Mazda RX-8

Mazda RX-8

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Mazda museum accessible through Google Maps

Mazda announced a new service, virtual tours to Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, Japan, via Google Maps Street View. "This is so new and unusual that visitors have to live the spirit of Mazda experience, getting to know the technological innovations and the whole history of the brand,"

A virtual visit to the brand Museum is possible in the official website o: Mazda Museum

This virtual museum promises to be an almost real experience with the ability to turn in any direction and approaching of the exhibitors enough to read the text. 

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Consumer Reports Takes the New 2014 Mazda6 and 2013 Lexus LS for a Spin

The two latest arrivals in the garage of Consumer Reports is an early production version of the all-new 2014 Mazda6 sedan and Lexus' revised 2013 LS flagship, both of which were taken out for a first drive by the magazine's auto engineer, Tom Mutchler.

Beginning with the new generation of the Mazda6, Mutchler gives it praise for its "sleek" design calling it one of the sexiest models together with Ford's latest Fusion in the (mainstream) mid-size sedan segment, its modern amenities and tech gadgets, while his first driving impression of the early production model is that it's "quite agile and light on its feet".
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Mazda and Fiat Sign Deal for New Alfa Romeo Spider, will be Made in Japan from 2015

Last May, the Fiat Group and Mazda revealed that they signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and production of a new roadster for the Alfa Romeo and Mazda brands.

Today, the two companies announced the signing of the Final Agreement, which stipulates that the Japanese carmaker will produce an open-top two-seater sports car at its Hiroshima plant from 2015.
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Woman Backs Into a Woman Trying to Help Move her Car…

Just trust us when we say that you never, ever want to stand behind (or anywhere close, for that matter…) of the woman driving the car featured in this incident, which reportedly took place in mother Russia.

The woman in the Mazda6 (?) sedan appeared to be in a pickle while trying to maneuver her car out of a parking lot, at which point, another woman came out of the blue (or in this case, white) to give a helping hand.
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Mazda to Boost Capacity at Mexican Plant to 230,000 Units in 2016

Mazda's upcoming plant in Salamanca, Mexico, is still under construction with a launch date set for March of 2014, yet the Japanese carmaker has already made plans to increase its initial annual capacity from 140,000 units to 230,000 units by March of 2016.
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Diesel Preview: Five New Diesel Models Coming to America

For what seems like forever, North America has been left behind when it comes to diesel cars. Sure there are a few options, but nowhere near as many as our friends in Europe. In fact, according to the Automotive Industry Data Newsletter, 52% of all new car sales last year in Western Europe were diesel powered.

Diesel engines offer unique advantages, with plenty of torque making tiny power plants more useable in small cars, while making modest size engines a functional alternative to much larger gasoline ones in SUVs. Towing, after all, is not something hybrids are known for. Additionally, diesel engines can provide fuel economy closer to that of a hybrid, without any of the worries surrounding new technology; plus, there’s no battery pack compromising passenger or storage space.

With those advantages, not to mention a push by automakers to meet increasingly strict corporate average fuel economy standards, a slew of diesel models are set to arrive on our shores in the near future. If you’re considering the switch to diesel power, here are a few options you’ll soon be able to consider.

Mercedes-Benz GLK250 BlueTEC

The new 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK250 BlueTEC is a hearty four-cylindered alternative to most V6s found in crossover utility vehicles. Compared to the GLK350, the gas powered version of the German crossover, the GLK250 has 112 less horsepower, but 96 more lb-ft of torque. There’s no official EPA numbers on what the new GLK250 BlueTEC diesel will get, but last year’s European GLK diesel gets around 36 to 38 mpg in mixed driving conditions. European numbers are always much higher than EPA ones, however, so expect something closer to 30 mpg – still a very impressive rating.

Devin Lindsay, a Senior Analyst from IHS Automotive talked to us about alternative powertrains and their significance in the future. He said “Typically German manufacturers have had a presence when it comes to diesel vehicles.”  That said, the GLK250 isn’t unexpected. These next diesels, however, are.

