Report: Mazda to Cut Ties with Ford and Stop U.S. Production by 2013

Earlier in May, we told you about a report concerning Mazda’s plans to discontinue production of its Mazda6 mid-size model at its joint-venture plant with Ford in Michigan. Today, new reports from both Japan and the U.S. are claiming that Mazda Motors will dissolve its 50-50 joint venture with Ford and stop building cars in the USA by 2013, with the Japanese company already in talks with the Detroit automaker to sell its stake in their car production venture Auto Alliance International [AAI]. Read more »

Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

The numbers for U.S. auto sales for the month of May are out and as expected, Japanese automakers continue to be hit hard by the ongoing production disruptions caused by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in their home market. As a result, Toyota’s sales plunged 33.4% over the year-ago month to 108,387 units, while rivaling Honda saw its sales fall 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles, Nissan recorded a 9.1% drop to 76,148 units and Mazda 17,875 vehicles, down 20.9%.

General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,192 vehicles in May posting a decline of 1%, while the Ford Motor Co. said its sales decreased by 0.1% to 192,253 cars, trucks and SUVs.

Read more »

Big Brother is Watching, Well, All of us: U.S. DoT Seeks to Make Event Data Recorders Mandatory

Australian inventor and all-round genius Dr David Warren is widely considered to be the father of the “black box” Flight Data Recorder (FDR). His invention helped make flying safer by giving investigators valuable insights into the mechanical goings-on of a crashed aircraft. What may surprise you is that for the last twenty years similar devices have been installed in our cars.

Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are the automotive equivalent of an aircraft’s FDR. These devices record acceleration and deceleration forces, engine RPM, temperature, oil pressure and a host of other things. After a crash, the information can be recovered and studied, aiding investigators.

Read more »

Mazda3 Production Reaches 3 Million Units

Mazda announced that its Mazda3 compact car (known as the Axela in Japan) has reached a new milestone with the production of 3 million units, seven years and ten months after the launch of the first-generation model. The fastest-selling model in the company's current lineup of passenger cars is produced in three locations (Japan's Hofu Plant in Yamaguchi, China's CFMA plant in Nanjing and Thailand's AutoAlliance plant).The compact model is sold in approximately 90 countries and regions across the world. Read more »

Mazda Debuts New 1.3-liter Skyactiv Gasoline Engine on JDM Demio

The new generation of powertrains developed by Mazda under the Skyactiv name will soon have its another member out on the road, as the company announced that the “Skyactiv-G 1.3” direct-injection gasoline engine will debut on the facelifted Demio (known as the Mazda2 in international markets) in Japan this summer. Mazda will unveil the new engine at Tokyo's Automotive Engineering Exposition on May 18-20.

Read more »

Mazda6 and Subaru Tribeca to be Axed, According to Report from Japan

Mazda and Subaru may soon be forced to axe two of their models in the US market, the Mazda6 mid-size vehicle and the Subaru Tribeca SUV, due to low volumes that undermine the efficiency of the U.S. plants that they are built in, according to a newspaper report from Japan’s business daily Nikkan Kogyo. It should be noted though that spokesmen for both companies declined to comment on the report.

Nikkan Kogyo wrote that Mazda is planning to discontinue production of the Mazda6 at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant, which it operates as a joint venture together with Ford Motor Co., as sales missed expectations. When Mazda introduce the latest generation of the mid-size model in 2008, the company expected an annual production of around 100,000 units, but last year, the plant churned out just 45,168 Mazda6s. In April, Mazda6 posted an increase of 7.8 percent but sales reached just 2,734 vehicles.

Read more »

2012 Mazda3 Facelift with New 40mpg SKYACTIV Engine Debuts in New York

Mazda is getting ready to enter the raging mpg war in the compact passenger vehicle segment in the States with the launch of its facelifted 2012 Mazda3 that made its U.S. debut today at the New York International Auto Show.

While the exterior and interior refinements are modest, the updated Mazda3 debuts the first application in North America of the Japanese firm’s suite of SKYACTIV fuel-saving and performance-oriented technologies, achieving 40 mpg on the highway. Within it lies Mazda’s all-new SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine hooked up to either a new SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission or a SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual gearbox.

Read more »

Mazda Minagi Concept is the New CX-5, Production Version to Debut at this Fall’s Frankfurt Show

Mazda today confirmed what many of us already suspected – that the Minagi concept shown at the 2011 Geneva Salon earlier this year will form the base for a production model that will be called the CX-5. In addition, the Japanese firm also announced that the compact crossover model will make its international debut in production guise at the forthcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show to be held in Germany in September.

