2011 Mazda6 Wagon
For the High and Mid-Power versions, engineers reduced the outlet diameter of the turbocharger’s turbine impeller from 41.5 mm to 36 mm, which reduces turbine inertia by 24 percent and increases torque. As a result, the High-Power version provides substantially improved sixth-gear acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h. The Mid-Power version now has 10 Nm more torque where it is most needed — in the 1,400-1,600 rpm range — for an exciting acceleration feel.
The Mazda 6 facelift Standard-Power diesel offers a great combination of lively power and low fuel consumption. To achieve this, torque was increased by reducing the outlet diameter of the turbocharger’s turbine impeller even further (from 41.5 mm to 32 mm), thereby reducing turbine inertia by approximately 51%, and by reducing the outer diameter of the compressor impeller itself from 57 mm to 47 mm, thereby increasing torque by 30 Nm in the 1,400 rpm to 2,400 rpm range.
This delivers high torque at low- and mid-range engine speeds, and great engine response. The Standard- Power version of 2011 Mazda 6 Wagon produces 95 kW/129 PS of maximum output at 3,500 rpm and 340 Nm of maximum torque while using only 5.2 liters of fuel per 100 km.
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New Mazda5
Mazda Motor Corp. expects that better fuel economy and a more functional interior will boost sales of the redesigned Mazda5 minivan when it goes on sale in the United States in January.
The automaker aims to sell 20,000 to 30,000 a year in the United States, Thomas Pixton, senior managing executive officer, said at the vehicle’s July 1 launch in Japan.
Mazda sold 18,488 Mazda5s in the United States last year, down 16 percent from 2008.
The redesigned version gets Mazda’s smile-shaped grille and wave-inspired side styling. It remains almost 2 feet shorter in length than minivans from Chrysler Group and Honda Motor Co.
“We’re looking for a sales increase in the new model because of increased environmental performance and a better interior,” Pixton said. “Minivans have gotten bad press. But we’re getting a generation of stylish minivans with dynamics much closer to sedans.”
Mazda says the revamped Mazda5 will get up to 15 percent better fuel economy because of a direct-injection gasoline engine and the company’s “i-stop” engine idle-stop technology. But it is still unclear whether the U.S. version will get the start-stop feature. The 2010 Mazda5 with automatic transmission is ranked by the EPA at 21 mpg city/27 highway.
A reworked interior can be adapted to multiple seating arrangements for up to seven people in three rows.
Updated 2010 Mazda6
If you’ve been waiting with baited breath for the new Mazda 6, you’ll be pleased to know that the car maker has brought forward the on sale date for the upgraded models for 2010.
Already in Mazda showrooms, the new 19-strong range features an updated exterior and interior, along with additional equipment and a range of technical enhancements that improve fuel economy by up to 6.4% and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 6.1%.
Two body styles of hatchback and estate are on offer, with six engines (three petrol and three diesel) and four equipment levels – S, TS, TS2, and Sport – to choose from.
A new 2-litre DISI petrol engine delivers 155ps (up from 147ps), while the lower power 2.2-litre diesel generates more power and torque – up 4ps to 129ps and up 20Nm to 340Nm at 1,800rpm. The highest power 2.2-litre diesel now produces 180ps (down 5ps) but modifications to the turbocharger boost torque delivery (while aiding fuel economy and cutting emissions).
A Sport 2.0-litre petrol model with Mazda’s five-speed automatic transmission has been introduced after dealers reported a demand for a top-of-the-range model with this specification.
The upgraded Mazda6 achieves fuel economy average improvements of 3.2% for petrol and 4.1% for diesel and CO2 emission reductions average 4.4% and 4.8% respectively, so the lower power 2.2-litre, 129ps diesel hatchback now has a rating of just 138g/km. These improvements move many models into a lower RFL band. All new Mazda6 models now meet Euro5 emission standards.
Upgraded equipment for the new Mazda6 encompasses ‘smart’ turn indicators and emergency stop signal for all models. Additional items for 2010, moving up the range include: rear spoiler (TS upwards); front & rear parking sensors and hill hold assist (TS2 upwards), and swivel‑type AFS front lights (Sport).
A choice of eight exterior colours is available – including a single solid colour (brilliant black), two metallics (clear water blue and sunlight silver), and five micas (black, graphite, stormy blue, copper red and crystal white pearl). Standard interior trim is black cloth (S, TS and TS2), with part cloth/part leather trim on Sport models. Full leather trim is now available as an option on all TS2 and Sport models, and includes powered driver and front passenger seats with a memory function on the driver’s seat.
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This is the ‘90 RX-7 of Merritt Nord. He bought it from a person who worked at the Department of Labor and has given it new custom paint and top.