Chevrolet Cruze Diesel

The Cruze Eco with a standard six-speed manual transmission is the most fuel-efficient gas-powered/non-hybrid vehicle in America, with an EPA-rated 42 mpg on the highway. A member of GM’s Powertrain communications team told us that the diesel Cruze is early in development, and can’t comment on the new car’s fuel economy estimates. But rumors of its diesel have been flying, some calling it the Eco-D, with Chevrolet apparently targeting 50 mpg on the highway. Not much is known about the upcoming diesel, but if its European sales are any indication, it could be quite popular; the diesel Cruze in Europe sold 33,000 models last year. It’s also currently available in Europe as the Holden Cruze CDX (above)

Cadillac ATS Diesel

Looking to rival the BMW 3 Series in all ways, a diesel powered version of the new Cadillac ATS is a must. At the car’s reveal at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, however, Caddy dropped a bomb, announcing that it would also offer a diesel-powered version for our shores.

If a diesel Cadillac sounds interesting to you, hopefully you’re patient. Cadillac hasn’t given a release date for the car and has only said it will be offered some time during the current model’s product cycle.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel

Jeep has been showing off its diesel powered vehicles at all the major auto shows, but always carefully mentioned that it was for Europe and Non-U.S. markets. However Chrysler recently announced that it hired an extra 1,100 workers to help get a diesel version of the Grand Cherokee to the U.S. The European-spec diesel grand Cherokee gets about 28.4 mpg combined using the European equivalent of our EPA test – again, a more lenient test. The old Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD (on sale in America from 2007 and for a few years after) got a rating of 17/22 mpg, so look for slightly higher numbers for this new model.

Mazda Skyactiv Diesel

Mazda will be bringing a diesel engine offering to the North American market for 2012 and 2013. It’s expected to make its way into several models with Mazda first showing a Skyactiv-D engine in the Takeri concept (top), which will inspire the next-generation Mazda6. It also wouldn’t be much of a surprise to tsee the same engine dropped into the new CX-5 compact crossover. Mazda expects it to get 43 mpg highway, which is quite comparable to some hybrids available on the market. Additionally, Mazda has touted start-stop technology that will help optimize fuel efficiency.

We’ve actually already driven the new Skyactiv-D engine in a prototype Mazda6 and came away thoroughly impressed. Making somewhere around 160 hp and over 300 lb-ft of torque perhaps the best feature is that it revs higher than competitors, up to 5200 rpm, with no torque fall-off, allowing it to feel more like a powerful gasoline engine.

So there you have it, five new diesel offerings heading our way, but will it make that big of a difference? According to hybridcars.com diesel take-rate in January, is still below that of hybrids, although hybridcars.com editor Bradley Berman says things are improving with, “A number of clean diesel products enjoyed higher sales as compared to a year ago.”

One thing holding back further proliferation of diesels in the US is cost, but according to Lindsay at IHS, automakers may be willing to shoulder some of that burden in order to help promote diesels in the short term as a solution to rising Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards. However, innovations in diesel are coming to a crawl thanks to CAFE standards that provide credits for electric and hybrid cars.

Lindsay helps shed some light on why European brands like BMW or Mercedes-Benz go diesel. “Diesel is still quite expensive per gallon. Since those BMWs or Mercedes-Benz owners would be putting premium gasoline, it’s not that big of a difference from diesel, which has efficiency advantages.” Some diesels also use a urea treatment which helps keep diesel emissions clean. This is an additional item to maintain and can add costs.

But more options in the market should help bring the costs down. In that regard, diesel could soon become the choice you’ll be making in your next car purchase.

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Mazda Retains Expensive Assets Despite Expected Losses

Owning high profile sports teams when you’re losing money hand over fist would seem like a poor choice to most, but apparently Mazda doesn’t count itself among the masses.

Raising controversy and more than a few sets of eyebrows, the only Japanese automaker that is currently losing money has considerable and some would say frivolous assets.

Believe it or not, those assets aren’t things like extra corporate jets or padded expense accounts. Think bigger, like owning professional baseball and soccer teams, a hospital and $5 billion in land. More surprising than that, the company still offered to sponsor July’s All-Star baseball game despite selling $1.8 billion in new stock to recover lost capital.

