Posted on March 6th, 2008 by Auto News
Mazda has announced that it will debut a three-door version of its Mazda 2 small car at the Geneva auto show in March, the same venue where it unveiled the new, redesigned five-door last year.
The three-door Mazda 2 effectively doubles the 2 lineup, except in the U.S., where it doesn’t do anything??”it isn’t available here. The platform it rides on, however, will underpin the Verve-concept-based subcompact sedan Ford plans to offer for U.S. consumption beginning in 2010.
Powertrains are unchanged from the five-door and consist of two gasoline engines??”a 1.3-liter four available with 74 or 85 horsepower and a 102-hp, 1.5-liter four, the latter of which we’ve driven??”and a 67-hp, 1.4-liter turbo-diesel.
Jim O’Sullivan, president of Mazda North American operations, tells us there was no interest in bringing the Mazda 2 to the U.S. a year ago, especially when the automaker couldn’t meet demand for the larger and more profitable Mazda 3. But the market has changed in a year, and Americans are embracing subcompact or B-segment cars, which has Mazda taking a more open view today. “Watch this space,” O’Sullivan now says.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on March 3rd, 2008 by Auto News
Mazda is convinced North Americans will embrace the ???space wagon??? the way Europeans have, which means the Mazda 5 can be expected to have competition in the future.
The Mazda 5 is a mini-minivan of sorts, a six-passenger crossover with sliding rear doors that rides on the compact Mazda 3 platform. The closest thing to it on the market is the Kia Rondo, but the Rondo has conventionally hinged rear doors. Jeff Horne, vehicle line executive for the Mazda 5, says the sliding door is critical. ???People wouldn??™t buy without it,??? he says. ???Once you have a family, you understand the value of a slider.???
Mazda officials also insist their customers don??™t cross-shop Kia, and tend to be about seven years older than Kia buyers. The Honda Odyssey is the number one trade-in, with company from the Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Toyota RAV4, and Toyota Matrix.
Mazda 5 buyers are generally coming from mid-size, small, and compact cars, with about 15 percent turning in mid-size minivans, Horne says. About 84 percent of buyers are families, most of them young families.
Sales of the Mazda 5 are small??”accounting for only 13,700 of almost 300,000 total Mazda sales in the U.S. in 2007??”and they fell by close to 20 percent last year, according to Ward??™s Automotive Reports. The Kia Rondo sold almost twice as many.
But the refreshed 2008 Mazda 5, which replaces the four-speed automatic with a five-speed mated to the carryover 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, is launching well, with sales up 28 percent in January.
The crossover sells well in Canada, and Jim O??™Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, says he expects the segment to heat up in the U.S., noting the car side of the business is becoming more European in look with an increasing embrace of diesels and subcompact or B-segment cars as they are known in Europe.
Many automakers have similar small multipurpose vehicles in Europe??”it??™s the fastest-growing segment on the Continent??”they could federalize for sale in the U.S. and O??™Sullivan fully expects that to happen. He welcomes the idea, saying it will increase awareness of ???Mazda??™s best-kept secret.???
???Others are keeping an eye on us and looking at bringing their versions here,??? O??™Sullivan says. ???I think there will be more in the next few years.???
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on February 25th, 2008 by Auto News
 The four-door, four-seater sports coupe enjoys a refreshed exterior and interior design, enhanced performance and the option of a new sport package for the driving enthusiast. The core of the RX-8 is unchanged - it remains a high-powered, lightweight and well-balanced machine powered by the renowned twin-rotor RENESIS rotary engine.
The RX-8 was designed with an athletically sculpted exterior that provides a sense of originality that’s still looking fresh today. The new RX-8 receives design enhancements that freshen the styling, without impairing the basic design theme. Refinements for the new model include restyled front and rear bumpers and front fascia; sporty, high quality finish front headlamps and twin circular LED rear lamps; and larger diameter (90mm) exhaust pipes. Updates extend to a new five-spoke wheel design, increasing in diameter to 19″ and featuring a symbolic and sporty design reminiscent of the rotary engine.
The RX-8’s unique ‘freestyle’ four-door design - including two rear ’suicide’ doors - is proof that a sports car does not need to sacrifice space or practicality for performance. With a spacious cabin that provides ample passenger room for four full-size adults, and enough boot space for a weekend’s worth of luggage, this sports car proves its versatility.
Engineers have improved body rigidity through the addition of structural reinforcements, by adding a trapezoidal bracing bar between the front suspension towers and enhancing the local rigidity of the tower areas.
Depending on individual markets, the new Mazda RX-8 will be available as either a 231ps-model fitted with a six-speed manual transmission, or a 205ps model fitted with a five-speed manual transmission. The RENESIS engine is high revving - all the way to 9000rpm.
