Mazda has just announced that their B-segment Mazda2 will come to the North American market sometime late next year. Considering that it has been on sale in Europe for the past two years, most people would probably be saying: “it’s about time”. Details are sketchy at this time, but this Mazda2 will we be seen at the upcoming LA Auto Show.

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Mazda is set to unveil a small car at the coming LA Auto Show with the expected unveiling of the 2011 Mazda2. The new car is expected to adhere towards the growing demand for smaller and fuel efficient vehicles in North America. Aside from the Mazda2, other vehicle models are expected to be shown off with the likes of the Mazda3, Mazda5, Mazda6, MX-5 and RX-8 also set to be unveiled next month. The Mazda2 is set to be offered in the U.S. and Canada later in 2010.

(Source) Press

Mazda and the NHTSA have today issued a recall for up to 39,600 B Series trucks of the 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 model years.

The recall focuses on the Texas Instrumentals “speed-control deactivation switch and/or antilock brake system manufactured before Dec. 5, 2002.” Basically, the various parts are accused of corroding at an alarming rate which could lead the switch to overheat possibly causing a fire.

As always, you can take your car down to your local Mazda dealership to get it inspected and fixed if need be.

via kickingtires

Recent reports have surfaced that suggest Mazda is currently on the market for funding to the tune of $1.1 billion to help speed up their hybrid vehicle development.

To secure this funding Mazda will be issuing 96.8 million treasure shares and 315.2 million new shares and then reinvest the collected money back into their company. In addition to hybrid development, Mazda will be looking at other environmentally friendly technologies to help power their cars and get back into the green movement game.

Will it work? Only time will tell.

Read (Reuters)

Mazda will be among the many car manufacturers at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show on October 24. For their part, Mazda is expected to debut the Mazda Kiyora Concept Car although that is not the only thing they will be unveiling. They will also unveil their next-generation engine and automatic transmissions lineup. This includes the Mazda SKY-G direct injection gasoline engine Mazda SKY-D clean diesel engine and the Mazda SKY Drive high-efficiency automatic transmission.

These new technological advancements are expected to help in the improvement of fuel-efficiency as well as some eco-friendly enhancements and optimized combustion systems. But a lot of the focus is sure to be on the Mazda Kiyora Concept car which highlights the next-generation Mazda SKY concept powertrain technologies and comprehensive advancements in weight reduction for better fuel economy at 32 kilometers per liter.

(Source) Auto Racing

Another day of the Frankfurt Motor Show means a whole slew of previously unannounced vehicles. The latest of such vehicles is the above pictured Mazda MX-5 Superlight.

As you can probably tell by the title, this car is super light, weighing in at just 2,193. And, thanks to its low weight Mazda was able to squeeze a fuel efficient 4 cylinder 1.8-liter engine capable of 126 hp into the MX-5 coupled with a 5 speed manual transmission. Of course, with such a low weight you’re going to have to sacrifice some luxuries namely, the windshield. But it’s the novelty that counts, right?

Unfortunately for you daring drivers out there, the chances we will ever see the MX-5 Superlight enter production remain slim to none until Mazda tells us otherwise.

via jalopnik

Mazda has recently announced their intentions to up the fuel efficiency on their entire lineup of cars by 30%. The new engines will reportedly make their debut sometime in 2011 with the automaker first focusing on their 2.0-liter 4 cyclinder engine.

Mazda says that new technology coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission will give the engine a city fuel efficiency boost from 22mpg to 32mpg and a highway boost from 32mpg to 42mpg. There’s no official word on which Mazda model will be getting the boost first but Automotive News believes the MX5 or Mazda5 are likely candidates.

We’ll keep you posted as more news is made available.

Mazda dealers are optimistic that their sales will grow once the Cash for Clunkers program officially gets underway. To date, they are already preparing the possible vehicles that will most likely be chosen by incoming customers within the set boundaries and budget.

And to entice people to look more towards Mazda vehicles, dealers have added a little perk, a $500 cash incentive that should get some curious motorists looking. This is separate from the $3,500 or $4,500 CARS incentive.

The amount of the incentive is either $3,500 or $4,500, depending on the mpg improvement of the new vehicle over the one it replaces.

(Source) Press

The Mazda Motor Corporation is continuously looking for ways to be a better global citizen. With the new “Aqua-Tech Paint System” that reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by 57% and improves the paint job, it looks like they are staying on track. “Aqua-Tech” upholds the same world-class low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as Mazda’s current “Three Layer Wet Paint” system but further reduces VOC emissions to barely 15 grams per square meter of body surface.