“This comes at the worst time,” said Kazuyuki Terao, chief investment officer at Allianz unit RCM Japan to Automotive News . “People might think if they don’t cut spending on baseball, they may also not worry about other expenses.”

Those expenses are starting to look serious too considering Mazda forecasted this year to be it’s biggest annual loss in 11 years.

Serious as they may be, things can get a while lot worse, and quickly if the automaker isn’t careful. A tumultuous stock market combined with irresponsible spending might be enough to scare people away from putting money into the company.

A series of unfortunate events starting in 2008, when Ford dumped its stake in the company from 33 percent to 3.5 percent to deal with its own money problems, lead to financial suffering in the company.

Other companies in similar positions have been quick to dump cut fat, but Mazda seems reluctant, which could ultimately hurt the company and those invested in it.

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Toyota, Mazda to form tie-up on hybrid

Toyota is in final discussions on providing its smaller rival Mazda with its key hybrid technology through a business tie-up, a respected business daily reported Thursday.

Under the plan, Toyota Motor Corp. would supply the key components of its hybrid cars for Mazda Motor Corp., allowing Mazda to enter the green car market as early as 2013, with an initial sales target of 100,000 units, the Nikkei business newspaper said.

Mazda had approached Toyota for a dal, and Toyota is nearing a final decision to accept it, the Nikkei said, adding that an official announcement was expected soon.

Both Toyota and Mazda said they had no immediate comment. Mazda spokeswoman Yukari Hara said officials were currently verifying the report.

The deal would allow Toyota to ct costs of hybrid components through mass production, while earning profits from Mazda, the Nikkei said.

Green cars are gaining in popularity in Japan thanks in part to tax breaks from the government.

The Associated Press

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MAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 (1)

MAZDASPEED3 CONCEPT CAR 2010 More Pict........The performance car for enthusiasts with active lifestylesIt's an unwritten law of nature. When two parents have kids, more often than not, their offspring will be quite different. One will have Dad's eyes, another, Mom's nose. Some will be mild-mannered, happy and always smiling, and others, well - they will be wicked. Enter the all-new 2010

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MAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 (2)

Steering feel and response have been improved through more rigid 3-point mounting of the steering rack, compared to the previous 2-point system. The hydraulic power steering pump has also been removed from the engine and is now driven by an electric motor. This electro-hydraulic power assisted steering (EHPAS) reduces parasitic drag on the engine, lowers power steering fluid temperature, and

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MAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 GALERY

MAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 FRONT RIGHT VIEWMAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 LEFT SIDE VIEWMAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 REAR RIGHT VIEWMAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 DASHBOARD VIEW MAZDASPEED3 MAZDA CONCEPT CAR 2010 DASHBOARD RIGHT VIEWPage: [1] [2] [Galery]

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Nagare Mazda Concept Car

MAZDA NAGARE Concept CarThe Nagare's front end looks like a Mazda RX-8 from 2020, while the long hatch body behind is an organic flow of curves accentuated by stripes that follow the current of sheetmetal like a riptide. It's an interesting car to look at it and when can waste a lot of time taking in every surface detail.The Nagare's interior also features an interesting seating arrangement, with

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THE PEUGEOT 908 RC CONCEPT CAR

PEUGEOT 908 RC CONCEPT CARThe original idea was to create a limousine with an imposing style that offered its four occupants a new driving sensation. The final design, however, is an uncompromising car that combines dynamic performance, comfort, luxury and environmental protection. In short, it is an exclusive four-door vehicle that will capture the imagination of both occupants and onlookers.The

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THE MAZDA TAIKI CONCEPT CAR

MAZDA TAIKI CONCEPT CARThe Mazda Taiki is one of the many slick concept cars, it's built for speed and minimal eco-impact and may very well find itself on the racetracks of tomorrow. Aesthetically, the Taiki's dramatic, windswept curves are supposed to impart the movement of air around the vehicle as it zips along. Besides the Taiki, some of the other upcoming designs focus on the compact

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