While the SEMA Show is still underway, automakers are preparing for the 2010 LA Auto Show that opens next week. Mazda has lifted the curtain on its redesigned 2012 Mazda5 ahead of its official unveiling in LA, revealing evolutionary styling that draws heavy from the Nagare-series concept cars—the ones with the wavy curves.

Information is thin, but Mazda has confirmed that the new mini-minivan will be powered by a 2.5-liter, 157-horsepower four-cylinder engine with a choice of automatic and manual transmissions. As with the current model, the 2012 Mazda5 features sliding doors and three seating rows to accommodate up to six passengers.

Mazda will also show its latest concept car, dubbed Shinari. More...

Inspired by the SR-71 Blackbird stealth plane, Ford created a stealthy version of its Taurus Police Interceptor for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, now underway in Las Vegas. Sinister and powerful, this mechanical hyperbole reminds of the last rear-drive Chevrolet Impala SS, itself a dark interpretation of a police car. Being on display at SEMA, it looks poised to pull over the hundreds of project cars on display that are begging for high-speed hooliganism. (See our Ford Taurus review.)

The look was developed with subtle touches that amount to blackening everything and allowing the police lights to blend in when not illuminated. The tough stance is achieved by lowering the body, then fitting special 22-inch wheels inside a staggered rim section, giving the allusion of greater width.

“It’s all about concealing everything,” Ford Designer Melvin Betancourt said. “The headliner is black, we wrapped the B-pillars in black, and then we started looking at, ‘Where can I hide this? How can I conceal this?’ We repackaged the console – it looks like a production console with the waterfall of the instrument panel. But when you start opening doors and panels, that’s when you see everything.” More...

Hyundai is banking on luxury-obsessed car shoppers who demand high value during a troubled economy, or consider BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz to be out of reach. Today, Hyundai announced that its upcoming Equus premium sedan will start at $58,000, delivering BMW 7 Series scale and pampering at a 5 Series price. This is the same formula the Korean automaker applied to its Genesis sedan, and it does bear repeating.

So, the Equus Signature starts at $58,000, plus $900 destination. The two-trim line tops out with the Equus Ultimate at $64,500. That price includes such an exhaustive list of features, we’re going to itemize them below.

But, we’d like to draw your attention to the ownership experience. Hyundai knows it is going up against prestige brands, and it is offering a competitive dealership experience with free maintenance for five years, 60,000 miles. Going well beyond oil changes, that coverage includes traditional wear items such as brake pads and rotors, wiper blades, and battery. Plus, a valet service will pick up the Equus for service, leaving a loaner Equus or Genesis. (Really, an Accent just would not be right.) More...

The Nissan Altima is a familiar face on America’s roads, as it’s consistently one of the 10 top-selling vehicles in the U.S. It might be easy to dismiss that as a lowest-common-denominator, priced-to-move result, but we found out there’s a lot to like about the Nissan’s midsize model.

You have a wide range of choices with Altima, a handsome sedan offered in four-cylinder, V6 and hybrid powertrains, and a muscular coupe, available in four- and six-cylinder models.

While the temptation is to test a fully loaded V6 with all the trimmings, we restrained ourselves with a four-cylinder 2.5S with a few choice options—and were surprised at what a great little car the Nissan Altima is.

For 2010, the Altima got a little facelift that freshened the looks, keeping it looking contemporary. Not as racy as the new Hyundai Sonata, it’s sportier than a four-cylinder Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.

Sporty is also a good way to describe the driving experience. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine pumps out a respectable 175 horsepower, and is smooth with a nice little purr through its dual exhaust pipes.

The thing the separates the Altima driving experience for us is the CVT automatic transmission. Nissan continues to develop this “gearless” transmission that’s super smooth, and can hold the engine at a steady rpm for best power or economy.

On some smaller Nissans this can be kind of raucous when accelerating, but on the 2.5L four-cylinder, the CVT hits a sweet spot with an eerily smooth and quiet drive that just glides around town and slinks up to speed. If you want to drive more aggressively, a manual mode for the transmission lets you nudge the lever up or down for more control. With up to 32 mpg on the highway, it’s quite efficient, too.

When the road begins to turn, the Altima offers nice steering feel and confident cornering, making it one of the most fun cars to drive in its class. On the Interstate, it’s a comfy and quiet cruiser.

The Altima interior makes any of those drives more comfortable with a nicely designed cockpit, with clear gauges and quality materials. Standard on the 2.5S is Nissan’s Intelligent Key, which lets you unlock, get in, start up and drive off while leaving the remote in your pocket—a surprisingly upscale touch that spoils you for anything less. The seats are comfortable and well shaped, and the standard split-folding rear seat is handy as well.

Best of all, the Nissan Altima is a good value. The 2.5S starts at just $22,060 and includes power windows, locks and mirrors, A/C with microfilter, Intelligent Key, pushbutton ignition, 6-speaker audio system with input jack for iPod, six airbags, ABS, stability and traction control. Our tester had the Convenience Package with eight-way power driver’s seat, alloy wheels, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with remote audio controls. We also had the optional moonroof and dual-zone climate control. All totaled, it came in at just over $24,000.

It adds up to one smart package. Handsome, fun-to-drive, super smooth and a nice value for the buck, the 2011 Nissan Altima rightly deserves its place as a best seller, and should be on the shopping list of anyone looking for a great midsize car.

Visit the autoMedia.com Nissan Research Center for quick access to reviews, pricing, photos and more.

Read our 2010 road test review of the Nissan Altima sedan.

Chrysler continues its reinvention, introducing redesigned and updated models at a pace certain to keep car bloggers shackled to their keyboards. About a month ago, the no-longer-shy automaker provided a sneak peek at its Chrysler 200 sedan, revealing just pieces of the exterior. Now, Chrysler has provided a full look at the new sedan with the photos in the gallery below. (Chrysler Group recently revealed the 2011 Dodge Durango and 2011 Dodge Charger. Expect the Chrysler 300 to appear in the near future.)

The Chrysler 200 is a significantly updated Sebring, enabling the car to continue for at least two more model years until a truly, all-new car can be develop in cooperation with Fiat. The changes are significant enough that the company changed the name. For the casual shopper, there won’t be any confusion at all.

The exterior features new front and rear fascias and fenders, grille, hood, rear decklid, side mirrors, projector headlamps and fog lamps, LED taillamps, and an LED center high-mounted stop light. The result is a more modern, classier design. More...

Hyundai has said it aims to have a fleet average of 50 mpg by 2025, and today it further demonstrated how it will reach that goal. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata by most measures has been a smashing success, with its extreme value, great fuel economy, and rarified 5-Star safety rating in the toughened government crash tests. Earlier this week, Hyundai announced that its higher-performance turbo model will deliver 274 horsepower and be priced at $24,145. Now, Hyundai has briefed the media on its Sonata Hybrid, a model that goes on sale this winter with an EPA-rated 40 on the highway. (The regular Sonata gets 35 mpg highway.)

Certainly the Sonata is not the first hybrid family sedan in this market, but it does have some clever engineering to aid its green pursuits, while managing costs. More...