Minor enhancements have been made to the interior of the RX-8, including a new steering wheel, plus redesigned front and rear seats.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Auto News
Mazda has engaged in the mother of all teaser campaigns for the upcoming Nagare-inspired stream of design-language concepts said to foretell the look of future products.
Indeed, we have seen exactly zero of these future products in anything remotely resembling production form but instead some five different embodiments of the funky, organic, weeds-water-and-breezes design on vehicles ranging from sports cars to SUVs to the flying-saucer-like Taiki.
And now, this: the ALMS-inspired Furai to be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, perhaps the one we like best.
Mazda says the Furai, whose name means ???sound of the wind,??? blurs boundaries between street cars and track cars. From Mazda??™s preshow press release: ???Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose race cars and street-legal models??”commonly called supercars??”that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.???
Certainly the Furai appears to follow a tried-and-true supercar format: mid-mounted powerplant; narrow cockpit; defined, protuberant wheels; and chassis more honed for track than road.
In this case, the chassis is the same ???Courage 65??? architecture that provided the basis of the racers Mazda used to compete in the American Le Mans Series two years ago.
Our favorite part, however, is the three-rotor Wankel rotary engine. Not only is it said to be capable of some 450 horsepower, but thanks to the inherent flexible-fuel capability of the rotary engine, it does so while burning 100-percent ethanol.
Mazda is mum on other details of the Furai, including whether or not this, like the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, and Taiki before it, will spawn an actual production model. We certainly hope it does, whether it be for the road or, say, an amateur racing series. In any case, we don??™t see why Mazda couldn??™t stick a three-rotor engine like this into the follow-up to the RX-8.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Auto News
Mazda’s heavily revised RX-8, which will go on sale in the UK in mid-2009.
With 167,000 RX-8s sold around the world, Mazda has opted to refresh rather than revamp its styling, but it promises that performance will take a major step forward.
Performance and engines
The car’s body has been strengthened to enhance performance, while improved suspension, driveshafts and differentials improve the RX-8’s handling and acceleration.
Engine choice is limited to either a 230bhp 1.3-litre model fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox or a 210bhp 1.3-litre engine linked to a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox.
Styling changes
Revised front and rear bumpers, remodelled headlamps and larger exhaust pipes are the biggest changes to the styling. The wheels also have a unique five-spoke design, evoking the layout of the rotary engine for which the firm is famed.
The clever reversed rear-hinge doors remain, enabling the RX-8 to carry four adults.
In the cabin, new features include a revised centre console with a section of the rev counter that glows a deeper red as the engine temperature rises. A new shape of steering wheel, and redesigned front and rear seats have also been fitted.
Trims
The RX-8 is available in four trims.
These are topped by the R3 sport package, which features sports suspension, a rear spoiler, side sills, foglights, 19-inch alloy wheels, sports seats, keyless entry and an aggressive front bumper.
The other three trim levels are called Sport, Touring and Grand Touring.
Safety features
Safety features include six airbags and stability control, which is an option on the base Sport model and standard on the other trims.
Pedestrian safety is also considered, with Mazda’s pop-up bonnet system providing protection in an impact.
No prices for the car have been released, but they are expected to start from around ??22,000, which is a slight increase on the current model.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on January 6th, 2008 by Auto News
 ?
What if you could design your own car from scratch and then have a major carmaker bring it to life? It??™s a wannabe designer??™s dream??”and one the folks at the Zoom-Zoom factory have made possible this year with the Mazda Design Challenge. In partnership with the online social networking giant Facebook, Mazda gave contestants the chance to submit their vision of the 2018 Mazda 3 by way of a 150-word description and optional illustration.
After much deliberation by Mazda engineers and Facebook members alike, it was Mallory McMorrow of South Bend, Indiana, who emerged as the winner. Soon after the victory, Mallory was paired with top Mazda designer Jacques Flynn, who helped make her ideas a reality in the sketch you see here. Bearing much resemblance to the Mazda Ryuga concept that debuted in Detroit earlier this year, McMorrow??™s 2018 Mazda 3 combines current Mazda styling cues with elements from concepts that have bowed this year on the auto show circuit. McMorrow describes her vision as a combination of sports-car qualities and everyday practicality, something Mazda is definitely familiar with. ???I was thrilled when I opened up the images of the final renderings. I??™m proud to say that the end design was still definitely my car, and I can??™t wait to see it come to fruition on the show floor,??? McMorrow said.
That??™s right, she said the show floor. Mazda has taken this competition a step further, authorizing a full-size prototype of the concept to be carved from a lump of clay live at November??™s L.A. auto show. Over the course of 10 days, McMorrow will be paired with Franz von Holzhausen, director of design for Mazda North America, and his team to bring the design to life. So for all you auto show junkies, bring some popcorn and a lawn chair and watch them chisel away from noon to 8 p.m. daily until the final sculpture is unveiled at 3 p.m. on Nov. 24. We??™ll let you know if and when the 2018 Mazda 3 is headed for sheetmetal.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on January 6th, 2008 by Auto News
Ever seen a car styled like a celestial maiden??™s robes? Mazda says that??™s the design inspiration for the Mazda Taiki, a rear-wheel-drive sports-car concept that will debut at the Tokyo auto show in October.