The key design feature of the new Mazda 5 is the “Nagare Flow” design language, seen on previous Mazda concepts such as the Furai, and features striking swash lines along the side of the car, as well as Mazda’s trademark front end treatment.
The new Mazda 5 retains the rear sliding doors of its predecessor, and can boast of seating capacity of up to seven passengers, in three rows of seats. According to Hideki Matsuoka, Mazda5 Program Manager, “Our main goal with the all-new Mazda5, was to develop a new C-MAV (C-segment Multi Activity Vehicle) that combines the superior environmental performance these times demand with a new expression in stylish design.”
Under the hood, the Mazda 5 will receive a brand new 2.0-litre DISI1 four-cylinder petrol engine with direct injection that comes with an engine stop-start system called i-stop. There will also be a 1.8-litre petrol unit that produces 115bhp and 165Nm of torque, with six-speed manual transmissions standard for both. The all new Mazda 5 is expected to go on sale later this year.
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Additional club merchandise including the following can be found at our Fieldhouse Club Store located at www.fieldhouse.com/mazdaclub .
New Mazda RX-7
This shouldn’t be the first time that you’ve heard about Mazda bringing back the RX-7. However this time the news seems to be official, and even the current economic climate won’t stop the Japanese automaker from unveiling the new sports car in 2011 as a replacement for the not so successful RX-8. All three previous generations of Mazda’s rotary experimental 7 have been bona fide sports cars that offer their operators a lightweight chassis with razor sharp handling and the exhilaration of rear wheel drive that culminated with the FD3S and despite being down a few ponies from the competition, it made genuine Japanese super cars like the Skyline GT-R and NSX head for the hills.
The next generation RX-7 will be powered by Mazda’s all new Renesis 16X power plant which debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show inside of the Taiki concept car. The Renesis(2) rotary engine is a 1.6 Liter twin rotor motor that will develop a maximum output of 350 HP and 215 lb-ft of torque. The new RX-7’s exterior will be inspired by the Furai concept and will go head to head with other sport compacts like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and eventual Toyota FT-86 as well as Japanese thoroughbreds like the Nissan 370Z. If you were excited by the muscle car market coming back into full swing you might want save a little bit of emotion for the return of the sport compact tuning scene.
Sahlen Mazda3
Team Sahlen will return to compete in the 2010 KONI Challenge Series. But instead of competing in their SpeedSource built Mazda RX-8, the team will be trading in their rotary power for some turbo power. For 2010, Team Sahlen will be campaigning a brand new 2010 MAZDASPEED3 being built by SpeedSource. The MAZDASPEED3 will be completed and delivered to Team Sahlen at the January Test Days at Daytona International Speedway
For 2010, Mazda has identified a new opportunity, entering the all-new MAZDASPEED3 five-door in the hotly contested KONI Challenge series in the Street Tuner (ST) class. MAZDASPEED engineers will work in partnership with SpeedSource to develop the car with all parts and information shared with all Mazda customers.
Joe Sahlen, Team Sahlen “We are very excited to have the opportunity to be able to campaign this brand new MAZDASPEED3 for Mazda. I enjoyed getting to drive the RX-8 in ST for the past 3 years. But now I am truly motivated to be stepping behind the wheel of this new SpeedSource built racer. Team Sahlen raced a turbo front wheel drive sport compact from a different Manufacturer a few years ago in KONI challenge, and we had great success with it. Hopefully some of the lessons we learned can be off assistance in the evolution of the MAZDASPEED3 into a winner in the ST class.
Sylvain Tremblay, SpeedSource Inc. “Its very significant to our goals that we now have Team Sahlen joining our efforts to campaign the brand new 2010 MAZDASPEED3 in the KONI Challenge Series. Having Team Sahlen as a partner with SpeedSource and MAZDASPEED in both the KONI and ROLEX series will be a strong benefit as we all work to take on the competition in both Grand American classes.”
Will Nonnamaker, Team Sahlen “By trading in our KONI ST class RX-8 for the MAZDASPEED3, I feel that now we can be of great assistance Mazda in winning the 2010 Manufacturer’s Title. In 2009, Team Sahlen assisted in capturing several top Mazda finishes to secure 2nd in the Manufacturer battle. But now, with the MAZDASPEED3, I feel that Mazda has to be one of the odds on favorites to capture the series crown.”
Steve Sanders, MAZDASPEED Motorsports “The greatest complement we receive is when racers chose to buy our products to race. And having Team Sahlen choose our products to race in both the ROLEX and KONI series is proof of what we are trying to achieve. Team Sahlen is the last competitor in the KONI Challenge Series to win in a Front Wheel Drive Mazda. Hopefully that experience and knowledge will assist as the MAZDASPEED3 goes head-to-head with many of the same cars that our customers cross-shop.”
