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At the Paris Motor Show that will be held from Thursday, October 2 through Sunday, October 19, 2008 Mazda will reveal its latest concept to feature the Nagare design language, the Kiyora. The small city car is based on an all-new platform designed to maximize weight reduction and at the same time, offer high levels of safety. Mazda says that the Kiyora, which by the way means ‘clean and pure’ in Japanese, is equipped with a next generation 4 cylinder direct injection engine and it features the company’s Smart Idle Stop System helping reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Finally, after all that talk about Honda’s Prius-fighter, the Japanese automaker has released the first photos of its all-new dedicated hybrid model that will bear the name Insight after Honda’s first hybrid model. Although the Japanese company has labeled the Insight as a concept car, don’t expect to see many differences on the production model that’s slated to go on sale globally in mid-2009.

Clearly, the stylistic inspiration for the Insight was Honda’s fuel-cell powered FCX Clarity. As with all cars of this sort, the Insight’s design is more about aerodynamics and function than it is about style. We must say though that we we’re expecting something a bit more futuristic and adventurous from Honda.

The dedicated hybrid vehicle that will be offered as a 5-door hatchback with seating for five passengers is built on a newly developed platform. Power will come from an improved version of the Civic’s IMA hybrid drive system mated to a petrol engine, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Following the release of the first official photos back in July, we now have the initial specifications on the 2009 Ford Ka that will make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The fresh-faced, all-new Ka that shares its platform with the Fiat 500 will be available in major European markets by late 2008/early 2009. The Ka will be produced at Fiat’s manufacturing plant in Tychy, Poland, sharing the production line with the Fiat 500 model.

Aside from the different styling compared to the Fiat 500, Ford supports that its own chassis engineering experts have tuned the suspension, steering, and chassis to deliver a more exciting or if you prefer, involving drive. Ford also says that during the engineering process, information was exchanged with the team developing the new Fiesta, and certain components, such as the tires, were jointly developed for both models.

When Ford launched the new Kuga compact SUV/Crossover in Europe during May 2008, the only available engine was the 136 HP 2.0-litre TDCi diesel unit. That will change in early 2009 as Ford will extend the Kuga range with the availability of a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbo petrol engine found in the Focus ST as well as in the new Mondeo and S-Max models. Ford recalibrated the 2.5L unit for the Kuga as it now develops a maximum output of 200 HP (versus the Focus ST’s 225HP) at 6,000 rpm and a linear torque peak of 320 Nm available from 1,600 up to 4,000.

These are the first official photos of the revised Nissan Note that will make its global premiere at next month’s Paris Auto Show. The most obvious changes on Nissan’s Honda Jazz / Fit adversary can be found to the exterior design, where the front end benefits from a completely new design of grille, bumper and headlight while at the rear, the mini MPV’s signature ‘boomerang’ lights are now darker. A new pale green exterior colour along with two new designs of alloy wheels compete the exterior changes. Moving on to the Note’s interior, the 2009 model features a new combi-meter that promises to offer improved legibility and clarity while there is also a new central instrument panel.

Along with the revised 2009 Note mini MPV –see photos and details here- Nissan will also stage the global debut of its all-new mini car, the Pixo at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Built in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation in Delhi, India, the Pixo is essentially a rebadged and restyled version of the new Suzuki Alto. Although hasn’t released pricing yet, the Japanese carmaker supports that when the Pixo goes on sale in Europe in spring 2009, it will be offered at ‘an extremely accessible price’.

We’re updating our 2009 Ka story as we got our hands on a brand new set of photos that include shots of Ford’s mini car in a bright red colour (those hub caps look so out of place…) as well as new pictures of the interior. Follow the jump to check out the gallery or click here to read our previous post on the Ka that includes details on the available trims and powertrain options.

These are the first photos of the U.S. spec 2009 Lexus IS that is already available for order in the North American market. In Europe, the revised IS will be unveiled along with the IS Coupe Cabriolet Concept (see details here) at the Paris International Auto Show in early October.

Although at a first glance the IS doesn’t look any different from the ’08MY IS, look a little closer and you may notice the new wing mirrors with the integrated turn lights, the slightly altered front grille, the newly designed 17 and 18 inch alloys, the redesigned front bumper with the more rectangular-shaped lower air intake and the revised taillamps with the L-shaped back-up lights. According to Lexus, the 2009 IS 250 / 350 also feature a newly designed center cluster and foldable rear headrests.

The new Mondeo is the latest model in Ford’s European range to be offered with the company’s vehicle personalization programme, ‘Ford Individual’. First shown as a design study at the 2007 Frankfurt Show and now revealed in production form at the Paris Show, the Mondeo Individual package focuses on enhancing the car’s interior styling but from spring 2009, it will be extended to include bespoke 18-inch, alloy wheels, with an iridescent ‘Mystique Silver’ paint finish designed to catch the sunlight.

Apart from the revised 2009 Note and the all-new, Suzuki Alto based Pixo, Nissan will also bring a new concept car to the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the all-electric Nuvu. Even though the Japanese firm has yet to release any images of the Nuvu, Nissan said that its newest concept car features 2+1 seating car and is built on a unique platform. Powered by an all-electric drivetrain, the Nuvu measures 3 meters in length with a wheelbase of 1980 mm. Notable features include the dozen or so small solar panels on the roof that are shaped like leaves and the organic and recycled materials that are used in the cabin.