This is a 1993 mazda rx-7 I's had some stuff done to it but it's still cool.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
2010 Mazda CX7 in Toronto
2010 Mazda CX7 facelift that comes with a re-designed exterior and interior has been unveiled by Mazda in Toronto.
With a new DOHC 16-valve 2.5 liter MZR four-cylinder engine coupled with a Front-Wheel Drive system through a 5-speed automatic transmission, 2010 Mazda CX7 outputs 161 hp at 6000rpm and 161 lb-ft of torque at 3500rpm.
Mazda CX7 (2010) also offers the choice of 244 hp at 5,000 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm with the MZR 2.3L DISI Turbo (direct injection DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder) engine.
2010 Mazda CX7 comes with a larger five-point grille design at the front, while the rear end has also been refreshed.
2010 Mazda CX7 interior features a Blind Spot Monitoring System, a 3.5 inch super-twisted nematic (STN) monochrome, blackout meters, 4.1 inch thin-film transistor (TFT) color Multi Information Display (MID).
Monday, October 19, 2009
Mazda MX-5 Superlight Concept
If you like your roadsters with a few more wind-in-the-hair thrills, then the Mazda MX-5 Superlight could be just the car for you!
Built to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Mazda’s iconic roadster, the Superlight was unveiled at last month’s Frankfurt motor show. However we’ve taken it off the show stand and driven the back-to-basics prototype in its natural environment − the open road.
And if it looked outlandish on the turntable, in the real world it’s even more of a head turner. Aside from the carbon fibre panels around the cockpit and a 30mm reduction in ride height, the exterior is almost identical to the standard MX-5. However, the lack of windscreen and the large roll hoops visually lengthen, widen and lower the Superlight, making this the most masculine-looking MX-5 ever.
Inside all that remains from the production line is the basic dashboard architecture, which is retrimmed in tan leather. Bare metal doors and floor ensure that there’s nothing besides a neatly integrated iPod to distract you from driving. Even the heater has been removed.
By placing the MX-5 on a crash diet, Mazda’s crack team of designers and engineers have reduced the MX-5 Superlight’s weight to just 995kg. So despite using the lower power 125bhp 1.8-litre engine from the production MX-5 ¬− the featherweight concept can still accelerate from 0 to 62mph in just 8.9 seconds. But on the road it’s the visceral onslaught that reveals so much more than raw performance figures.
Slip into the racing carbon fibre seat, pull the four-point harnesses tight around your shoulders, thumb the starter button, pull up the clutch and, with no windscreen to protect you from the elements, it’s pure driving pleasure turned up to 11, even at modest speeds.
Acceleration is keen rather than crushing but is accompanied by a sporty rasp from the twin exhaust pipes. The snappy five-speed gearbox is a delight to use, too.
But the real difference can be felt during cornering where the reduced weight and uprated suspension bring the light, accurate steering to life. There’s virtually no body roll and grip levels are impressively high. In fact, almost too high as the engine doesn’t have enough torque to slide the rear while exiting tight corners.
A full-face helmet would be essential for longer journeys although the firm ride is surprisingly comfortable and fuel economy is a very impressive 45mpg thanks to the low weight and small engine.
Mazda MX-5 Miata
we came upon my ride for the night: a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Loaded with just about every feature available, our yellow test car costs $29,310, weighs 2511 pounds (per Mazda), and is rated by the EPA at a combined 24 mpg. That would be about a third the X6 M’s price, less than half its weight, and nearly twice its efficiency. As I flicked back the manual top, started up the feisty four-cylinder engine, and snicked the six-speed transmission into first gear, I couldn’t help but cast a glance at the X6 and wonder how dated it seemed.
I’m not trying to pick on BMW. The X6 M is just one of several vehicles hitting the market that probably seemed like good ideas in product planning meetings a few years ago but are now hopelessly out of touch. The sudden falling out of fashion so many new vehicles have experienced only heightens the irony in the fact that, twenty years after its introduction, the Miata is the perfect car for our new automotive era.
The art of the fine roadster, as we all know, lies eking out as much fun as possible from humble components, so it’s only natural that it appeals most in lean times. The concept coalesced in England during that country’s hungry postwar years. Mazda, for its part, launched the Miata during the recessionary late 1980s/early 1990s, and hewed perfectly to classic roadster strengths. It was light, fast, efficient, and cheap ($13,800). But then, a funny thing -- or rather several funny things -- happened. The Soviet Union fell, the Internet made millionaires out of college students, gas prices stayed incredibly low, and everyone, it seems, bought (or financed) a house and a large SUV. None of this dampened the Miata’s success –- it became the best-selling sports car of all time and won nearly every accolade in the industry, including our very first Automobile of the Year award. But for most of its two decades on the market, the Miata has been a quirky exception, the anti-SUV for folks who apparently didn’t notice that they could get more horsepower in a family sedan.
It’s only now, as we slowly dig out of a financial mess and look ahead at drastically tightening fuel economy standards, that the Miata once more seems like not only a great car, but a great idea as well, one that deserves to be copied. Ironic then, that it’s now nearly alone in the market. The Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky are dead, as are the Toyota MR2 Spyder and the Honda S2000. The new performance vehicles we do see, fun though they may be, are becoming ever larger, heavier, and more expensive.
