angry-eye headlamps and appears to be the only external change to the Outlander during its mid-cycle freshening. A gaggle of engineers were rumored to be fussing over the cars that spy photogs snagged in the Western US desert, which may mean powertrain changes. Can we cast our vote for an Evo powertrain under the new sheetmetal?

Ja, Bjorn, tink dat's de new Astra? Shoor looks like it, Jan. Lutz will be asking you to kiss this thing when it comes out from under that checkerboard camo. The current Astra is good, and the new one promises to be better, with looks that aren't revolutionary, but nicely done nonetheless. We'll see this world car version of the Astra sometime around 2011 with a variety of drivetrains, including hybrid power. The C-Pillar remains obscured, leaving our curiosity about the hatch's ultimate form unfulfilled. From what we can see, though, the new Astra will be like the current Astra - competitively styled and priced.

[Source: autoblog.nl]

Boy howdy does that camouflage make it difficult to suss out what's underneath! BMW's cooking up a new X3, expected to drop in 2011, and the changes don't look to be huge. The smallest SAV - BMW's acronym for Stupid Ass Sports Activity Vehicle - will get rhinoplasty to bring some Concept CS cues to the X3. The heavy camo on the rear windows suggest that BMW might be addressing some of the awkwardness that afflicts the current model, a definite plus. Word is that much sweat will be expended over an updated interior in order to keep up with competitors. A less-hideous X3 that retains its chassis moves while coddling you with a better interior? Sounds good to us, even though we'd still rather have an M3 wagon.

[Source: BMW blog, Photo: Priddy]

GM made big promises when the Cavalier was finally supplanted by the Cobalt. It was to be a departure, a break from the not-so-fondly-regarded J-Body to an all-new vehicle capable of competing head-on with the Civic. Yeah. Then it debuted and reality was "not so much." It's worlds better than the Cav, but for a car that was supposed to be a clean break, it certainly looks like a continuation of the J, no matter how much pent up lust we harbor for the Cobalt SS in any form. Pardon us if we're going with Dubya quoting The Who, but fool us once.....won't get fooled again.

We saw the Chevy Beat concept unveiled a year ago, and now a camouflaged mule has been caught testing in China, fueling speculation that the Beat will succeed the Spark in that market. The Beat is certainly far less dowdy than the Spark, which is also sold, sometimes gratuitously, as the Matiz in other markets.