Mazda News
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Mazda will unveil two new concept cars at this month’s 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, but unfortunately neither of them will be a sports car. One of the concepts will preview Mazda’s next-generation design themes while the other will preview the automaker’s next-generation technologies, as well as the next-generation Mazda 3 hatchback. The design concept will be in the shape of a sedan, albeit a sleek and sexy one almost resembling a coupe. Thankfully, Mazda isn’t out to replace its current Kodo design language but is simply enhancing it, giving it a bolder, more profound...
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Mazda patents active rear spoiler design inspired by RX-Vision
Mazda certainly has been on a patent spree as of late. We've reported on Aston Martin-style doors and even a twin-turbo and electrically supercharged engine. Now, the Japanese automaker has filed to protect an active rear spoiler. While plenty of active rear spoilers are on the market, Mazda earned...
Sean Szymkowski -
Relive the history of Mazda's rotary-powered icon, the RX-7
Long gone, but hardly forgotten, the Mazda RX-7 arrived on the scene in the late 1970s as an affordable sports car with the Japanese automaker's peculiar Wankel rotary engine. But, strange engine aside, it would cement itself as one of a handful of Japanese sports car icons. Donut Media returns...
Sean Szymkowski -
Watch an incredible time-lapse teardown of a Mazda MX-5 Miata engine
Apparently, Peter Gabriel is getting into the wrenching game. At least that's what this video has us reminiscing about. Gabriel, for those youngsters among us, is the musician who utilized stop-motion animation (among other art forms, including claymation) to create to the memorable "Sledgehammer"...
Jeff Glucker -
Mazda CX-8 revealed: a new 3-row SUV for Japan
Crossover SUVs with three rows are all the rage with families, and one of the more handsome options in the mainstream segment is the Mazda CX-9. However, the CX-9 is just a tad too big for some markets so Mazda is introducing a slightly smaller, more dynamically-styled 3-row SUV called the CX-8...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2020 Mazda 3 prototype first drive: Can spark-less engines ignite our passions?
In late August, exactly six next-generation 2020 Mazda 3 hatchbacks existed anywhere in the world. Each was a hand-built prototype, riding on a next-generation chassis and powered by a radical new 2.0-liter engine. We'll take two. But the car’s styling and design haven’t been...
John Voelcker -
Despite its recent breakthrough in sparkless ignition gasoline engines, Mazda has no plans to abandon the rotary engine which its executives insist is still being developed for future applications. “We’re still continuing development of the next-generation rotary engine,” Mazda engineering executive Mitsuo Hitomi told Wheels during a recent tech briefing on the sparkless ignition engine, which Mazda refers to as a Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) engine because it still uses spark ignition in some situations. Hitomi also admitted to the Australian publication...
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Mazda patents Aston Martin-esque doors, but why?
We still don't know what exactly the bright minds at Mazda are up to with regards to a new RX-branded sports car, but the Japanese automaker hasn't been shy about patenting some interesting things. For example, Mazda most recently patented Aston Martin-like doors. Why? We don't know, but they open...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mazda MX-5 Miata design proposals reveal what could have been
Everyone's favorite example of slow car that begs to be driven fast almost looked a little different from the production Mazda MX-5 Miata on the road today. The brand itself recently released a slew of images that show a handful of design proposals for what would become the...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mazda patents engine with two turbos and an electric supercharger
We have to hand it to Mazda. Lately, the small Japanese automaker has punched well above its weight with the announcement it would bring a gasoline Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) to market in 2019, dubbed Skyactiv-X. But, what's this? Another piece of news surrounding a future Mazda...
Sean Szymkowski -
Here's how Mazda's HCCI engine works
Mazda took the industry by storm when earlier this month it announced plans to introduce gasoline-powered Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines in 2019. HCCI engines are typically referred to as the holy grail of internal-combustion engine technology since they're extremely...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mazda confirms HCCI engine for 2019
Mazda on Tuesday laid out a company-wide strategy that looks ahead to the year 2030. Chief among the plans is the introduction of the world’s first production Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine. Mazda says the technology will appear in 2019 in a next-generation Skyactiv-X...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
It's hard to believe it's been nearly 30 years since the first Mazda roadster, which would be dubbed the NA generation, debuted. A lot has happened in that amount of time, and like many older cars, the original Mazda MX-5 Miata has become a rarer breed. Mazda of Japan wants to restore the magic that was—and still is—the original NA Miata. Last year at this time at the Automobile Council Japan, Mazda said a full restoration program would begin for the first-gen Miata. The first cars restored in that program showed up late last week, though those were trial cars, probably owned by...
