Archive for Mazda

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

Shortly after the new Ford Ranger TDCi arrived on Malaysian shores, this lightly camouflaged new generation Mazda Fighter sharing the same underpinings as the new Ranger TDCi was spotted making rounds around Sri Hartamas near EON Bank. Thanks to Derrick Tew for sending in these photos. It looks pretty much like the new Ford Ranger TDCi except for changes on the front grille, headlamps, bumper, and other changes around the outside and inside - mostly aesthetics. We will have to wait until the launch to find out the full specs and differences, or the lack of any for that matter.

The new Mazda Fighter will likely be powered by the same class-leading 2.5 liter TDCi intercooled turbodiesel engine as the Ranger TDCi, making 141bhp/143PS at 3500rpm and 330Nm at 1800rpm. Look at 3 more spyshots after the jump, as well as undisguised product photos of the new Mazda Fighter sourced from Mazda Thailand.

Click here to read the rest of New Mazda Fighter Spyshots

Mazda will be developing a new crossover CUV called the Mazda CX-5 based on the recent Mazda Hakaze Concept. Mazda says the CX-5 will be engineered to provide the fun driving experience of an MX-5 combined with the practicality of the CX-7 SUV. It will be a targa, which means roof panels are removable to create a semi-open top cabin. The 5-door small SUV will also have it’s rear doors installed RX-8 suicide-style.

Great news for those who are looking to buy a new car and have a budget of less than RM100,000. The Mazda3 1.6 liter is now available for RM99,500 while stocks last. This is for the standard specification Mazda3 1.6 liter. There is also a special finance package available where your first year’s installment will only be RM888 a month.

A basic recap on what the Mazda3 1.6’s loaded with - a 105 horsepower 1.6 liter DOHC engine with S-VT variable valve timing, a 4-speed auto with manual shifting, dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, and a 3-year warranty backed by Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad.

The Mazda3 1.6 liter sedan normally costs about RM111,863.00 without insurance, so this is a saving of roughly RM12,000. Just head on to a Mazda showroom for more details about the deal.

Here is a collection of more photos of the upcoming Mazda 2 (or Mazda Demio depending on market) to be revealed at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show this week. The Mazda 2 will come with three engine options to begin with, a 75hp 1.3 liter, an 84hp 1.3 liter as well as a 103hp 1.5 liter.

The stock Mazda 2 can be seen as the green car in this set of photos, but there is an optional Sports Appearance Pack which gives the car a little more sporty flair. You get new bumpers that appear more aggressive, for example the fog lamp inserts curve upwards in the Sports Appearance kit instead of downwards in the standard kit. The Sports Appearance grille is also one with a solid bar running through it, while the standard kit has a mesh grille, pretty much the same idea to differentiate trim level as most Mazda cars - in Malaysia the Mazda6 2.0 has a mesh grille while the higher spec Mazda6 2.3 has the solid bar grille.

The center console design reminds me a little of the Mazda RX8’s, with that circular design in the middle, and I can somehow see a Mickey Mouse head there with the two round airvents looking like Mickey’s ears. Weird design cues there.

More photos after the jump - green is standard, grey is sports pack!

Click here to read the rest of More photos of Mazda 2 1.3 and 1.5

Mazda gives us a preview of it’s new B-segment hatchback, the Mazda 2. Updated to modern Mazda design language, gone is the boxy outlook of it’s predecessor, instead you get a sporty hatch which is reminiscent of the Toyota Yaris. The new Mazda 2 is shorter at 3880mm, however it still keeps an identical wheelbase of 2490mm.

It has a sporty front, with a large air dam flanked by two smaller ones hosting fog lamps, and large headlamps, however I have to disagree with their choice of front grille design - something bigger would have looked better. Trunk space is rated at 250 liters, but with the seats down it enlarges to 469 liters of space. The 2008 Mazda 2 is expected to be unveiled with three engine options, a 1.3 liter petrol (two variants - 74hp/118Nm and 83hp/121Nm), a 1.5 liter petrol (103hp/136Nm) as well as a 1.4 liter turbodiesel.

Two more photos of the rear and side profile after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Mazda 2 Preview