Mazda Drops Preview of New SKY Clean Engine Series
t is no secret that Mazda refuses to separate driving excitement with environmentally friendliness. The engineers and designers are adamant that a car can be fun to drive, and still be clean and efficient. It is from this thinking that Mazda has been able to create the SKY clean engine concepts.
The first of these new engines is the SKY-G, which features an advanced direct injection system to provide better fuel economy and reduce tailpipe emissions. The second engine, and one that has the attention of many people, is the SKY-D. The SKY-D is listed as a clean diesel burning engine, which means more miles per gallon and more torque where it counts.
Both of these new engines will surely be attached to the recently introduced SKY-Drive automatic transmission. All three powertrain components will be present at the upcoming Tokyo Motor show.
Mazda's Kiyora concept incorporates its new engine and automatic transmission technology
Mazda's Kiyora concept incorporates its new engine and automatic transmission technology
A large array of new environmental solutions - backed by an even larger array of bizarre and baffling slogans - will mark Mazda's presence at this week's Tokyo motor show.
Core to Mazda's stand at Tokyo will be its next-generation line-up of engines and automatic transmissions, headed by the SKY-G direct-injection petrol engine, the SKY-D clean diesel engine and the SKY Drive high-efficiency automatic transmission.
The over-arching theme for Mazda's stand will be "The Mazda SKY concept - Providing driving pleasure and environmental and safety features for all customers!".
Under the sub-headings of "Tomorrow" and "The Future", Mazda will display technologies aimed at improving the average fuel economy of the firm's vehicles on sale around the globe by 30 per cent before 2015, compared to 2008 levels.
Highlighting what it says it a "Sustainable Zoom Zoom" policy, Mazda's stand will demonstrate how the firm's engineers are improving engines, gearboxes and vehicle weight to meet the fuel-consumption goal, thus ensuring an "Everlasting blue sky".
Mazda claims to have used "unconventional thinking" to achieve optimal performance in its engines and new transmission in a process known internally as "sky's the limit".
The SKY-G petrol engine is designed to reduce mechanical friction and to improve the air-fuel mix, improving fuel economy and torque by 15 per cent compared to current engines.
Mazda kicks off tariff-led price cuts
Mazda RX-8
An end-of-year buying frenzy is on the cards as companies prepare to pass on the scheduled reduction in import duties.
Australian car buyers could be in for an end-of-year bonanza as nervous car makers prematurely pass on an impending cut in import duties to prop up the fragile recovery in the new-car market.
Australia's top-selling import-only brand, Mazda, has already signalled its intention, passing on the tariff cut more than two months ahead of time.
The drop in import tariff on passenger cars from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, due on January 1, equates to a discount of about 3 per cent on the car maker's list price.
Mazda has dropped the price of its most popular car, the Mazda3, by about $930 and the price of its RX-8 sports car by more than $2000.
Luxury car buyers will feel the biggest benefit, though, with the price of a Porsche Carrera S set to drop by as much as $8000 if the manufacturer passes on the tariff reduction in full.
BMW is offering substantial discounts at the moment to safeguard against buyers holding off their purchase decision in anticipation of a January price cut.
The company has a $4000 “Efficient Dynamics” credit on all its vehicles between now and November 30, while rival Audi is also running a price promotion.
While neither manufacturer admits the reductions are related to the tariff situation, one industry source said there was a connection. “People might start asking the question about a January price reduction and these discounts are designed to make sure there's no incentive to wait,” he said.
The tariff drop won't directly affect all brands and models, as a growing number of cars already attract no tariff because they are imported from Thailand, which has a free trade agreement with Australia. Most of Honda's passenger car range is sourced from Thailand, while a number of leading one-tonne utes and vans also hail from there.
Cars from the US, such as BMW's X5 and Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge products also attract no tariff, although all brands will be affected if their competitors pass on the reduction.
Four-wheel-drive buyers won't get any benefit from the change, because 4WDs already attract a lower 5 per cent tariff due to a government ruling that treats them as commercial vehicles, not passenger cars.
The regulation change could, however, bring a flood of new soft-roaders on to the market, with some manufacturers looking at bring in front-wheel-drive versions of popular soft-roaders as a result of the tariff cut.
The cut will remove an anomaly in the current tariff regime, where two-wheel-drive versions of the same vehicle have attracted twice the tariff of the 4WD versions. Toyota's popular RAV4 compact soft-roader is one vehicle tipped to get a front-wheel-drive version early next year as a result of the change. Already this year, Nissan has brought in a front-wheel-drive version of its Dualis soft-roader in anticipation of the reduction.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Mazda confirms Mazda2 will be sold in U.S. and Canada
Mazda had already announced plans to sell the Mazda2 in Canada, but now Mazda's subcompact will be coming to America as well. Mazda North American Operation's president and CEO Jim O'Sullivan told top Mazda dealers that the Mazda Mazda2 subcompact will be sold in the U.S. beginning in late 2010, with Canadian sales beginning about the same time.
