The Mazda2, aka Demio in Japan, is now the World Car of the Year for 2008. Mazda2 won its crown over other top-three finalists Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

World Car of the Year was won by the BMW 3 Series in 2006 and the Lexus LS 460 in 2007. The international competition is conducted by and voted on through secret ballot by 47 international jurors with extensive automotive journalism experience behind their names. They hail from various countries in Australia, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Europe. Mazda2, the little car that could and did, is the reigning Car of the Year in several countries, including South Africa, Greece, Austria, Belgium and Denmark.

Honda Civic Type R - UK's most popular hatchback

Honda's Civic Type R is the biggest-selling 3-door hatchback in the UK. From its launch in 2007 to the end of February 2008, a total of 5,192 were sold, making it Britain's most popular performance hatchback. Over the same period, Ford sold 4,778 of the 3dr Focus ST (all variants), while the 3dr Golf GTI (incl. Edition 30) recorded a total of 1,984 sales.

Hamilton will receive $4m McLaren F1 LM for 2008 title

2007 F1 runner-up has been given an extra incentive by McLaren head, Ron Dennis. If Hamilton can bring home the driver's and constructor's championships in 2008 for McLaren, Ron Dennis will arrange for one ultra-rare McLaren F1 LM to be gifted the young British driver. Apparently, Lewis first spotted the LM in McLaren's F1 factory at the age of 13.

Painted in papaya orange in honour of the founder, Bruce McLaren, the McLaren F1 LM is only one of five in existence. Lightened by some 80 kg over the standard F1 and rumoured to produce approximately 680hp from its derestricted 6.1L BMW sourced V12 engine, the LM can accelerate to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and go on to a top speed well over 200 mph.

So if Hamilton wins the title and gets the McLaren F1 LM, what will be the Red Bull driver incentive, free Red Bull for life?

Mitsubishi Outlander to adopt twin-clutch transmission

Mitsubishi has announced plans to put some Evo into their Outlander crossover via the twin-clutch transmission used in the Lancer Evolution X. Designed to offer the performance of a manual and the convenience of an automatic. The twin-clutch Sports Shift Transmission shifts faster than traditional manual transmissions and loses virtually no power when shifting. In this case, increased performance also means reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions. The current Outlander 3.0L V6 four-wheel drive equipped with a Sportronic six-speed automatic transmission is rated at 17mpg city and 24mpg highway. The model goes on sale in early 2009.

Is this the new Honda NSX?

The latest version of the Honda NSX is scheduled to be released in 2010 but expectations are that it will cost even more than the GT-R. NSX has been testing in Nordschleife since last summer. The unofficial times of the NSX aims to hit a time of seven minutes 30 seconds around there, which would be a Porsche GT beater and possibly GT-R slayer too. A 4.5 litre V10 engine sits in its engine bay turning out 400kw. The car will be sold under the Acura name which is on its way to Japan. Can it live up to the status of its predecessor, like the GT-R has proven to, or the other Japanese sports cars from the past?

Ford considering Capri reborn

Ford, the American manufacturer, is planning to develop a new concept which will be used to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the well-known Ford Capri Mk1, launched in 1969. The concept will reveal a new vision of the old Capri, equipped this time with the latest technology available. The new car will feature four, five and a six-cylinder engines capable of developing between 140 and 250 hp. This will surely motivate car manufacturers in producing new cars with better engines, better design and better fuel-economy. Could this be a hit? Will KIG be keeping their eye on this one?

One million Peugeot 207

The one millionth Peugeot 207 has rolled off the assembly line just two years into its production run. Not available in America, 521,000 units were sold in 2007. Under the Peugeot 207 banner is a three-door hatchback, five-door hatchback, the 207 Van, 207 RC, 207 CC, and the 207 GTi.