Like the Nagare, Ryuga, and Hakaze concepts before it, the Taiki has a flowing, aerodynamic form that follows Mazda??™s new ???flow??? styling concept.
In Japanese, taiki means atmosphere, a fitting name for the light, aerodynamic body. The concept is part of the ???Sustainable Zoom-Zoom??? theme Mazda plans to emphasize in Tokyo.
The skirted rear wheels are outset from the body, and an all-glass canopy wraps around the driver and passenger. The stretched two-seater??™s interior continues the flowing design theme.
Power for the Taiki will come from a new version of the Renesis rotary engine used in the RX-8 sports car. Mazda engineers say they have bumped displacement up to 1.6 liters (from 1.3 liters) and used direct-injection to increase torque output across the power band. This should allow them to create an even sportier car that is a little easier on the environment.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on December 27th, 2007 by Auto News
? Mazda will take advantage of the huge showcase that is the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January to unveil a freshened version of the RX-8.
The updated version of the four-passenger sports car is billed as offering stronger acceleration and even better handling than before.
We??™ll pass on pictures as soon as they become public, and we look forward to reporting on the improvements when we experience the 2009 RX-8 for ourselves.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on December 24th, 2007 by Auto News
Do you really, really like the look of this all-new Mazda 6? Yeah, we do, too. It??™s too bad, then, that the car you see here, which will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show, is only for European consumption.
Specific details we like about the Euro car include the multielement headlamps and taillamps, the protuberant hood (it now dips down below the grille), and the steeply raked roofline. The latter is definitely great-looking, but we worry that it may make the rear seats less than accommodating for tall passengers.
Inside, things are looking good, too. The center-stack controls combine the style of the RX-8 with an ergonomic arrangement that appears to be inspired by the Toyota Camry. That??™s no bad thing, especially if the 6 still drives like a Mazda.
Unfortunately, the U.S. model, which may see the light of day at either November??™s L.A. auto show or the Detroit auto show in January, will wear different sheetmetal. We’re also told that it could ride on a completely different platform than that of the Euro-spec car. According to Mazda, this is because the North American car needs to ???look bigger.???
We??™re not sure how much of the Ford Mondeo is incorporated into the European Mazda 6 platform, but we hope a lot. Either way, Mazda has a pretty good track record of pumping out fun-to-drive cars in spite of the best efforts of its parent company??™s in-house cost cutters.
For the U.S. market, the next-gen 6 will be offered only as a sedan and five-door hatch. Low demand for the current Mazda 6 Sport wagon, which was discontinued for ??™08, has rendered it a no deal for the second-gen 6 in America. (The Continent is expected to be able to purchase a wagon version of its 6, however.)
As for the Mazdaspeed 6, which is also gone for ??™08, let??™s just say it??™s on hiatus until the new 6 gets its legs. We see a direct-injection turbocharged V-6 with all-wheel drive in its future, similar (although probably not identical) to the system found in the upcoming Lincoln MKS. The all-wheel-drive variant will likely appear along with a hybrid within a year of the U.S. version??™s debut.
Expect even more acute handling, as well as a choice of more potent four-cylinder and V-6 engines under the hood, the latter being the corporate 3.5-liter of about 260 horsepower (as found in many other FoMoCo products).
U.S. models will continue to be built at the same plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, that has been building the 6 since the beginning, with the vehicle reaching dealerships in early ??™08 as ??™09 models.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
Posted on December 23rd, 2007 by Auto News
After years of enviously watching parent company Ford ride the wave of the surging hybrid vehicle market with its Escape hybrid, Mazda finally gets what it should have had all along: a hybrid version of the mechanically identical Tribute. To be called the Tribute HEV, the environmentally friendly cute ???ute will make Mazda the last Japanese brand to offer a hybrid vehicle, even if it??™s not a real Mazda, when it??™s launched sometime toward the middle of this year.
Like its Ford counterpart, the entire Tribute lineup undergoes a significant interior and exterior freshening for 2008. Underneath the HEV??™s skin, not surprisingly, is the same 133-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a 70kW electric motor that pushes combined horsepower to a 155, with acceleration capable of almost matching that of the Tribute??™s optional 200-hp V-6 while delivering 75 percent better fuel economy and cleaner emissions.
In the meantime, Mazda continues research on its hydrogen-powered RX-8 and hydrogen hybrid Mazda5 back in Japan, indicating that Mazda might not be as late to the hydrogen party as it was to the hybrid one.
No Comments »Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Filed under: Mazda
|
|