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If you’re an automotive journalist who’s also a gear head, it’s easy to despair over all the news coming from manufacturer’s these days. Like them or not, we’re about to be force fed a steady diet of hybrid automobiles in every shape, size and configuration. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-hybrid; they have their place in commuter cars. I AM anti-hybrid when it comes to building an enthusiast oriented sport sedan. I don’t want the added weight, complexity or cost of a hybrid drivetrain, especially when the increase in fuel mileage is only 10 to 20 percent.

So with that in mind, I really hope the latest rumor about Mazda, as reported on Autoevolution, is true. Sources at Mazda report work on a turbocharged variant of their Renesis rotary motor, for use in a new sports coupe dubbed the RX 9. The best news is that we’ll see the car as soon as 2013, and it appears that Mazda is taking it in the pure-sports-car direction of the last generation RX-7 Turbo.

There are some significant hurdles to overcome, including lowering emissions from the Renesis motor (now out of production in the EU because of stricter environmental regulations) and boosting the Renesis’ dismal fuel economy. Mazda has tricks up their sleeve to address these failings, but they’re not providing many details. An inside source reveals that Mazda is working on electric turbocharging as a way to reduce emissions, which will need to meet even stricter standards in the EU by 2014.

The Geely Emgrand GT is another example of the automaker's apparent seriousness about being considered a top-flight player in the industry. This coupe features classic sports car proportions and aside from the overdone grille, it looks quite attractive. The GT comes from Geely's new top-level Emgrand sub-brand and boasts some impressive specs. It's reportedly a plug-in hybrid with a 2.4-liter inline-four that churns out 160 horsepower and 165 pound-feet on its own.

That output is supplemented by a pair of 27.5-kilowatt hub motors that give the GT all-wheel-drive capability. Those motors each add 132 foot-pounds of torque as well. It's not clear, however, which axle is being driven by the combustion engine and which gets the motors. The Emgrand GT is targeted for a 2014 introduction.

With new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards looming on the horizon, automakers are in the process of developing engines that strike a balance between ultra-efficiency and high-performance. Aware of the challenges ahead, BMW has begun development of the next generation 3 Series and 1 Series, both due for a redesign in 2013, and according to Ludwig Willisch, BMW's M division CEO, new turbocharged engines are on the horizon for the next M3 and 1 Series M (not, we repeat not, to be dubbed the M1).

A turbo'd six-cylinder will likely replace the 4.0-liter V8 currently fitted to the M3, although BMW hasn't decided if it will use a straight-six or a V6 powerplant. Willisch told Motor Trend that the new engine won't be based on the current 3.0-liter inline six currently employed on the 335i and 135i, and it's still too early in the development process to say which configuration will be used. BMW recognizes the inline-six's light weight is a plus, but packaging constraints may required the use of a V6. Either way, the next M3 will be wider, but Willisch insists, "Engines don't need to be more powerful for the next car. As long as you have lighter weight, you have better performance." Although the idea of a V6-powered Bimmer will surely send the marque's faithful into bouts of rage, weight reduction is the future, and to us, it's music to our ears.

As for the 1 series, there won't be an M version per se, but BMW's in-house tuning division wants to recapture the magic of the original E30 M3 by developing a smaller, lighter coupe to slot in below the next M3. As reported previously, a twin-turbocharged four-cylinder will likely power the new coupe, and according to Willisch, the automaker is aiming for something that puts out around 300 hp and weighs around 2,860 pounds (think RWD VW GTI).

Traditionally, the M variants arrive about a year after the new models are introduced, so expect the next M3 and 1 Series M to debut sometime in 2014.

[Source: Motor Trend]