This is the Citroen DS4, a sporty-looking rival to the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, and the second model of Citroen's DS range.

The car will be unveiled at the Paris motor show next month and is based on the new Citroen C4

, also set to be on show in Paris.

However the DS4 is 6cm shorter than the C4 ? mostly due to the shorter rear overhang - and the bonnet and lights are the only external parts that it shares with the new C4.

The DS4 is a five-door, five-seat hatchback that's slightly raised to give it a sportier crossover look than a traditional small family hatch.

The car will be available with a choice of five engines ? two diesels and three petrols, including a 197bhp petrol engine that will also appear in the Citroen DS3 Racing hot hatch. The other petrol engines are also 1.6-litre units, but with 118bhp and 152bhp.

The diesels come with either 109bhp or 158bhp.

The DS4 will also have an eco version, fitted with a 1.6-litre diesel engine, that comes with a range of fuel-saving features, such as stop-start and an energy recovery system when the driver brakes. Fuel economy and emission details have yet to be revealed, however.

For the moment, Citroen concentrates on the car's styling. There's a large panoramic sunroof, daytime running LED lights and the 'hidden' rear-door handles integrated into the door frames. It still seems a practical car, however. Citroen says the rear seats are full size, the car has a 370-litre boot and the cabin has plenty of cubbies and storage.

Loads of personalisation possibilities
DS4 buyers will have a host of personalisation options available. The interior can be specced with a choice of five leather combinations, while range-topping versions will have leather on the dashboard and door panels.

Other features and options include massaging front seats, polyphonic sounds for alerts and reminders and ambient lighting in a range of colours.

The DS4 also comes with what it calls an eTouch Assistance System, which automatically or manually makes emergency or assistance calls in the event of an accident or if the car is immobilised.

The car also has a blind spot monitoring system and cruise control.

Prices have yet to be revealed, but expect to pay around £18,000. The car goes on sale here next August.

 Mazda is putting the finishing touches to new advanced petrol and diesel engines and manual and automatic transmissions that will bring fuel economy savings of up to 20% in its medium and large cars.

Some of the technology they employ has forced Mazda to develop an all-new platform with an engine bay big enough to take them.

The platform can be adapted for anything from mid-sized hatchbacks and SUVs to larger family cars and MPVs. Mazda is also developing a new suspension system that, it says, will solve the ride and noise issues with some of its current models. More precise electronic power steering is also on the way.

The new engines are called Sky ('because the sky's the limit', says the company's research and development chief, Seita Kanai) and will initially be available as a 165bhp 2.0-litre direct-injection petrol unit and a 175bhp 2.2-litre diesel.

Both will be available with the new six-speed manual or auto gearboxes. More powerful and smaller-capacity versions of the Sky family will follow. All will meet emissions regulations not due to come into force until 2014.

Torquey petrols, smooth diesels
They'll be seen first in the next Mazda 6, arriving in the UK in 2012. The aim was to create a range of petrol engines with something close to the torque characteristics and fuel economy of diesels, and diesel units with the refinement and smoothness of petrols.

Mazda has targeted a CO2 figure of 105g/km for the manual diesel, with fuel economy 20% better than the equivalent 6 today, while the aim for the petrol unit is CO2 emissions of 140g/km and 15% fuel savings.

The petrol develops 144lb ft of torque all the way from 2000rpm to 5500, with a peak of 155lb ft. The diesel, meanwhile is unusual in that it revs to 5200rpm rather than the 4500rpm of most rivals, thanks to an increased spray of fuel delivered at higher pressure, and lighter moving parts. It has a maximum 310lb ft of torque from 2000rpm, although there's smooth acceleration from around 1500rpm.

New drivetrains tested
We've tried all combinations of the new engines and gearboxes in prototypes disguised as current Mazda 6s, and they're impressive in their smoothness and consistent acceleration over a wide rev range. Mazda's claims that the petrol and diesel deliver their torque in a similar way are borne out: the biggest difference is that the diesel has double the torque of the petrol engine.

Both engines have a new space-consuming exhaust layout that disperses waste gases better than a conventional system, for greater efficiency. This, and the need to package the new rear suspension, was partly behind the need for the new platform, which is 20kg lighter than the platform of the current 6, despite being 30% stiffer.

