Mazda has already given us a sneak-peak at its long-awaited 2010 Mazda3, and while we like what we've seen so far, we want more. We know that team Zoom Zoom is adding a new 2.5L engine to replace the outgoing 2.3L engine, and that the full Monte will be shown at the LA Auto Show next month, but anything more would be great. We came across a short video clip of the Mazda3 in action, but it's 12 seconds long and shows the same three photos we've already seen with moving wheel animations. Needless to say, it's a little disappointing. Now is as good of a time as any to look at the high-resolution pics we do have in the gallery below, and if you need help imagining what Mazda's top-selling sedan looks like in motion, hit the jump.
[ Via: eGMCarTech ]
[ Tag: 2010 mazda3, 2010Mazda3, mazda, mazda3 ]
VIDEO: Mazda releases unrevealing teaser vid of 2010 Mazda3
Mazda MX-5 will get lighter, maybe alternative powertrain
The Mazda MX-5 is one of the world's best handling cars under $25,000, and as much as we Americans want more power and size to turn the Japanese roadster into a proper pony car, that's probably not going to happen. Increased fuel economy and CO2 reductions will force the MX-5 into the same situation as larger vehicles. It has to get more efficient and lighter to stay competitive. MX-5 program manager Takao Kijima told Drive that Mazda is looking at alternative powertrains for its little roadster, but the Zoom Zoom specialists are also looking to drop 10% of the car's weight.
One way to improve efficiency is with diesel technology. Diesels can be 30% more efficient than petrol powerplants, but beefier diesel parts means that total displacement must be smaller than the current engine's 2.0 liters. Another idea is a hybrid, which, like the diesel, would provide instant torque that would also add weight to a vehicle that's just about to go on a diet. Kijima also stated that any MX-5 would absolutely have to have 50/50 weight distribution, meaning that a hybrid with its heavy batteries would by tricky, but not impossible. For our money, we'll take a 10% lighter Miata with a smaller turbocharged, direct-inject gas engine with ethanol injections.
[ Via: Drive ]
[ Tag: alternative powertrains, AlternativePowertrains, diesel, Mazda Miata, Mazda MX-5, MazdaMiata, MazdaMx-5 ]
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
Hard as it may be to believe, the word "hummer" didn't always bring up visions of obnoxious, polarizing SUVs. In fact, there was a time not so very long ago that uttering that word evoked something entirely different, namely cars powered by Wankel rotary engines. For the past three decades, the world's sole purveyor of rotary-powered automobiles has been Mazda. The "Zoom-Zoom" brand has always been a little different from its compatriots. Back in 1963, a young Kenichi Yamamoto was heading up the research department at Mazda and latched on to the concept developed a decade earlier by Felix Wankel.
Just as two-stroke engines were all the rage for a time in the early 1990s and fuel cells in the middle of this decade, the Wankel rotary seemed to be the next big thing in the 1960s and early '70s. For a time it seemed every major automaker had licensed the design from Wankel and was trying to commercialize it. Some like NSU did build rotaries while General Motors and Daimler Benz built an assortment of concept cars. By the mid-'70s, all had given up except Yamamoto-san and Mazda. From the original 1967 Cosmo, Mazda has built an unbroken string of hummers culminating with the recently updated 2009 RX-8 R3. The pony-keg sized power plant isn't the only unique element of the RX-8, which you can read all about that after the jump.
[ Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[ Tag: featured, mazda rx-8, mazda rx-8 r3, mazda rx-8 rotary en..., mazda rx-8 rotary engine 40th anniversary edition, mazda rx8, mazda rx8 hydrogen re, MazdaRx-8, MazdaRx-8R3, MazdaRx-8RotaryEn..., MazdaRx-8RotaryEngine40thAnniversaryEdition, MazdaRx8, MazdaRx8HydrogenRe ]
Autocar drives 2010 Mazda3 prototype - "big improvement"
British mag Autocar just got through driving a 2010 Mazda3 prototype and the author seems to have come away impressed. The mag got the chance to sample the new 3 in gas and diesel variants while driving them around Iceland's coastline. They were very impressed with the new 2.2L diesel, but we'll likely just get the equally new and impressive 2.0L direct-injection gas engine here in the former colonies. They described that DI engine as "impressively smooth, refined and torquey" while routing its power through a "very slick" six-speed manual. Mazda has apparently also kept the spirit of Zoom-Zoom alive in the handling department, producing a car that is more "pointable... than is common in this class." Autocar went so far as to compare it to a Mk IV Golf V5. High praise indeed. We'll have to wait until later next month at the LA Auto Show to see how the U.S. version turns out, but for now we'll take Autocar's word on this being "a big improvement over the current car," which many of us already love.