Read more »

Mazda 2 sedan

.

Mazda for the 2007 Guangzhou International Motor Show brought Mazda B-class car as the first in the Chinese market, “Mazda2.” The car is a global strategic model, shoulders reached this year in March released a new medium-term plan, “Mazda – Jin” this goal of the heavy responsibility.

Meanwhile, the Mazda2 is Mazda based on the long-term technology development prospects “Zoom-Zoom sustainable Declaration,” the guiding direction for promoting the “driving pleasure and environmental safety performance of harmony and unity”, embody the “evolution of Zoom-Zoom” brand core and the first step. Mazda2 put in the China market is the preliminary plan will be in Japan and Europe this year just driving at the owner of lighthearted fun Mazda2 five hatchback cars, as well as new development of the dynamic and elegant atmosphere full ofsedans, taking the lead in China. Mazda2car in this 2007 Guangzhou International Motor Show in appearance, which is the debut vehicle, Mazda This fully proves that the Chinese market are highly valued.

　　 In this year by the end of October, Mazda and Ford Motor Co. and the partners in China Changan Automobile Group joint venture – Changan Ford Mazda Motors Limited (CFMA) production base in Nanjing has completed the first domestic Mazda2 volume production car the Inauguration Ceremony. Through the Mazda2 in the Chinese market launch, Mazda decided following the existing domestic models – Mazda6 and Mazda3, to the Chinese market launch B-class cars. So far, prepared to participate in the Chinese market has been the main vehicle lineup Preparatory finished.

CFMA Nanjing factory shoulder to the achievement of Mazda in China’s mid-term goal – “2010 Marketing 300000″ – programs, and Mazda raised in the “2010 global sales of 1.6 million” heavy responsibilities. Mazda in the pursuit of driving pleasure and environmental protection, harmonious and safe performance at the same time, China will provide customers with the many “Zoom-Zoom” new product concept.

Mazda rx 8

The Mazda rx 8 was designed as a front mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive 2+2 coupe. The car has a near 50/50 weight distribution, achieved by mounting the engine behind the front axle and the gas tank ahead of the rear axle. Weight is trimmed through the use of materials such as aluminum (hood, trunk, roof, and rear doors), fiberglass for the body panels and a carbon fiber composite drive shaft.

The car features a pair of rear-hinged “freestyle” doors (similar to suicide doors) in order to provide easier access to the rear seats. The Mazda rx 8 has no B-pillar between the front and rear doors, with the leading edge of the rear door acting as a ‘virtual pillar’ to maintain structural rigidity. Because of the overlapping design, the rear doors can only be opened when the front doors are open.

The Mazda rx 8 is powered by a 1.3 L (1,308 cc) naturally-aspirated RENESIS 13B Wankel-type rotary engine, which features newly designed side intake and exhaust ports. The engine is smaller and lighter than previous rotaries, primarily due to the lack of a turbocharger and associated parts. Though the engine is only 1.3 L, it is rated to get 18 mpg in the city.
The engine is designed in various configurations for different models, but in its most powerful setup develops 250 PS (247 hp, 184 kW) at 8500 rpm with a sustained red line at 8500 rpm, peak red line of 9000 rpm and fuel rev limit/cut-off at 9500 rpm. It won the International Engine of the Year and Best New Engine awards in 2003 and holds the “2.5 to 3 liter” size award for 2003 and 2004.