The benefits of the increased stiffness will be improved crash protection and reduced transmission of road noise into the cabin.

The overall weight saving compared with today's 6 is 100kg. Mazda's iStop stop-start system, regenerative braking and new electronc power steering will also be fitted as standard.

 Potential Mazda RX-8 buyers have been warned that stocks of the discontinued car have fallen below 100 units.

Production of the four-door coupe ceased a few months ago, because its rotary engine falls foul of new European V emission regulations. Now stock is running out.

However, while Mazda is urging potential buyers to snap up the last few examples of the RX-8 R3 for £25,540, What Car? has uncovered significantly better deals. The best is from internet broker Drivethedeal.com, which is offering the car for £20,374.38 ? a discount of £5165.62.

Reports suggest a new RX-8 is tentatively being developed to go on sale next year, although Mazda wants to be sure that the new rotary engine powering it meets the stricter EuroVI emission regulations, which come into force in 2014.

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 Lotus will unveil a beefed-up version of the Evora sportscar at the Paris motor show next month.

The Evora S is fitted with a supercharged 345bhp 3.5-litre V6 engine ? that's 69bhp more than the standard car. That means the Evora S hits 60mph in just 4.6sec, 0.3 seconds faster than the normal Evora, and the top speed is 172mph ? 10mph faster.

However it's not just a power increase that marks the Evora S out, says Lotus. The suspension has been tweaked to cope with the extra power, improving the handling, claims the company.

The Evora S comes with a sport pack as standard, which has a 'sport' button that allows the driver to sharpen the throttle response, raises the rev limit and changes the dynamic stability control settings.

Lotus also says the Evora S gives customers a taste of things to come.

'The Evora S is a natural progression for us but more than that, it's a taste of what people can expect from the next generation of Lotus cars,' said chief commercial officer Andrea Prillmann. 'It retains core Lotus values such as performance through light weight but it also give more than that.

'It's the perfect combination of top performance, style and comfort.'

Also on show in Paris will be an Evora with an automatic six-speed gearbox. The Evora IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) option allows the driver to switch between manual paddleshift and automatic drive modes.

The automatic gearbox affects performance slightly. The auto Evora covers the 0-60mph dash in 5.3 seconds, and top speed is 155mph.

Prices for both the Evora S and the automatic version will be revealed closer to the Paris motor show on September 30.

More Lotuses at Paris show
Lotus is expected to unveil two further cars at the Paris motor show.

Details of the new cars are sketchy, although Lotus is promising that 'the impact from Paris will be big', sparking rumours that a new Lotus Esprit could be on the stand.

At a press briefing in Malaysia in June, Lotus's Malaysian owners, Proton, said the brand would move upmarket, based on a new motto: 'Tomorrow's luxury sports car, today.'

To illustrate this new direction, the company was tipped to unveil one new car at the Paris motor show. However the news that two new cars could be on the stand suggests there might be two versions of the Esprit ? one 'luxury sports car' and possibly one that's more hardcore.

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 Lexus has announced the most significant changes to its IS range since the model was launched in 2005.

To be officially unveiled at next month?s Paris motor show, the most major change is the introduction of the new diesel-engined IS200d to replace the IS220d. Averaging 55.4mpg and emitting 134g/km, the new car is more economical and cleaner than the old car (which had figures of 50.4mpg and 148g/km), which in turn leads to lower tax bills for company car users.

The price to pay comes in terms of performance. Whereas the old car had 175bhp and hit 60mph in 8.9 seconds, the new model has just 148bhp and takes just over 10 seconds to cover the same benchmark sprint.

At the same time, the petrol-engined IS250 models now become available exclusively with an automatic gearbox. There?s no change in power or torque from the current model, but its economy improves from 31.7 - to 33.6mpg, while CO2 emissions drop from 209- to 194g/km. As a result, its company car tax rating falls from 30%.

Styling changes, too
As well as these mechanical changes, there are also revisions to the way the car looks, particularly on the F-Sport model, which now looks even more like the high-performance IS-F.

