A U.S. version of the tiny Mazda2 goes into showrooms in 2010.
(Credit: Mazda)
A burgeoning small car market in the U.S. convinced Mazda to finally sell its tiny Mazda2 here. The car, available around the world since 2007, will be shown in U.S. spec at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It joins the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Scion xD, and Kia Soul in a subcompact market that has seen increasing sales.
The U.S. spec Mazda2 will get a 1.6-liter four cylinder engine mated to a five speed automatic transmission. Cabin tech offerings will be minimal, although a Bluetooth phone system should be present, along with audio controls on the steering wheel.
The 1.6-liter engine is the biggest offered in its world-wide marketing, with smaller powerplants also available starting at a 1.3-liter engine. Diesel engines are also in the mix, along with manual and continuously variable transmissions. In Japan, the car can also be optioned up with navigation, something that won't be available here.
Check out our upcoming coverage of the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show for full details on the U.S. Mazda2.
The Supasse V uses a Mazda-sourced engine, and will be at the Tokyo Motor Show.
(Credit: Suzusho)Lotus has few competitors, but Suzusho, a Japanese specialty carmaker, announced a car for the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show that looks like it could give the Elise S a good run. Mid-engined and weighing only 1,875 pounds, the Supasse V takes a page from the Lotus strategy book, but it remains to be seen if Suzusho can match Lotus engineering expertise for handling.
The Supasse V uses a fiberglass body and aluminum frame, explaining the low-weight figure, and takes the engine from the Mazdaspeed 3, similar to how Lotus uses engines sourced from Toyota. The turbocharged 2.3-liter four cylinder engine puts out 270 horsepower, which puts the power-to-weight ratio at 1 to 6.9.
(Credit:
Suzusho)
No interior pictures have emerged, so we don't know what kind of cabin tech you can expect, but these types of cars are usually pretty stripped down. Of course, as the car will only be sold in gadget-loving Japan, it might use technologies we've never seen before.
(Source: WorldCarFans.com)
There's a reason why the Mazda Miata is the best selling roadster of all time, and it ain't tech.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)Often, we get cars that are pretty good, but lack good cabin tech. And because our Car Tech reviews are weighted toward, well, tech, the cars' overall scores suffer and everyone berates us for "worrying too much about dumb iPod adapters" when we should be driving.
However, every once in a while, we get a car that is so good at what it does and represents such a purity of vision, that even a low tech score can be overcome for a high overall score. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of those cars that makes us forget about iPods, GPS, and other technobobblery.
While its new goofy face doesn't do any favors for the Miata's reputation as a secretary's car and its cabin tech seems to be stuck in 2004, the Mazda MX-5 roadster is one of the last true sports cars on the road today, yet also one of the cheapest.
It's all about balance and driving dynamic. Weight is at a 50/50 balance between the front and rear axles. There's not too much power, but enough to engage the chassis. Power goes out of the rear wheels, but a perfectly balanced chassis tunes out both oversteer and understeer.
The result is a car, that while sparse on the tech front, is such a joy to drive that it still managed to win over every editor who took a turn behind the wheel, making the Mazda MX-5 roadster one of the best low-tech cars...in the world.
Check out our full review and Car Tech video of the 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring.
With all the emphasis on eco-friendly cars at recent auto shows, we didn't expect to see so many performance cars in New York.
But many automakers had souped-up versions of existing models on display, giving driving enthusiasts something to enjoy. Mercedes-Benz had an AMG version of its E-class and BMW made the X6 into an M. VW launched the new GTI and Nissan NISMO'd its 370Z. Honda even showed up with a Mugen-equipped Fit.
Click here to see the designs.
What will race cars look like in 2025? The Los Angeles Auto Show, in its fifth annual Design Challenge, posed this question to automakers' design studios. Entrants from Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen show off differing takes of what will be required for future racetracks.
Mazda's Kiyora concept uses the Nagare styling theme.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)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.
