Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Mazda3 renderings

The Mazda3 has been a compact darling ever since its introduction in 2004, and even though its current design is nearly five years old, it still wins many comparison tests. Since its near the end of a design cycle, a new Zoom Zoom Mazda is on its way, and some interesting renderings have been published online of what the new Mazda3 could look like.

The design theme is decidedly Mazda6-based up front, with similarly angled LED headlights and the same basic shape, but this unofficial Mazda3 is far more "in your face." The large front air dam looks more like something from the MazdaSpeed collection, and its large opening doubles as the Mazda3's grille. The side view features clean, flowing lines and the same basic shape as the current Mazda3 hatch. Out back, football-shaped LED taillamps give this rendering a touch of class, and the similarly-shaped in-set dual exhaust looks like a concept-only touch. Due to the surprising success of the current model, the next Mazda3 has to be very, very good or it will be a big disapointment. If the next 3 looks as good as these renderings, we wouldn't be disappointed at all.


[Source: burlappcars via WorldCarFans]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Mazda MX-5.

Just as it appeared that winter was finally drawing to close here in Michigan, one of the definitive summertime cars turned up on our doorstep -- the Mazda MX-5 Miata . Somewhere back in the middle part of the last century, small, lightweight, roadsters flourished with a variety of models available from mostly British manufacturers. Names like MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey and Lotus defined the genre. Unfortunately, a number of factors such as random intermittent windshield wipers, intermittent headlights, intermittent ignition, persistent oil leaks and predisposition for the bodies to convert to iron oxide soured the reputation of these and other car builders. This was followed by the consolidation of the most of the British car industry into British Leyland and then the onset of safety and emissions regulations. By 1980, the classic British sports car had become all but extinct.

Then a strange thing happened. Mazda, always had a reputation as being slightly offbeat (witness its dedication to the Wankel rotary, which exists to this day) introduced a new model dubbed the MX-5 Miata . This compact, rear-drive two-seat roadster bore a strong resemblance to a '60s vintage Lotus Elan. However, unlike the Elan and its compatriots, the Miata started every time you turned the key, didn't leave you drenched when it rained, and didn't leave puddles of oil on your garage floor. In other words, it was a classic British sports car that worked like a modern Japanese car. Read on after the jump to find out how the latest incarnation fares.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Brad Wood / Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

Mazda has announced plans to increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles by 30 percent in the next seven years through the use of new engine technology and lighter materials. By 2015, Mazda's entire range of vehicles will roll off the assembly line some 220 pounds lighter compared to the vehicles it offers today, with a diet that includes a new three-layer wet paint system, along with more innovative materials, including carbon neutral bioplastics due to arrive in 2013.

The automaker's goal will also be realized through the use of its new proprietary Smart Idle Stop System that will debut on one of its products in 2009. Unlike other systems, the Mazda start-stop setup injects fuel directly into the cylinder after the engine has shut down and then ignites the fuel to force the piston down. According to Mazda this makes for a smoother, faster and quieter restart and should improve fuel economy by seven- to eight-percent. The Smart Idle Stop System will originally be equipped on models in Europe and Japan, with a worldwide rollout coming shortly thereafter.

In 2009, Mazda will begin offering E85-compatible engines in North America and Northern Europe, and in 2011 all of the automaker's gasoline engines will utilize direct-injection fuel delivery. That same year, Mazda will introduce new diesel engines worldwide that boost fuel economy by 20-percent and in 2010, look for a new 16X rotary engine equipped with Direct Injection Spark Ignition that will increase both performance and fuel economy.

Hit the jump to read Mazda's press release.

Click above for high-res gallery of all-new Mazda6 shots

Few cars have generated as much traffic for Autoblog lately as the all-new 2009 Mazda6. We have been talking about this car for a long time, sharing pics and renderings, rumors and speculation. While Mazda shared some official pics of the U.S. version recently, we just received some shots of one sitting out in the open that we wanted to share. Submitted by avid Autoblog reader Andre R., these dozen or so shots show a beautiful blue (blue is the new white apparently) sample parked next to a current generation Mazda6. The differences are pretty striking when these two vehicles can be viewed together. The front fascia and wheels are a touch busy, but what a beautiful shape Mazda designers have given the new 6.

Although similar to the Japanese and European-market versions, the USDM car gets the signature bisected grille with foglamps housed in silver pots at the lower corners of the front air dam. As we pointed out when the first official shots were released, the trunk, rear bumper, and exhaust are also different and arguably better looking than the simpler Japanese and Europeans versions. These photos also give us a glimpse of the interior, and we'll reserve judgment on how it functions until we get some seat time. The dash isn't the best we've seen and the seat material looks odd, but it could be the glass giving odd reflections. Thanks for the pics, Andre!



[Source: Mazda]

Click above for high-res gallery of Mazda's new CUV concept

Mazda announced today that it will debut a new compact crossover concept at this year's Moscow International Automobile Salan that incorporates the brand's Nagare design language into a more functional form. While not yet officially named, the crossover concept is said to express the design theme of "crosswinds" and is being developed specifically for the Russian market. SUVs are still popular in Russia and the market for new cars has grown large enough there to warrant the specific attention of automakers. The Moscow Motor Show will take place in late August at which time we'll get to see Mazda's Russian crossover concept, and we're told an official name will be announced in due course. Check out a few more pics in the gallery below to see if this concept is as impressive as Mazda's previous Nagare concepts, including the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai.