Mazda MX-5

The Mazda MX-5, also known as Miata (pronounced /miˈɑːtə/) in North America and Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front engine, rear wheel drive configuration, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 and continues to be a best selling convertible. There are currently three generations of MX-5, with the current (NC) model having been in production since 2006. Now in its third generation, the MX5's first generation, the NA, sold over 400,000 units from 1989 to 1997 – with a 1.6 L (98 cu in) straight-4 engine to 1993, a 1.8 L (110 cu in) engine thereafter (with a de-tuned 1.6 as a budget option in some markets) – recognizable by its pop-up headlights. The second generation (NB) was introduced in 1998 with a slight increase in engine power; it can be recognized by the fixed headlights and the glass rear window. The third generation (NC) was introduced in 2005 with a 2.0 L (120 cu in) engine. It was launched at a time when production of small roadsters had fallen into almost total disuse. The Alfa Romeo Spider was the only comparable volume model in production at the time of the MX-5's launch. Just a decade earlier, a whole host of similar models - notably the MG B, Triumph TR7, Triumph Spitfire and Fiat Spider - had been available. The MX-5 was conceived as a small roadster – with light weight and minimal mechanical complexity limited only by legal and safety requirements; technologically modern, but a philosophically direct descendant of the small British roadsters of the 1960s such as the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, MG Midget and Lotus Elan. The MX-5 was designed with a traditional front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and four-wheel independent double wishbone suspension. It has a longitudinally-mounted four cylinder engine coupled to a manual transmission (5 speed for NA, 5 or 6 speed in NB & NC); an automatic transmission is a cost option. The body is a conventional, but light, unibody or monocoque construction, with (detachable) front and rear subframes. The MX-5 also incorporates a truss marketed as the Powerplant Frame (PPF) which connects the engine to the differential, minimizing flex and contributing to responsive handling. Some MX-5s feature limited slip differentials and anti-lock braking system. Traction control is an option available on NC models. The earlier cars weighed in at just over a ton, with engine power output usually 116 bhp (87 kW). The later cars were heavier, with higher power engines. With an approximate 50:50 front/rear weight balance, the car has nearly neutral handling. Inducing oversteer is easy and very controllable, thus making the MX-5 a popular choice for amateur and stock racing, including, in the USA, the Sports Car Club of America's Solo2 autocross and Spec Miata race series and in the UK the Ma5da racing championship. Beginning with the third generation, Mazda consolidated worldwide marketing using the MX-5 name, though enthusiasts in the USA still refer to it as Miata, a name that means "reward" in Old High German. The MX-5 has won many awards including Wheels Magazine 's Car of the Year for 1989 and 2005; Sports Car International's "best sports car of the 1990s" and "ten best sports cars of all time"; 2005-2006 Car of the Year Japan; and 2005 Australian Car of the Year - and making Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list 10 times.

mazda rx8 engine

Mazda 323

Mazda

Duelo de drift do Mazda RX7 versos a Kawasaki ZX10

É ai que o bicho pega o duelo entre Mazda RX7 versos a Kawasaki ZX10.

MAZDA BT-50 (2012)

Click Thumbnail to download (size 1600 x 1200 pixels)

At the 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Mazda is unveiling the all-new Mazda BT-50 that signifies a new direction in the utility segment. It was developed as an "Active lifestyle vehicle," and is intended to further extend the appeal of a utility from traditional business users to a wide range of customers, including families and pleasure-seekers.

The current BT-50 is Mazda's only offering in the utility segment. It is an established one-tonne utility that has won numerous awards and gained a strong following all over the world. In developing the new model, Mazda intended to expand its appeal to customers who lead active lifestyles and have needs that cannot be met by conventional utilities. It offers all the functionality required for business use combined with passenger car-like comfort for family use; and for active customers in Australia and Europe, it is the perfect answer for all kinds of outdoor leisure activities. In this way, the new BT-50 has been developed to fulfill the varied requirements of customers in every market.To ensure all these aims were met, the all-new Mazda BT-50 was developed under the theme "Active lifestyle vehicle." The result is a utility that offers unique value; it has refined and expressive styling; a comfortable, high quality interior; a smooth ride with the feel of a passenger car; sporty and responsive driving dynamics that reflect Mazda's DNA; and outstanding environmental and safety performance.

Design: "Sophisticated Beast"
We wanted to design a truck that car lovers would be deeply pleased with and proud to own. We targeted a unique and expressive design that people would find desirable, and we also wanted it to be seen as strong and dependable. This led us to define the design concept as a "Sophisticated Beast."

As Ryo Yanagisawa, chief designer of the all-new BT-50, explains: "Mazda's brand message is Zoom-Zoom, which refers to the emotion of motion first experienced as a child. With the all-new Mazda BT-50, we aimed to express this emotion through the design, and we drew a lot of inspiration from various "movements" in the world around us. For example, we had a photograph of a lion. He looked like a magnificent predator with his muscles all bunching up as though he was about to pounce on his prey. His sinews were stretched taut ready to strike, and his mane framed a sharp, masculine countenance that seemed to say, 'I am the proud king of the beasts!' In profile, that lion appeared to be both intelligent and powerful. I really wanted the design of the truck to project that kind of image. This kind of inspiration was the basis of the emotional design that we worked so hard to achieve with the all-new BT-50."

Exterior - Lively and Imposing Styling
Without detracting from the strength or the level of functionality, we wanted to give the exterior of the all-new Mazda BT-50 an athletic design, overflowing with movement, that would make people immediately want to get in and drive. The crisp lines will have owners looking on with pride.