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2019 Mazda 3 coming with world-first HCCI tech?
Fuel-saving Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) technology has been in development for decades but could soon make an appearance in a production car. Early this year, it was reported that Mazda was looking to introduce an HCCI engine in 2018. Now, Motoring is reporting that the first...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mazda and Toyota join on electric cars, US plant
Mazda and Toyota agreed on Friday to collaborate on a wide range of areas including development of electric and connected car technologies, as well as production facilities. Crucially, the two will also form a shared capital structure, continuing the trend of consolidation among the major...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mazda 3 hill-climb car hides a high-horsepower rotary secret
Through the trees, you hear it coming. It sounds like bees, and they're angry. And there are thousands of them. Don't worry, though, because it's not a horde of angry honeymakers intent on rebuilding their armies. Instead, it's an angry race car and it's here to dominate the surrounding hills. This...
Jeff Glucker -
Koenigsegg's test driver lapped the 'Ring in 7:49.74 in a Miata
What's quicker than a Lamborghini Murcielago, Ford GT, and BMW M4 around the Nürburgring? None other than a Mazda Miata, believe it or not. Well, it's not a stock Mazda Miata, but the feat is pretty spectacular nonetheless. Koenigsegg's test driver, Robert Serwanski, recently took to The Green...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mazda marks 50 years of rotary cars
It was 50 years ago today that Mazda unveiled its first rotary-powered car to the world. The car was the Cosmo 110S sports car which made its debut at the 1967 Tokyo auto show. It was Mazda’s first sports car, and all the more newsworthy because the automaker up till then had only been known...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
As soon as sports car fans discovered the Miata was a fantastic roadster, some started asking for a stylish coupe version. That was probably a couple days after the first Miata hit the street in 1989. I'd argue that the 2017 MX-5 Miata RF answers that call. Coupe, roadster, or targa? The latest version of the Miata isn't technically a coupe, but it works better as one than it does as a roadster. The difference between it and the standard roadster is a power top mechanism that adds 113 pounds to the overall weight and lends an unmistakable beauty to Mazda's two-seater...with the top up, that...
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Report: Mazda to launch HCCI engine in 2018
Not all gasoline engines need spark plugs to ignite their fuel. A process called homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) uses compression to ignite the fuel, just like in a diesel engine. Several automakers have experimented with HCCI engines over the years, but Mazda may be the first to...
Stephen Edelstein -
Mazda CX-5, MX-5 Miata RF get customized cool for 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon is Japan’s version of the SEMA show. It’s held each year in January and highlights the best on offer from Japan’s popular tuning scene. The OEMs also like to get in on the action and in 2017 one of the biggest fleets on display will be found on the Mazda...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2017 Mazda CX-5 debuts with new look, promised diesel
Mazda on Tuesday pulled back the wraps on its redesigned CX-5. The popular compact crossover SUV has been freshened up, and Mazda is saying it's an all-new version of the sharp-looking fun-driving model. First launched for the 2013 model year, the CX-5 represented the first expression of Mazda...
Jeff Glucker -
Mazda ready to bring diesels to US in second half of 2017
Consumer perception of turbodiesel engines may be near an all-time low in the United States, but that's not stopping Mazda from finally bringing its own oil-burning mills to American dealer lots. Mazda is the king of slow-car-fast, and diesel could bring that to a new level. The automaker has...
Jeff Glucker -
Mazda goes with sexy and sinister for MX-5 concepts at SEMA
Mazda impressed us at the 2015 SEMA show when it unveiled a lightweight speedster concept based on its fourth-generation MX-5 Miata, which at the time was just hitting the market. On Tuesday at the 2016 SEMA show, Mazda unveiled an evolved version of its MX-5 Speedster concept that’s been...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran