Archive for Mazda

It’s been 40 years since Mazda introduced the first rotary engine in the Mazda Cosmo Sport in 1967. This year, Mazda puts another marker on the history of the Mazda rotary engine with the RENESIS 16X, the successor to the 13B-MSP in the Mazda RX8.

The new 16X rotary engine uses new trochoid-shaped chambers aimed at improving thermal efficiency and increasing torque across all engine speeds. Mazda has been continuously researching the best shape for the trochoid chambers ever since the first 10A rotary in 1967, followed by the 13A, 12A and now the 13B.

The new trochoid chamber has had its rotor housing width and thickness reduced while the trochoid outline has been increased, resulting in a displacement increase to 800cc per rotor – this means a 1.6 liter displacement as the engine’s 16X name indicates. This is despite exterior dimensions of the engine being about the same as the current 13B.

The trochoid shape has had its radius and eccentricity increased. Stroke has also been increased, this means better torque. Due to the change in shape, not only is an increase in displacement achieved but the surface area-to-volume ratio of the combustion chamber is reduced, enabling a reduction in cooling losses. Flame growth is also promoted. The engine uses side housings made of aluminium, and this together with other weight reduction methods make the new 16X lighter than the 13B.

The 16X rotary engine is also the first gasoline rotary engine to use direct injection. This was developed from the hyrogen injection system used in the hydrogen rotary engine. Gasoline is injected via a high pressure spray during the intake cycle. This spray also tends to reduce fuel adhesion to the chamber wall, promoting a more homogenous air-fuel mixture. This results in better torque and thermal efficiency. Power and fuel economy is expected to be 20% better than the technologies in the 13B can achieve.

A concept version of this engine is installed in the Mazda Taiki Concept, and in that car it drives the rear wheels through a 7-speed dry twin clutch gearbox.

Click to enlarge

Mazda’s latest series of concept cars seem like odd organic cars that do not look like it may make it’s way into production form anytime soon, and the latest is the Mazda Taiki concept which continues to follow the Nagare theme established with the first car in the new concept line, the Mazda Nagare. Nagare means flow, and Mazda turned to nature for inspiration – using cues from natural flow lines all around us – shapes in sand dunes etched by the wind, ocean waves, lava flow down a volcano, and etc.

All three design centers – US, European and Japan contributed to this series of concepts, with cars like the original Nagare coming from the US-based design center and the Mazda Ryuga from the Hiroshima Design Center in Japan. The Mazda Hakaze design concept came from the European Design Center.

The Mazda Taiki is the fourth in the series, and this one comes from the Hiroshima Design Center team led by Chief Designer Yamada Atsuhiko. Every concept car represents a different segment of future cars, for example the Mazda Ryuga was envisioned as a future compact car. The Mazda Taiki points to a possible future design direction for Mazda sports cars.

The stretched coupe has short overhangs and its interior has a liberating and free feel to it thanks to an all-glass canope. It has a drag coefficient of 0.25 and zero lift. Air is channeled through the front fender via a tunnel formed between the body and the rear fender – this creates downforce.

This design concept is also used to unveil some technical goodies. The 2-seater Mazda Taiki is conceptually powered by the next generation RENESIS rotary engine engine called the RENESIS 16X. The engine will be mounted at the front and will power the rear wheels, a proven formula for a sports car.

More details on that engine will come in a later post, but you’ll be pleased to know that Mazda is the latest manufacturer to jump on the twin clutch bandwagon. The RENESIS 16X engine will be mated to a 7-speed dry twin clutch transmission. Suspension is a double wishbone setup for both front and rear, and the car rides on 22 inch Enkei wheels wrapped with Yokohama Advan Super-E spec Prototype 007 tyres in 195/40R22 size. As for dimensions, the Mazda Taiki is 4620mm long, 1950mm wide, 1240mm tall and has a wheelbase of 3000mm.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of TOKYO 2007 LIVE: Mazda Taiki Concept

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When the new second generation Mazda 6 was launched, the press release specifically stated that particular car was the European model, and a separate North American model will be coming soon. Mazda unveiled the Mazda Atenza at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show today, which is essentially the JDM market name for the European second generation Mazda 6.

Unlike the European Mazda 6 which only seems to have one bumper and grille design, the Japanese market Mazda Atenza seems to have two different styles, perhaps representing a low spec and high spec model with different engines. The differences are small though, for example the rear lamp design one is red and the other is clear. There are also two different bumper and grille designs.

With these minor differences, is this considered a separate model and will be the one destined for North America? Or will the North American Mazda 6 be significantly different from the Japanese Atenza and the European Mazda 6? Well still have to wait to see what the North American one looks like, and then later wonder which model were going to get in our own market. Perhaps at the Los Angeles show next year or something.

