mazda

Usually when we hear about hydrogen as a fuel, it's actually being used to generate electricity for an electric motor. It's no secret that Mazda's been developing a hydrogen powered version of its Renesis rotary engine for years, but now the automaker says that it will soon be mass-producing hydrogen powered vehicles. The rotary engine's unique design actually makes it well suited for using hydrogen as a combustible fuel.

In an interview with U.K. magazine Autocar, James Muir, Mazda Europe's CEO said that the company "will do the hydrogen rotary engine, but it … Read more

With Mazda's redesigned Mazda6 sedan completed and on showroom floors, the automaker has turned its attention to the smaller Mazda3.

Scheduled to be revealed at the 2008 LA Auto Show in November, Mazda has given us a sneak peek at the all-new Mazda3 sedan, and it is a sexy little number. Details are still sparse, but the first thing we notice is the dramatically swept back front end, which brings the 3's aesthetic in line with the new Mazda6. Expect more power and more space over the current incarnation, as is par for the course with model updates. … Read more

Earlier this year, we tested a Mazda's CX-9. So when we heard that we were getting a CX-7 Grand Touring in the CNET garage, we braced for more of the same, only smaller. The tiny Mazda crossover didn't disappoint; the CX-7 has a lot in common with the CX-9, particularly in its cabin tech.

However, like a scrappy little brother, the CX-7 works hard to differentiate itself from its larger sibling. On the road, the CX-7 feels faster and more connected to the road, though this comes at the expense of a little ride harshness. Everything we liked … Read more

Mazda's updates to the MX-5 Roadster (commonly known as the Miata) are incremental at best. But why fix what isn't broken when you've got the world's best-selling roadster?

See all coverage of the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

The Kiyora concept, shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, is another in Mazda's lineup of concept cars featuring Nagare styling. Mazda designers have built a new Nagare concept car for almost every major auto show. Nagare means flow in Japanese, and the cars built under this concept show styling cues that represent the way wind and water flow over earth and rock.

Although previous cars in this design theme have been low and sporty, the Kiyora captures the strong trend at the Paris show for small city cars. As such, it is designed as a compact four seater … Read more

It seemed as if everyone who we spoke to about Mazda's Mazda5 said the same thing: "It's a mini-minivan." As cheesy as that sounds, there isn't really a better way to describe what Mazda has created with the Mazda5. As fuel prices soar and its full-size MPV minivan continues to grow, Mazda hopes to do for the van market what crossovers have done for the SUV market. Based on the compact Mazda3, the Mazda5 inherits performance that comes very close to Mazda's promise of "zoom-zoom." The Mazda5 isn't really a vehicle … Read more

Automakers spend a lot of effort to keep future products away from prying eyes, but sometimes their efforts can be undone quickly.

It seems that the OHIM, the trademarks and design registration office for the European Union, revealed a future Mazda design a bit ahead of time.

While some automakers ask to have their work redacted in the interest of protecting intellectual property, somewhere along the line either Mazda or the OHIM goofed on that part of the application. As a result, the 2010 Mazda3 turned up on the OHIM's Web site as part of a routine listing of … Read more

Even though Mazda is working on an electric vehicle a la Chevy's Volt, if the barrage of e-mails in our inbox is any indicator, its engineers have been hard at work developing other green tech,too. Green tech such as a spin on start-stop engine tech, a new clean diesel, and a new plastic-molding technology that will make the manufacturing of vehicles greener.

First up is Mazda's new Smart Idle Stop System (SISS), which at first seems like the same system everyone else is already using that stops the engine at idle. Looking deeper into Mazda's specs, … Read more

The Mazda RX-8 has always combined excellent sports car handling with a truly unique look and also has suffered from poor torque, making its off-the-line performance distinctly unimpressive. For 2009 the car gets a new trim level, the R3, which mixes elements of a touring and track car and attempts to solve that torque problem through revised gear ratios.

Although the car loses nothing in handling, Mazda managed to smooth out the ride a little. But the RX-8 R3 loses some tech in translation from Japan to the U.S., giving up a navigation system. But the U.S. version … Read more