[Source: Mazda]

The Mazda 929 from the '90s was a rear-wheel-drive technological marvel that was ultimately unsuccessful because of its hefty price tag and Americans' infatuation with the SUV. Times have changed and big cars are cool again, with just about everybody on the market offering a large sedan. Mazda, however, is an obvious exception. The artists over at CGI Automotive decided to render out a future Mazda9 just for fun, and while it looks a bit awkward, the overall idea is pretty solid.

Out front, the blue rendering holds true to the design of the upcoming Mazda6, but Audi-like jewelry has been added to the headlamps and the lower air dams look aggressive and sporty. The bulging wheel arches borrow from the Mazda6 and RX-8, and the roof-line is tapered to give it the four-door coupe look. The one thing that would have to change is the hatchback, which might be OK on smaller Mazdas, but is unattractive for a large flagship sedan. Would we like to see a Mazda9 flagship sedan? Hell yes, the more Zoom Zoom the better. But it would have to be more distinctive and less hatch-like, or it'd suffer the same fate as the 929 of years gone by.

[Source: CGI Automotive via Carscoop]

Click above for more shots of the Mazda-rrari RX-8

Thanks to an astute reader, we now have further proof that owners of Mazda's rotary powered RX-8 wish they were driving a Ferrari instead. Not that we blame them or anything, as the Prancing Horse has been plastered on many of the finest sportscars that this world has ever seen. What we don't recommend, however, is actually attempting to replicate a Ferrari of your own with a Mazda RX-8, as the owner of said car seen in our gallery has done. It's not that the car is an RX-8, a fine vehicle in its own right,– but a Ferrari it is not. The rotary is a fun engine to wring out on the way to its 9,000 RPM redline, but it just doesn't quite match the aural pleasure that a fine Italian V12 is able to deliver.

This particular Mazda-rrari was caught at a mall in Denton, Texas, and we believe it's probably the only one in existence. Before you get real upset about all that's been done to it though, remember that it could be worse. Much, much worse. Just don't tell the guys in Maranello, they tend to get rather upset about this kind of thing. Thanks for the tip, David!

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Mazda RX-8.

You've got to hand it to Mazda for its perseverance with the Wankel rotary engine design. Ever since it's engineers managed to make it semi-reliable, the turbine-like smoothness of the quick-spinning lump has seen duty in numerous Mazda-branded vehicles, and even a few others as well. Still, despite constant engineering work and updates to the basic rotary engine design, there is a lingering question about the reliability of the design. Most owners seem happy with the engines in their RX, that is, until a seal blows or they forget to keep the oil supply topped up and it fails to restart. Or it floods in the winter, needing a tow. Alright... so there may be a few problems.

To ease the minds of RX-8 owners and owners-to-be, Mazda has reportedly decided to extend the warranty coverage for the 2004-2008 Renesis rotary engine for a period of eight years or 100,000 miles. Mazda even goes so far as to offer reimbursement to those who've spent money on engine repairs before 100,000 miles. This seems like a nice measure made in good faith on Mazda's part. After all, most educated owners of the rotary-powered cars knew what they were getting when these purchases were made, and the engine was already covered under the same basic warranty that comes standard with all Mazda vehicles. Nice work, Mazda.

In the interest of full disclosure, this particular blogger bought an RX-8 new in 2004, though it was sold two years later.


[Source: RX8Club.com]

Winding Road sat down with the newest print issue of Autocar and discovered that Mazda dealers are particularly pleased with the soap-bar aesthetic of the current MX-5. More to the point, they're hoping that Mazda designers don't nuke the fridge when the iconic roadster goes under the knife next year.

According to Autocar's sources, the new MX-5 won't benefit from the swooping Nagare theme that's expected to influence all of Mazda's future designs, primarily because dealers are happy with the current car. However, Mazda's designers want to kick up the MX-5's flavor, saying that the car was "never radical enough" for their tastes. Since we've always been split on the styling of the current MX-5, we're hoping both parties can be assuaged with a balance between mild and wild. We'll see, and we're looking forward to the clean sheet makeover the MX-5 gets in 2012.

[Source: Autocar via Winding Road]

Amazing how $4-per-gallon gas can make us sit up and notice formerly innocuous economy cars. In all fairness, cars like the Mazda2 have always shown brightly on our radar. Sporty and stylish with a bargain-basement price tag and a fuel-sipping demeanor that will keep more of those dead presidents in our pockets, it sounds like a perfect fit. When you add in the Zoom-Zoom nature of your typical Mazda, the fun factor just shoots up to 11. We've already discussed this car a bit here at AB, and have even shown you 3- and 5-door hatches we've seen in the metal, but now we are starting to get more glimpses of the sedan version undergoing desert testing. Pictures like these from Fastlane Daily give us hope that this fun little car might finally be greenlighted for sales Stateside. The car might end up being identical to the sedan we saw in China, but all of that camo makes it hard to say for certain. Whatever we end up getting, it will probably be another fun option at the low end of the car market.

Catch the latest version of FLD, co-starring the BMW X1, Nissan GT-R and Cadillac CTS wagon, after the jump.