The 2.0 liter baseline model makes 150 PS at 6,500rpm and 182Nm of torque at 4,500rpm and is mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox. The new 2.5 liter MZR engine puts out 170 PS at 6,000rpm and 226Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. This particular engine is mated to a 5-speed auto for the front wheel drive versions, but the all wheel drive version is mated to a new 6-speed auto. Both 2.5 liter model gearboxes come with active adaptive shift control, a technology that first made its debut in the Mazda RX-8. The active adaptive shift control system has a slope control function and is able to evaluate both the gradient and winding of the road as well as driver intentions such as the acceleration and brake operation, enabling the selection of an optimum gear.

Mazda designed the Atenza’s paddle shifters to work the same way BMW designed their non-M car paddle shifters to work, the paddles on both sides of the steering wheel do the same thing, but you push either paddle away from you to downshift and pull the paddle towards you to upshift. I’ve already blogged about the car, so please check out the car’s details in this previous post to find out more information about available engine options and equipment.

The Mazda Atenza or the Mazda 6 as we know it looks pretty gigantuan in product shots but in reality when I saw it in person I felt that is not really that big, though it matches its D-segment peers like the new Accord and the new Camry in size, unlike the previous generation where the Mazda 6 looked more like a big C-segment instead. The interior looks like an evolution of the first generation Mazda 6. In fact, I suspect the trip computer multi-info display is a carry over component.

More photos after the jump, including new product shots.

Related Posts:
2008 Mazda 6 – 2nd generation zoom-zoom: Photos
2008 Mazda 6 details and specifications

Click here to read the rest of TOKYO 2007 LIVE: second generation Mazda Atenza

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Reader thechef spotted these cool Mazda 3 hatchbacks in Thailand sporting Coca Cola paintjobs and he wishes to share it with fellow readers, so here they are!

I think they look pretty neat, in fact it’s always interesting to see how companies do up their fleet if a custom paintjob is required.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
Mazda 3 2.0 sedan and hatchback review

Click here to read the rest of Coke-themed Mazda 3 hatchback in Thailand

Mazda is currently holding the MAZDA Design Challenge, which Mazda touts as a way for you to be able to “shape the future of Zoom-Zoom” – not sure how that is but the idea is interesting.

Basically the MAZDA Design Challenge is a competition where users submit their own design interpretation of how the Mazda 3 will look like in the 2018 model year. The contest has actually been going on for quite sometime now and 284 submissions were received. Now this isn’t really an art competition but more of an idea competition – the initial portion of the competition only required a 150 word idea of what the car should be.

Mazda has picked the top 10 and have decided to feature them on Facebook, where Facebook users will be able to vote for their favourite designs. These Facebook user votes will determine the top 5 winners. These 5 winners will then work with Mazda’s design team to further develop their idea concepts, then the updated concepts with sketches will be posted again for voting. The winner’s concept car will be shown live at the Los Angeles Auto Show! He or she will also get US$1K cash, airfare and accomodation for the show.

It’s quite interesting really, Mazda leveraging on the viral nature of a Facebook App to promote their contest, as well as building on the Facebook API for their voting platform.

If you’re on Facebook, check out the MAZDA Design Challenge Facebook Group. I’ve also set up my own paultan.org reader community group there, so if you read my blog and you’re on Facebook, join up!

Related Links:
MAZDA Design Challenge Facebook Group
paultan.org Reader Community Facebook Group

We might just be getting the next generation CBU Mazda 6 from Thailand instead of Japan, once Mazda and Ford’s second plant in Thailand goes online in 2009.

The US$500 million plant is a 50:50 joint investment between Mazda and Ford and it will build cars from the B and C-D segment. It will be built on the same site as the existing pick-up truck plant, which is currently pushing out 175,000 trucks a year.

Cars from this plant will be sold in Thailand and exported to other countries in Asia, Australasia and Africa. B and C-D segment cars will mean the Mazda 2, Mazda 3, Mazda 6, Ford Focus, and many other cars.

This is the largest foreign investment in Thailand ever since last autumn’s army coup – this shows investors still have much confidence in Thailand.

Source

Mazda’s latest Mazda Taiki Concept will be making it’s international debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and is the fourth concept car int he Nagare design series.

Taiki means atmosphere in Japanese, and this concept coupe is meant to create the feeling of the flow of air in the atmosphere protecting the earth. This is achieved via the full-glass canopy which gives the car a liberating feeling, yet you are protected from the elements within. The rest of the car is inspired by a pair of Hogoromo, which are flowing robes which in Japanese legend supposedly enable a celestial maiden to fly.

Under all that design execution lies a front engine rear wheel drive layout that uses the next generation RENESIS 16X, which has it’s displacement enlarged to 1.6 liters for the first time in a long history of production rotaries that were 1.3 liters in displacement.