These models now have a new deep front spoiler, a new grille and a rear spoiler with integrated stop light, as well as a new design of alloy wheels. Inside, the sports theme continues, with an F-Sport steering wheel, gearlever and sports pedals, as well as front seats finished in leather and Alcantara. Extra touches of titanium-effect trim and a dark, anthracite roof lining are also introduced.

Further revisions include SE-I specification gaining rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and new leather upholstery. Meanwhile, new wheel designs are available, and the choice of paint colours has been extended.

The revised cars are available to order now, and despite the changes, the list prices are unchanged.

 Over a half of adults think motorists should be charged according to how often, when and where they use the roads, according to a new report from the from the Department for Transport

The report, called 'Public attitudes towards road congestion, November 2009 to February 2010', shows that seven in 10 people believe that a new charging scheme based on times of travel and route taken won't reduce congestion.

The problem, according to the majority people who think such a scheme won't cut congestion, is that drivers will not be able to change their behaviour.

The report also reveals:

• More than four in five adults think that congestion is a serious problem
• A quarter say that congestion is a problem on the majority of their journeys
• Three in 10 say congestion is rarely a problem.
• A quarter of motorway say they experience motorway congestion on a majority of these journeys
• Two in five say they routinely start their journey at different times to avoid congestion
• Over a third say they tend to take different routes or avoid motorways completely.

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 The October issue of What Car? is on sale now and this month we've got:

• New BMW 5 Series vs new Saab 9-5
• New Kia Sportage vs Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Qashqai
• New Suzuki Swift vs Hyundai i20

What Car? now includes 40 extra pages where we picture, review and rate every new car. The latest issue also has a sat-nav supertest, with best buys for every budget.

Subscribe to What Car?
Free Autoglym Valet Kit when you subscribe, plus save 23% on the cover price! Click here

for more information.

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 The Government is asking councils to get rid of unnecessary signs, railings and advertising hoardings in a bid to make streets tidier and less confusing for motorists and pedestrians.

It has written to council leaders, calling them to reduce 'street clutter'. It believes that some councils have installed some traffic signs in the mistaken belief that they are a legal requirement.

To keep signs to a minimum, the Government is reviewing its traffic signs policy and will publish new advice on how to reduce clutter later this year.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: 'We all know that some signs are necessary to make our roads safe and help traffic flow freely, but unnecessary street furniture is a waste of taxpayers' money and leaves our streets looking more like scrap yards than public spaces.

'We have written to councils to remind them that it need not be this way - we don't need all this clutter confusing motorists, obstructing pedestrians and hindering those with disabilities who are trying to navigate our streets.

'Empowered local communities working together with councils can bring an end to this blight on our national landscape.'

Read more
However, some researchers argue that they're not necessarily the best way to manage traffic and, in many cases, can actually distract drivers' attention from the road and cause the accidents they're intended to prevent.

Read: Naked Streets

Get interactive with whatcar.com...

 New research has revealed British motorists' biggest concerns about parking.

According to research by Parkopedia.com found the price of parking was our biggest concern, with 80% of motorists on the website asking for details on this.

The second most popular piece of information ?requested by 70% of site users ? was the exact location of parking, with users wanting the postcode to put into sat-nav devices.

Beyond that, users wanted to know about height restrictions, opening hours and security. They also asked about spaces with the nearest public toilets, as well as requesting information on designated spaces (for disabled motorists or motorcycles, for example), while the 10th most popular question related to what methods of payment were accepted.

As well as that, the research also showed the 10 most requested cities, with Leeds at the top of the list. It was followed by York, Birmingham and Manchester, but the capital cities of England and Scotland, London and Edinburgh, only registered sixth and 10th respectively.

Founded in 2008, Parkopedia.com provides detailed information on more than seven million parking spaces, including car parks, street parking and private driveways, and can be accessed online, through SMS or as an iPhone app.

Top 10 most commonly asked questions;
1. Price
2. Postcode for sat-nav
3. Opening hours
4. Height restrictions
5. Secure
6. Toilets
7. Disabled
8. Parent & child spaces
9. Motorcycle spaces
10. Payment info (coins, credit cards, pay by mobile)

Top 10 most searched cities
1. Leeds
2. York
3. Birmingham
4. Manchester
5. Brighton
6. London
7. Nottingham
8. Norwich
9. Reading
10. Edinburgh

Get interactive with whatcar.com...