While naturally lower in VOC emissions than solvent-based paint, drying water-based paints uses much more energy and, thus, increases CO2. Mazda have mastered this with a combo of improved paint technology and a more efficient evaporative drying system. Mazda has set up the Aqua-tech Paint System for vehicle body painting at its Ujina Plant No.1 in Japan.

EA has made the BMW M3 GT2 the model that will be seen in the newest Need for Speed game, Need for Speed SHIFT. The latest offering from Electronic arts will feature 18 authentic race tracks and over 65 pixel-perfect cars.

The spectacular SHIFT cover car is one of the fastest, most powerful cars ever to be featured in a Need for Speed game. Designed to deliver a true driver’s experience, SHIFT boasts legendary cars from the past 35 years, each one modeled to deliver an incredible sense of speed and realism.

But the BMW M3 GT2 is not the only car expected to get raves once this game gets played. Other notable cars that can be seen in the game include:

• 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R
• 1995 Mazda RX-7
• 2007 Lamborghini Reventón

This and plenty more are in store for popular car models are expected to make this legendary game another one to be talked about in the following months. The game will be available for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC and the PSP. It will be shipped in Europe by September 17 and in North America by September 22.

(Source) Press

It seems that the car scrappage schemes are finally paying off. At least that is that it seems like for Mazda plants in Japan which have reportedly resumed operations after being suspended due to plummeting sales ever since the recession set in.

We are all aware that Europe had been in the forefront of this scheme which aims to entice motorists to trade in their old cars for discounts on new ones. Apparently a lot of them grabbed the deal to which rising demand is now occurring hence business as usual for car companies to satisfy the new demand.

This leaves a bright spot in the car industry. Apparently other cars are bound to follow the lead of Mazda of Japan but no one knows when that would be. This is the best news we have gotten from the auto industry to date!

(Source) RAC

Mazda has recently expressed their interest in following the marketing and making a shift towards a more green campaign.

They won’t be completely green right off the bat as up until 2015 Mazda will make a huge effort to increase the gas efficiency of their current lineup. However, when 2015 does roll around that’s when the real fun begins.

Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi was quoted as saying the company will, in fact, begin producing both hybrid and plug-in electrics in 2015. You have 6 years to get this right, Mazda, you better make it count!

Read (AutoBlogGreen)

The Mazdaspeed 3 has been finally launched in the U.S., joining the many many other cars that have been unveiled there by other manufacturers. While Ford chose to go with Volvo inline-5 engines for the hot hatch versions of the technically similiar Focus, Mazda developed their own turbocharged 2.3 liter direct injection online-4 engine for the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6.

The new Mazdaspeed 3 (also called the Mazda 3 MPS) comes in the 5-door body, and its engine puts out 263 horses at 5,500rpm and 380Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, not quite up there with the ultra-quick spooling ability of Volkswagen and BMW turbo engines but somehow only the European marques seem to be able to achieve that.

The 6-speed transmission’s gear ratios (gear 2 to 5) have also been revised to be slightly taller to take advantage of all 380 Newton meters of torque. There is a torque management system which tries to rein in the torque steer based on which gear the car is in and the steering angle.

(Source) Paul Tan

Now this here is a perfect example of just how far technology is progressing. Showcased in the above video is a modder who decided he wanted to control his Mazda RX-8 from his iPod touch.

Not only can he unlock the doors, lock them again, and pop the trunk, he also has the ability to start the engine and monitor it’s telemetry all from the handheld device. Amazing. 

This is all done with a heavily geared up Mazda RX-8 and a web application used on the iPod touch. Check out the video for the insanity it all of its gloriness.

Mazda will be unveiling 3 new modified versions of their crossover SUVs at the 2009 New York International Auto Show. Mazda’s offerings will consist of the widely modified 2010 CX-9 and CX-7 crossover SUVs and the much awaited high-performing 5-door compact Mazda Speed 3.

The multi award-winning CX-9 is a seven-seat, three-row crossover SUV with special driving dynamics that is unparalleled in its category. The CX-9 for the MY 2010 will get an exterior and interior revision, more options and toughened up safety elements, while at the same time enhancing its Zoom-Zoom driving traits.

Building on the reputation of the preceding model, the 2010 Mazda Speed3 remains as one of the world’s fastest front-wheel drive car. It combines five-door practicality with a more aggressive and exciting performance to meet the requirements of fans with dynamic lifestyles.

(Source) Auto Spies