Two more photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda Taiki Concept featuring RENESIS 16X engine

The new second generation Mazda 6 was displayed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, and is now larger yet more aerodynamic than it’s predecessor that pioneered Mazda’s new Zoom-Zoom philosophy, with over 440,000 units registered in Europe so far.

The new Mazda 6 is 65mm longer, 15mm wider, 5mm taller and 50mm longer wheelbase than the first generation model. It debuts with a four engine line-up: a 120hp 1.8 liter petrol, a 147hp 2.0 liter petrol, a 170hp 2.5 liter petrol and finally a 2.0 liter turbodiesel making 140hp. The new 2.5 liter unit has been developed from the first generation’s 2.3 liter unit, with a bigger bore and longer stroke contributing to it’s increased displacement. Intake and exhaust ports have also been redesigned to be more free-flowing. Mazda engineers also focused on reducing vibration and noise levels via the use of a dual-mass damper and a flexible flywheel. Piston and conrod weight has also been reduced.

Despite being larger and slightly bulkier-looking than the previous generation, the new Mazda 6 is more aerodynamic than it’s predecessor with a drag coefficient of 0.27Cd compared to 0.30Cd for the sedan and liftback, and 0.28Cd down from 0.32Cd for the estate body variant. The steering rack uses an electric power steering with a brushless motor, improving fuel economy by approximately 2% compared to a conventional hydraulic power steering setup used by the first generation Mazda 6.

Other than the obvious new interior design, there are a few improvements in interior aesthetics. The steering wheel angle is now set at 21 degrees which is a more upright position compared to the previous model. Little things like this enhance a driver’s sense of unity with the vehicle. An advanced welcome mode turns on the panel lights in order of precedence, from lower to upper, giving the driver the impression that the car is waking up and getting ready to go. The front center armrest has an adjustable front-back mechanism to suit the driver’s elbow position.

There is also an 8-speaker BOSE premium sound system which is optional, something Cycle & Carriage could offer on the upmarket version of this new Mazda 6 in Malaysia, since Naza Kia has set a precedent of having a premium branded audio system in this market segment with the Kia Optima and it’s Infinity audio system.

The rear bench has incorporated Mazda’s Karakuri rear seat fold system wihch allows the rear bench to fold forward with a single movement. The Mazda6 also comes with n Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) feature which swivels the headlamps to shine into a corner as the car enters it.

Safety features include ABS, stability control, traction control, brake assist, 6 airbags, active headrests. and crushable brake and clutch pedals which are prevented from moving into the cabin during a frontal collision.

The press release for the new Mazda 6 also indicates this is the European model, and there also be a different North American model, designed and engineered specially for that region which will be unveiled later. Which one will Malaysia get, this European model or the upcoming yet to be revealed North American model?

More photos can be found in the previous post linked below:

Related Posts:
2008 Mazda 6 – 2nd generation zoom-zoom: Photos
First generation Mazda 6 2.0 and 2.3 test drive report

Mazda has been showing us it’s future design language with a barrage of concepts in the past year or two. Design elements of concept cars such as the Nagare, Ryuga, Senku and Hakaze have already found it’s way onto the new production Mazda 6 sedan, liftback and estate.

A new Mazda Rotary Concept will be shown at the upcoming 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and it will feature the next generation rotary engine, the successor to the Mazda RENESIS 13B-MSP in the Mazda RX8. The new RENESIS engine will be called the Mazda RENESIS II, and for the first time in decades it will grow larger than the original 1.3 liter capacity for production Mazda rotary engines.

Related Posts:
2008 Mazda 6
Mazda Nagare Concept
Mazda Hakaze to spawn 2010 Mazda CX-5

Like most Frankfurt previews, we get to see the car but not much of the details yet, so let’s just feast our eyes on this new second generation Mazda 6 for now and wait until more details surface.

Mazda say the new second generation 2008 Mazda 6 is lighter than it’s predecessor – something that breaks the tradition of newly released cars getting heavier and heavier with every generation. The new Mazda 6 does not share a platform with the Mondeo’s EUCD platform, instead uses a revised version of first generation CD3 platform.

From these photos, you can see three variants are available – a sedan, a liftback and a station wagon. Lots of photos to be checked out after the jump.

Related Posts:
Next generation Mazda 6 to debut at Frankfurt 2007
Mazda 6 2.0 and 2.3 Test Drive Report

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Mazda 6: 2nd generation Zoom-Zoom

The Mazda RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary Edition celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first use of the rotary engine by Mazda back in 1967 in the Mazda Cosmo Sport. The limited edition car is based on the Type S and Type E RX-8, comes in Marble White and is limited to the Japanese market with a grand total of 200 units.

The Mazda RX-8 Type S (manual) or Type E (auto) base is upgraded with Bilstein dampers, and the front suspension cross member is filled with urethane foam to provide an ideal amount of vibration supression. Brakes for the Type E have been upgraded to larger ones that already come standard on the Type S, similiar with the 225/45R18 91W tires and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The 1.3 liter twin rotor engine has had it’s rotors finely balanced for their weight and rotation characteristics, and a special engine cover has been added.

