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Mazda CEO closes door on talk of RX sports car revival

Some rumors in the auto industry simply refuse to die. Over the last decade, a few of the strongest have focused on Japan. A few years ago, we could have explained away the constant whispering over a new Toyota Supra, Acura NSX or Mazda RX-7 as nostalgia for Japan's golden era of performance. Today, though is different.
We already have the Nissan GT-R, and, thanks to the Toyota FT-1 Concept, a Supra successor finally appears to be on the way. Acura will someday, allegedly, deliver on its promise to put the NSX on sale. So where does that leave the third member of the Japanese performance trio mentioned above? Well, um, it still isn't happening.
"We don't have that kind of vehicle in our future product plan," Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai told Automotive News when asked about a successor to the rotary-powered RX line. "If you increase the number of segments, then the resources we can allocate to each will decline and that will prevent us from developing truly good products."

NFL player Alfred Morris receives his thoroughly restored 1991 Mazda 626

Washington Redskins starting running back Alfred Morris might not drive a flashy sports car or SUV, but after today, he'll be driving the nicest 1991 Mazda 626 on the planet.
Back in July, Morris temporarily traded in his 626 - cheekily named Bentley - for a 2014 Mazda6 loaner courtesy of Mazda, and today the sedan was presented back to him after the ultimate PR stunt: a reported 275-man-hour restoration that left this 22-year-old daily driver looking like it just rolled off the assembly line.
Not everything was brought back to original condition, though. The expired sticker from Morris' final year at Florida Atlantic University was left on the windshield, but to fit the car's nickname, a few high-end touches were added to the interior. This includes the quilted, cross-stitched leather seats (just like a real Bentley) and the touchscreen Pioneer audio system. There's also a plaque under the hood marking this car as the "Alfred Morris Project."

Mazda Skyactiv-D racer first diesel to run at Indy in 60 years

While it may not be touting the old "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" axiom we all know and love, Mazda recognizes that racing can only improve its cars. And so it's no surprise that the Japanese automaker is testing and refining its Skyactiv-D diesel engine by sending it out on various race tracks around the country - notably being the first diesel ever to compete at Daytona and the first to notch a Grand Am win at Road Atlanta.
Next up? Indy. It has been over 60 years since a diesel-powered machine ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Cummins-powered racer that competed in the 1952 Indy 500 with a 6.6-liter inline-six-cylinder oil-burner was a fast and brutal machine that set a new lap record in qualifying leading up to the race. Though that car was withdrawn with turbocharger failure 71 laps in, its diesel powerplant left an indelible impression on the racing community, and that's something Mazda hopes to accomplish once again.
Mazda says that the diesel engine in its race car is pretty darn close to stock - 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight - which means the way it performs in competition is at least a somewhat meaningful way to the stock engine's durability in the real world. Check out the image of the Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racer posing alongside the 1952 Cummins above (click to enlarge) and feel free to peruse the press release below for the rest of the details.