David Spitzer, Grand-Am “The KONI Challenge has over a dozen makes and models competing for the most diverse grid in racing. We are happy to welcome the new MAZDASPEED3 to the series.”
The car: The KONI Challenge Spec MAZDASPEED3 will feature a “crate stock engine” with a sealed factory ECU. All SpeedSource developed parts will be sold through MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development. This will ensure the same level of customer support that has made the RX-8 the car of choice in the Rolex Grand-Am GT championship. The street going MAZDASPEED3 has a standard 263hp turbocharged Mazda MZR engine and has a base MSRP of $23,945.
Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America. More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver’s license can now begin a professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family. A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.
In addition to campaigning in the KONI Series with the SpeedSource MAZDASPEED3, Team Sahlen will also be debuting their recently acquired SpeedSource Mazda RX-8s in the ROLEX Sports Car Series during 2010. Both the GT & ST class Mazdas will be identically painted in the Team Sahlen Red, Black and Yellow branding that fans have become so familiar with over the years.
Phoenix Promotions is the organization that prepares the race cars for the Team Sahlen campaign. Phoenix Promotions’ history with MAZDASPEED dates all the way back to 1993 with the introduction of the new MX-6 Model.
The MX-6 competed in the ST class. Along the way, the team won the 1996 Rising Star Award, 1997 & 1998 Team Championships. Additionally the team secured Amateur crowns for Mazda: SCCA NEOHIO 1995 ITE class & 1997 SSA class titles. For 1999, the team unveiled the latest edition of the 626 model and won the Driver Championship. In all, 13 Professional Race Victories were accumulated by the team for Mazda. Then starting in 2007, the team rejoined Mazda by campaigning a RX-8 in the ST class. The KONI ST campaign continues into 2010, with the addition of 2 RX-8s in the ROLEX GT class.
The 2010 Team Sahlen ROLEX & KONI Challenge Series Campaign will be supported by MAZDASPEED, HRPWorld.com, HAWK Performance, Cool Shirt, TheRaceSite.com, Grassroots Motorsports, Holliday Canopies, Alcon, CM Racing, Genesis Technologies, Endurance Karting and SpeedSource Engineering.
A new report adds to the story. Mazda’s design chief, Ikuo Maeda, has said he wants to see a new RX-7 built.
The key constraint on Maeda’s desire: the market. As always, a new car from Mazda must have a business case behind it, perhaps now more than ever. Speculation on what the RX-7 successor might evenutally look like is just that, but it can almost be guaranteed to feature two seats instead of the Mazda RX-8′s four, and a rotary engine.
The desire for a new RX-7 is not new within the company, but it’s heartening to hear it from the man that currently holds the post. Former Mazda design global design chief Lauren Van den Acker had previously been behind a project expected to be called the RX-9, a sort of spiritual successor to the RX-7 featuring an up-rated 16X Renesis rotary engine and possibly a dual-clutch transmission, pointing at halo-car aspirations. Maeda took over as lead designer at Mazda in April 2009.
Looking as far back as 2007, the the modern revival of the RX-7 was being foretold in general terms with the Taiki concept, a two-seater which featured the same 1.6-liter, 270-horsepower 16X Renesis rotary expected for the next-gen car. The concept’s materials and design also hint at a lightweight goal for the car, possibly as low as 2,600 pounds–a figure almost unheard of in today’s age of crash testing, pedestrian safety and full-featured interiors.
In February of 2009, rumors re-emerged of work for the RX-9, confirming the previous iterations of the rumor in terms of hardware and goals. A patent application from May of 2009 also revealed Mazda’s work on the direct injection in the rotary form factor, yet another indication that work behind the scenes is already well underway.
It will still likely be several years until any potential production model is revealed, however, as the car must go through prototyping, concept and testing stages first. If Mazda decides the market might bite on a new RX-7, however, expect to begin seeing test mules and prototypes in our spy shots soon.
Mazda has released details of its MX-5 Superlight concept.
Mazda MX-5 Surperlight Concept
It was the star of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the concept has been developed as something of a birthday present to itself, celebrating 20 years for the popular MX-5 sports car.
The MX-5’s folding roof stand, door handles and front windscreen have been replaced by a revised rear deck with streamlined rollbars, smooth door-skins and a dash-top that melds seamlessly
Mazda MX-5 Superlight Concept
with the bodywork.
The MX-5 Superlight – as its name suggests – has been built as a study for advanced lightweight construction techniques.
With no windows nor the weight of a folding roof, the MX-5 Superlight concept weighs in at just 995kg.
Bilstein suspension, Eibach springs and a 30mm lower ride height should ensure a drive as dynamic as the car’s styling suggests.
Motivated by the same 1.8 litre petrol engine and five-speed transmission of the road-going MX-5, a claimed 8.9 second sprint to 100km/h shaves a second off the regular model’s time.