[ Via: Autocar ]
[ Tag: mazda3 ]
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Mazda has confirmed the time and place for the unveiling of its all-new 2010 Mazda3: November 19th at the LA Auto Show. In anticipation of the car's public debut, the Japanese automaker released these three images of the remodeled 3 sedan that reveal the car's new design. While the new 3 retains a similar shape as the current model with a high beltline and rear decklid, the new car sports a much more expressive face with a "smile" grille positioned low up front that's flanked by vertical air intake/fog light combos. The front fenders, likewise, are more distinct from the elevated hood and roll nicely back into the car's forward canted character line. Out back are bigger taillights embedded in what appears to be a larger trunk above dual exhaust tips. The overall shape is a logical evolution of the current car that combines current Mazda design elements already found on the RX-8, Mazda6 and recently refreshed MX-5. Mazda also tells us that the 3 sedan will carry over its 2.0L four-cylinder, but be joined by a larger 2.5L engine to replace the current car's 2.3L. As for the Mazda3 five-door hatchback, we'll have to wait until some time after the LA Auto Show for that, though we're hoping the new Mazdaspeed3 is not far behind.
[ Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[ Tag: 2010 mazda3, 2010Mazda3, breaking, la auto show, LaAutoShow, mazda3 ]
Paris 2008: 2009 Mazda MX-5
We finally had the opportunity to check out the 2009 Mazda MX-5 in person, and despite the tweaks being minor, we like what we see.
This is one of those instances where the press pics don't do it justice. It's difficult to see the RX-8-inspired revisions to the front end, but on closer inspection, the new headlamps, five-point air dam and blistered arches all flow effortlessly into its predecessors lines. Out back, the redesigned taillamps are easy to miss, but we'll be the first to say we prefer the outgoing models red lenses.
More importantly, the 2009 model gets an extra 500 rpm before redline, new 16- and 17-inch aluminum wheels and an upgraded gearbox that has new carbon-coated synchronizers for easier, smoother shifts. Additionally, the front suspension knuckles and roll center have been revised to provide even more steering feel and a more confident ride.
Sales are set to begin in Europe towards the middle of next year, with North American sales beginning shortly thereafter. Hit the jump for the press release.
[ Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[ Tag: 2009, 2009 mazda mx-5, 2009MazdaMx-5, 2010, 2010 mazda mx-5, 2010MazdaMx-5, mazda, mx-5, mx5, paris, paris 2008, paris motor show, Paris2008, ParisMotorShow ]
Paris 2008: Mazda Kiyora concept
Like so many shows in recent memory, part of the theme in Paris is "green." So in addition to the Nissan Nuvu micro EV, Mazda took the wraps off yet another Nagare-themed concept, the Kiyora.
Taking inspiration from past design studies and its Japanese name, which translates to "clean and pure," the Kiyora will influence Mazda's next city car, due to replace the Mazda2 in the middle of the next decade. Measuring in at 3,770mm, the four-seat city car features a 1.3-liter gasoline-powered engine with direct injection and more efficient combustion chambers mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Weight and aerodynamics are two key elements of the Kiyora, and with a body made almost entirely of carbon fiber and a drag reduced by 10 percent over the current Mazda2, the diminutive city car would put out less than 90g/km of CO2... if it goes into production.
Check the press release below the fold.
[ Via: Autoblog (Mazda) ]
[ Tag: kiyora, mazda, mazda kiyora, MazdaKiyora, paris, paris 2008, paris motor show, Paris2008, ParisMotorShow ]