The Mazda2 has been sold in world markets but not thought appropriate for the U.S. With the Ford Fiesta, which shares a platform with the Mazda2, scheduled to arrive here in the summer of 2010, it must have made sense to bring Mazda's subcompact Stateside.
"As consumers' tastes and attitudes toward small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least-expensive car, the Mazda3," O'Sullivan told the dealers.
Mazda 2 coming to America
(Mazda)
Mazda today said it would begin selling its redesigned 2 hatchback in the US and Canada by the end of 2010, the latest of several European and Japanese subcompacts finally taking a stake in the American market.
“You’ve asked us for it for a while now, and we’ve been studying the market to make sure we can make a business case for it across North America,” said Mazda's North American president Jim O’Sullivan to a dealer conference today. “As consumers’ tastes and attitudes toward small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least-expensive car, the Mazda 3."
The Mazda 2, based off the Ford Fiesta which is also coming to the US next year as a 2011 model, has been on sale in Europe since 2007 (and has a longer history in Japan, where it's known as the Demio). The latest version, which debuted next to the Fiesta 3- and 5-door models at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, offers a choice of 1.3 and 1.5 liter four-cylinder engines, plus a 1.4 liter turbodiesel. We'll see the US version at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in December, and expect the US to get the 1.5 liter, which is good for 102 horsepower.
Mazda Raising Cash for Hybrid Development
(Mazda USA)
The car company will issue 363 million new shares, roughly a quarter of their current outstanding stock, and sell 96.8 million shares acquired last year from Ford. Ford sold off most of its 33 percent stake in Mazda last year as the global economy worsened.
Around two-thirds of the funds would go toward developing safer, more fuel-efficient cars, according to the company, which is trying to close the gap with Toyota and Honda. Mazda currently offers just one hybrid car – the Tribute – which uses technology developed by Ford.
The rest of the money would go toward general capital investment.
Mazda also reported a quicker-than-expected rebound in their second quarter, which saw a return to profitability at the operating level.
The car company is also trimming its projected losses for the fiscal year and bolstered its sales forecast, according to the Financial Times. In general, the Japanese auto market's production slump eased in August.
Mazda Gains Most in Two Months on Share-Sale Plan
Mazda Motor Corp., 13.8 percent owned by Ford Motor Co., rose the most in more than two months after saying it will sell new shares to raise capital and narrowing its full-year loss forecast.
Mazda rose 7.6 percent, the most since July 30, to close at 199 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The Hiroshima-based company will raise as much as 96 billion yen ($1.1 billion) by selling as many as 363 million new shares and 96.8 million existing shares held by the carmaker, it said yesterday. It also narrowed its loss forecast for the year ending in March.
“Mazda’s action spread relief that its balance sheet and cash flow will improve,” said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. in Tokyo, which manages 3.4 trillion yen. “Its revision of earnings also provided positive news.”
The automaker follows All Nippon Airways Co., Nomura Holdings Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. in raising cash by selling equity. Mazda’s stock fell for seven consecutive trading days before announcing the share sale, losing 20 percent. The shares are up 30 percent this year.
Rumors ‘Hammered’ Stock
“There were earlier rumors of a share sale, which hammered the stock before the announcement,” said Mitsuo Shimizu, an analyst at Tokyo-based Cosmo Securities Co. “Investors may now be viewing this positively, as companies gather capital for possibly expanding businesses.”
Mazda will use the funds to develop less polluting cars and improve its financial base, it said. The carmaker has said it will boost fuel efficiency by 30 percent on average by 2015 from 2008 levels by introducing new gasoline and diesel engines.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Mazda CX-7 SUV
Mazda CX-7 is one of the world's first production SUVs to combine a sporty design and driving experience with SUV practicality and roominess. Since its launch in 2006, this unique Mazda CX-7 sports crossover SUV has steadily gained in popularity around the world, selling about 190,000 units and winning 15 automotive awards. In Europe, it found more than 30,000 owners in the growing non-premium compact SUV segment in less than two years. Europeans are attracted to its sporty design, its fun-to-drive nature and its mix of everyday practicality, roominess and quality feel.
The new Mazda CX-7 facelift model refines this package of attributes even further and is engineered to be more sophisticated, sustainable and emotionally appealing. While retaining the sporty nature of the original model, the Mazda CX-7 facelift improves ride comfort and handling stability, and combines this with lower noise levels in the cabin for a more sophisticated interior environment. It is also more sustainable with the introduction of a new, clean-running diesel that delivers high power and torque, low fuel consumption and Euro Stage V compliance. The design of the facelift received updates to make it even more emotionally appealing with a new, more dynamic Mazda family face, premium exterior detailing and a higher quality feel. And updated suspension settings further refine its driving performance.
Mazda CX-7 Design
At launch in 2007, Mazda CX-7 Mazda's sports crossover SUV featured an advanced design that gave it an emotional appeal usually reserved for sports cars. Taking this as their basis, designers of the facelift enhanced Mazda CX-7's sporty nature and sophisticated character even further. They introduced a new, more dynamic front end, improved build quality and added premium details for a sense of refinement.
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