On the interior, it is trimmed with black genuine leather and light silver Alcantara combination seat covers and a light silver synthetic leather door trim. The seats are 8-way power seats. The leather continues to find it’s way around the interior – steering wheel, and gear shift are done up in a similiar classy way.

It’s too bad that the car is only available for the Japanese market but perhaps a handful will be specially brought into other parts of the world by grey importers.

Two more shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary Edition

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Mazda will be showcasing it’s next generation Mazda 6 at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The Mazda 6 is known as the Mazda Atenza in Mazda’s home country of Japan. It is based on an updated CD3 platform called the CD3-2, and will share most of it’s underpinnings with other Ford cars like the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln MKZ.

The fact that the new Mazda 6 will have alot of things in common with the Lincoln MKZ could mean that a high performance Mazdaspeed version of the car could be powered by Ford’s new 3.5 liter Twin-Force Duratec twin turbocharged V6 engine producing over 400 horsepower.

Mazda has a special edition Mazda6 lined up for the Uk market called the Mazda6 Kumano. The Mazda6 Kumano is only available in 5-door hatch form done up in Titanium Grey Metallic or Stormy Blue Mica paint.

The Kumano takes the Mazda6 TS 2 trim level as a base and is built up from there, so all TS 2 equipment such as BOSE ® Premium audio system with 6 CD autochanger and seven speakers, steering wheel audio controls, electric sunroof, electric heated door mirrors, climate control air conditioning, cruise control, electric windows front and rear (with global closing system), leather wrapped steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake lever are all there.

What the Kumano special edition adds are powerful Xenon headlights, with auto headlamp and auto windscreen wiper operation, plus special ‘dark brushed finish 16-inch alloy wheels, and unique Kumano badging.

Related Posts:
Mazda6 2.0 and 2.3 Test Drive

The first of the new Mazda2, or Mazda Demio as it is called in Japan has rolled off it’s production line in its Ujina Plant No.1 (U1) near Mazdas headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan. The first car to come off the line is a Demio bound for the Japanese market.

“The all-new Mazda2 is the first of Mazdas new generation products to evolve to the next stage. While the current model was intended for the domestic market, the new model has been developed into a globally competitive car. I wish to congratulate you all on your hard work, which has now successfully brought us to the start of full mass production. I am convinced that the all-new Mazda2 will capture the hearts of our customers and demonstrate to drivers the world over that, ‘Mazda vehicles look inviting to drive, are fun to drive, and make you want to drive them again. The new Mazda2 offers an exhilarating driving experience that is the soul of Zoom-Zoom and we will continue to build cars with the strong understanding that safety and environmental friendliness are a vital part of making cars fun-to-drive,” said Mazdas Executive Vice President, Robert J. Graziano.

Seriously, it might do Cycle and Carriage Bintang good to setup a CKD assembly for the Mazda2 here in Malaysia. Most of the young buyers here who typically buy a Mazda are unfamiliar with the marque, and are unsure of things like maintenance costs, build quality, and second hand value. Spending so much on the premiumly priced CBU models like the Mazda3 and Mazda6 might seem like a big risk not many want to take. Offering a cheap entry-level CKD-assembled car like the Mazda2 will offer an affordable entry into the whole Mazda experience. From there, granted that the person gets a good experience, he will move up the segments and buy another Mazda again, going to a 3, then a 6, and perhaps a CX-7.

Related Posts:
2008 Mazda 2 Preview
More photos of the Mazda 2 1.3 and 1.5

Click here to read the rest of First of new Mazda 2 rolls off production line

Mention the name Mazda and the first thing that comes to mind to most people is it’s iconic RX7 and RX8 sports cars which are powered by a unique type of engine – the rotary engine. A rotary engine works differently from piston engines – it uses one or more rotors to produce power instead of pistons.

Mazda put rotary engines in more cars than just the RX7, but did you know Mazda used to sell a pick-up truck powered by a rotary engine?

Mazda marketed the Mazda Rotary Pick-Up, or Mazda REPU with the slogan “the pickup with pickup”. The Mazda REPU was a light truck powered by a 1.3 liter 2-rotor rotary engine, similiar to the one in the RX7, however it did not have a turbo. The 2-rotor engine was a carburetted unit, using a 2-stage carburettor. The single cab truck had a 6-feet long bed at the back for loads of up to 635kg. It came with either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission, without any overdrive gears.

Unfortunately, poor sales of just about 15,000 units in it’s entire 3-year lifespan of between 1974 to 1977 made Mazda decide to discontinue it.

Click here to read the rest of Mazda REPU: Rotary-engined Pick-up Truck