Rep Power: 548

By 2016, Uncle Sam will require that auto manufacturers offer model lineups that average 34.1 mpg, meeting new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Some car makers will meet the average by including dedicated high-mileage cars in their fleets, trading performance for fuel efficiency. Or they will build hybrids or electric vehicles (EV). In addition to being rather pokey from a performance standpoint, the former usually just aren't that cool. The latter are tremendously expensive to design and build and, with the exception of the Toyota Prius, sell in very light numbers.

Where does that leave those of us who want a fun car that gets 40 mpg on the highway and costs less than $30,000?

It leaves us with Mazda, one of the small Japanese automakers. In the short term (through 2016), Mazda, known as the “Zoom Zoom" company, has neither the resources nor the inclination to build a hybrid or EV. Instead, the company will meet CAFE standards by refining existing technologies. That’s where Skyactiv comes in.

“Skyactiv” is a group of significant engineering enhancements to engines, transmissions, body, and chassis. The term derives from the fact that Mazda’s engineers were told that the “sky’s the limit” for ideas to improve existing technology. The refreshed 2012 Mazda 3 will be the first of the company’s models to incorporate these upgrades

Read more: http://www.complex.com/rides/2011/10...ill-entertains