The design is intended to evoke water.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)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 with minimal cargo space.
Mazda specifies a 1.3-liter engine for the Kiyora, using similar variable valve timing tech and direct injection as the 2.3-liter engine found in the CX-7. Along with low displacement, the powertrain enhances its economy with an idle-stop system, a feature commonly found in hybrid cars. Although Mazda hasn't specified actual fuel economy numbers, it does tout CO2 emissions of just 90 grams per kilometer, a particularly good rating compared with current cars.
As the theme for the Kiyora, the notion of water gets carried throughout the interior and exterior styling, and even to one innovative feature. Large translucent panels in the doors evoke the clearness of water, while the front of the car looks like a bow wave. The driver interface uses a large, curved touch screen which, when the car is stopped, shows fixed icons. Turn the car on, and these control icons flow down to positions previously set by the driver.
Organic shapes define the interior.
(Credit: CBS Interactive)As a typically exotic feature for a concept car, but still within the water theme, the roof is designed to channel rain water to a carbon filter. The filtered water is caught in a bottle between the front seats so that passengers always have fresh water on hand. This is truly the car for a water-starved future.
(Credit:
Mazda USA)
Chevrolet's Volt hasn't even been released yet and other automakers are already hard at work developing their Volt killers. Sources at Autocar say that Mazda engineers have developed a working Mazda5-based electric vehicle prototype. The prototype is said to use a rotary engine to charge a battery pack that powers an electric motor driving the wheels.
Essentially, the only thing that's keeping Mazda from putting the system into production is the high cost of batteries. Meanwhile, Mazda is said to be concentrating on more conventional green tech, such as engine start-stop technology.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
After spending time with the top-of-the-line 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring, we found much that we liked; however, we also found almost every positive thing we had to say about the SUV came with a caveat.
Inside, the CX-9's leather seats and ambient lighting give the appearance of luxury, but the materials feel cheap compared with a true luxury vehicle. The spec sheet touts an impressive amount of cabin tech, but the components don't work well together, creating a confusing experience. Overall, we formed a positive impression of the CX-9, but the vehicle lacks the final bit of polish that would make it truly shine.
Read the Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring review.
Mazda's new SUV concept uses its Nagare design language.
(Credit: Mazda)Over the last auto show season, Mazda demonstrated its new Nagare design direction with a whole series of concept cars, named Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki, and Furai. Now the company is seeing how one of these low-slung cars would look at SUV height. The new concept SUV will be shown off at the Moscow Auto Salon from August 29 to September 7. Mazda chose a compact SUV concept for this show because SUVs are popular in Russia's growing car market. Mazda only released sketches of its concept. These sketches indicate a design close to the original Nagare concept, with a similarly low cabin and pointed hood. The flowing lines on the sketches body are in keeping with the previous concepts.
For 2009, the RX-8 gets a redesigned front fascia.
(Credit: Mazda)In news releases for Japan and the U.S., Mazda announced that the 2009 RX-8 is currently being shipped to dealers. The Japanese version can be had as a Type RS, with a better sport suspension, while the U.S. equivalent is the R3 sport package. In each case, the RX-8 gets fitted with Bilstein shocks, while Mazda fills the front crossmembers with urethane foam, which should give the RX-8 a smoother ride and better handling. The Type RS and R3 cars also get Recaro seats and 19-inch wheels. Mazda also redesigned the gear ratios on the RX-8's six-speed transmission for some much-needed low-speed power.
The Japan-bound RX-8 gets hard drive-based navigation.
(Credit: Mazda)For the U.S., the R3 package adds a 300-watt Bose audio system with surround sound and Bluetooth hands-free cell phone integration. For the Japan-bound RX-8, Mazda specifies an available hard drive-based navigation system with voice command. We don't have details on the navigation system available in the U.S., but we would like to see a similar system as that offered in Japan.
We've previously reviewed the 2008 Mazda RX-8.