The finished car has a beauty and individuality that can be recognized at a glance from any angle, even up to 100 meters away.

= Dynamic wedge-shaped proportions evoke an image of a large carnivore about to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. This is unlike any other utility.
= Casting off the conventional boxy image of a utility, sporty and dynamic lines are in tune with the rest of Mazda's passenger vehicle lineup.
= Further evolving Mazda's traditional prominent fenders, muscular lines flow from the fenders along the body sides.

A Front Fascia with a Bold, Overwhelming Presence and an Individual Rear End

= Mazda's family face, the five-point grille, is further evolved for a more imposing expression with the headlights and a chrome crossbar forming a large pentagon.
= The headlights have a bold boomerang shape, elaborate details and a functional beauty.
= A first in the segment — the taillights are stretched horizontally, reaching around the corners and across the tailgate, for a sporty and refined rear view that is similar to a premium SUV.

Interior - A Sporty and Personal Space
We wanted to give the interior of the all-new Mazda BT-50 a more sporty and personal feel to complement the dynamic exterior image, and create a comfortable space to rival Mazda's current passenger car standard. The cockpit is designed to wrap around the driver and provide an environment that supports enthusiastic driving. It raises anticipation for a sporty and responsive driving experience that goes beyond any conventional utility.

= The flowing design smoothly connects the center of the instrument panel to the raised center console, which has never before been seen in a pickup truck.
= The dashboard has an asymmetric design to create optimal space on each side; it reassuringly wraps around the driver and provides an open space for the passenger.
= Four bold metallic panel strips on the door trim and sides of the center console express dynamism and seem to be supporting the interior space.
= A metallic outline highlights the two cylindrical meters and connects them via a center strip to improve readability and enhance the sporty, driver-oriented impression of the instrument panel.
= The audio control panel and the climate control switch panel, which has independent driver- and passenger-side temperature controls, form a beautifully designed human interface.

With modern and refined styling both inside and out, the all-new Mazda Mazda BT-50 will raise the bar in the utility segment and for the first time provide a realistic alternative to the family wagon and 4x4 SUV.

MAZDA 5 (2011)

Click Thumbnail to download (size 1600 x 1200 pixels)


 

 

FEATURES
Mazda Motor Corporation will hold the global premiere of the all-new Mazda 5 (known as the Mazda Premacy in Japan) during the press days of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show on March 2 and 3, 2010. Embracing dynamic and elegant Nagare design, the new Mazda 5 emits approximately 15 percent less CO2 than the current model thanks to Mazda's "i-stop" idling stop system, a direct injection gasoline engine and other technologies. European sales of the all-new Mazda 5 will commence during fall 2010.

The new Mazda 5 features an emotional design that blends elegance with a dynamic spirit. It will be the first Mazda production model to fully adopt Mazda's Nagare (meaning "flow" in Japanese) design language, which finds inspiration in the beauty of flows found in nature. Nagare design has appeared in certain elements of recent production models and was previously showcased through a series of concept cars. The new Mazda 5's design achieves excellent aerodynamic characteristics with an outstanding drag coefficient and lift balance. In order to meet wide-ranging customer requirements, it also offers a high level of functionality, with dual sliding rear doors and multiple seat arrangements. This includes a karakuri second-row center seat that can be converted to a versatile storage space. With a sportier and smoother ride, the new Mazda 5 responds precisely to the driver's commands, enabling the whole family to travel in comfort and security.

Based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom, Mazda is striving to improve the eco-friendly performance of its products. Whether stuck in traffic or cruising on the highway, the all-new Mazda 5 with 2.0L direct injection gasoline engine and i-stop significantly reduces CO2 emissions thanks to the effective combination of i-stop, the high combustion efficiency provided by direct injection, and a six-speed manual transmission with optimized gear ratios. The new Mazda 5 cuts CO2 emissions by roughly 15 percent compared to the model it replaces and provides a more comfortable ride with linear and smooth performance characteristics. It is now one of the most eco-friendly minivans in its class in Europe.

The new Mazda 5's green credentials are further enhanced by its other available powertrains, which include a 1.8L gasoline engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

Commenting on the development concept, Hideki Matsuoka, the Mazda 5 program manager, said, "The all-new Mazda 5 meets the many needs of today's customers. In a single model, we offer the competitive eco-performance necessary to address current market trends together with our distinctive, emotional design. The Mazda 5 features outstanding functionality with sliding rear doors and multiple seat arrangements, and it delivers fantastic comfort with a linear and smooth ride that responds precisely as the driver intends."