
mazda 6 us 02
Mazda is planning an August launch for its all-new
Mazda6 midsize sedan in North America, almost a year after the car was first displayed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Part of the reason for the delay is because the new car has been specifically designed for North America and includes a larger body and more powerful engines than the
global version. Handling and comfort were also optimized for North American road conditions.
The North American Mazda6 will be powered by a newly developed 2.5L inline four-cylinder engine or a 3.7L V6. The four-cylinder is already available in the European and Japanese Mazda6 models, while the V6 engine is the same unit from the CX-9 SUV. Mazda is yet to reveal power ratings for the four-cylinder but expect to see more than 156hp offered by the previous 2.3L mill. The V6, meanwhile, should deliver the same 273hp as the unit in the CX-9.
A six-speed manual and a five-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode will be available for the four-cylinder, while the V6 is only available with a a six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode. The only bodystyle will be the four-door sedan. Other unique features of the North American version include a new grille and rear fascia and bigger fenders.
The car will be built at the same AutoAlliance International Flat Rock site in Michigan where the previous version was sourced. The car will first hit showrooms in August and should be priced from just under $20,000.
North American 2009 Mazda6European Mazda6North American 2009 Mazda6
European 2009 Mazda6
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By chris Posted: 4/25/2008 7:31am PDT
I hope the new 3 is significantly different than this styling. thats the rumour anyways. i know they took the first 6 and got the 3 from it, but this design is more suited for a larger (read: boring) car. the new 3 had better be a really big move in the other direction.
cmon mazda, you're so close to convincing me of switching from ford. you're almost there... make it happen. seal the deal.
By Savedsol Posted: 4/25/2008 9:26am PDT
By chris Posted: 4/25/2008 9:43am PDT
it's on the same all new mechanicals as the world version, and generally speaking, the difference is only in the body work. which again, if you compare with the international model, has more accents to make it stand out. for example, those funky exhaust pipes.
the only thing this one doesnt have compared to others is a range of small engines. but would you really want anything smaller than a 2.3L in this beast?
By MyWheelsOnWalls.com Posted: 4/25/2008 10:35am PDT
My current Mazda 6 wagon has been great and I was looking forward to the new one.
By Another Manual Tranny Bites the Dust Posted: 4/25/2008 10:59am PDT
By chris Posted: 4/25/2008 11:00am PDT
ford and mazda mostly are an engineering, parts, and facilities partnership. the autoalliance plant in flat rock for example makes the 6 and all of the Mustangs. ford gave mazda 1 billion in cash, straight up, for them to engineer the first 6, with the intent to harvest the platform for global operations. ford's mid sized cars run on a mazda platform, and mazda's small car runs off a collaborative platform. the B-series, and tribute, are rebadged rangers and escapes. the ford probe was also a mazda.......... you get the picture. they only collaborate on things that they both can agree on, for mutual benefit.
By Mike Posted: 4/25/2008 11:40am PDT
By Ivan Posted: 4/25/2008 1:32pm PDT
By MyWheelsOnWalls.com Posted: 4/26/2008 1:51am PDT
Mike O'Driscoll for instance started at Jaguar before Ford owned them and then went off to run Lincoln and is now back at Jaguar with a Ford way of managing (although now sold to Tata Motors it should be interesting what happens).
Most of Mazda's managers started on the bottom at Jaguar moved up within then were sent off to various upper management roles within the Ford brand before landing key positions at Mazda.
Platform sharing has nothing to do with what Mazda gets to sell in America it all comes down to what Ford trained its "robots" to decide.
By ohmy Posted: 4/26/2008 10:49am PDT
By YetAgain Posted: 8/13/2008 11:56pm PDT
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