Rx8 Mazda Sport 2007 No Reserve 1st Bid Sold "hail Damage" Also 6 Speed Manuel on 2040-cars

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2019 Mazda 3 recalled because the wheels could fall off while driving

Here’s a recall we had to read twice before believing. Mazda is bringing in 25,003 Mazda 3s that just rolled off the assembly line, because the wheels may fall off while driving. All the Mazda 3s are 2019 model year cars, so itÂ’s only the totally new generation Mazda 3 under the gun here. Thankfully, Mazda says there are no cases of this occurring to owners, and therefore no injuries or deaths related to the issue. As for the cause of the wheel detachment? Mazda put out a statement explaining the issue at hand.  “A manufacturing process error may result in a gap between the wheel hub bolt and hub flange during assembly. This gap causes loosening of the lug nuts though they were initially tightened to the correct specification at the plant. A rattling noise occurs prior to a wheel detachment from the vehicle,” Mazda says. ItÂ’s heartening to see Mazda did in fact tighten the lugs at the factory, but still extremely troubling to see that they can loosen all on their own. Our advice? Walk on out to your shiny, new Mazda 3 and torque those lugs to spec. If you donÂ’t have a torque wrench, then just use the wrench that came with the car to make sure theyÂ’re not loose. Those that have a new Mazda 3 should be on the lookout for a recall notice in the mail. YouÂ’ll then be able to take the car to the dealer for Mazda to fix the problem. Until then, just keep an eye on your lugs. A wheel flying off while driving at speed is always a recipe for disaster, and we sure do enjoy driving the new Mazda 3 at speed.

2020 Mazda CX-30 small crossover lands an IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 has come out of the gate swinging on the safety front, earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award in its first year on the market.  Mazda's new baby crossover earned a "Good" rating in all six of the Institute's crashworthiness categories (driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint) and its accident avoidance system was rated "Superior." Sadly, only one set of available headlights was rated "Acceptable" or better, which kept the CX-30 out of the running for the coveted Top Safety Pick+ award. The best-rated lamps available on the CX-30 are actually those that come standard. The curve-adaptive units offered as an optional upgrade were rated "Poor" due to excessive glare. For 2020, IIHS made the guidelines for earning Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards even more stringent. Up until 2019, cars needed only to earn an "Acceptable" rating in the passenger-side small overlap test to qualify for a Top Safety Pick. For 2020, that has been raised to "Good."   The bigger challenge for many OEMs will be headlights. To earn Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle cannot be sold with any headlight configuration that does not earn at least an "Acceptable" rating.    So far, fewer than two dozen 2020-model-year vehicles for sale in the U.S. have met the criteria for Top Safety Pick+; roughly half again as many qualify for the lesser award. In coming years, the Institute is expected to add even more conditions, especially in the realms of accident avoidance and pedestrian safety. 

Mazda boss says no to new-generation Mazda3 hot hatch

Mazda offered a hot, turbocharged version of the Mazda3 model during the car's first two generations, badging it either the MPS or the Mazdaspeed 3 depending on the market. The third generation car didn't get a hot-hatch variant, and now Mazda is saying there won't be one for the freshly revealed fourth-gen car, either. Mazda's new global boss, Akira Marumoto, told Australian motor journalists at the Los Angeles show that there won't be an MPS in the cards. As Drive quotes Marumoto: "Mazda is a small player, and if [you are asking whether] that segment has a high particular priority for Mazda, my answer would be no. Therefore we not planning for MPS in the future." Marumoto stated that Mazda would rather establish itself as a genuine premium carmaker comparable to its European rivals, stressing that this would be achievable through quality, comfort and refinement improvements in the existing lineup rather than expanding into other segments. As well as nixing the Mazda3 MPS, Marumoto also said that despite repeated queries, the function of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show car RX Vision was to preview the evolution of the Kodo design language and not to herald the arrival of a new rotary sportscar. So, it's time to cue the Mazda Kills Rotary Sports Car Again headlines. Marumoto also told journalists that there won't be an EV sports car or a completely driverless car from Mazda either: He said he prefers the smell of gasoline to full electric power, and that Mazda will never build a car without a steering wheel. For Mazda, autonomous capabilities would serve to bring the car to a safe halt in the case of an incapacitated driver, instead of doing the driving. However — and there is a strong "however" — Mazda did tell us that the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine does fit into the new 3. Mazda representatives said that the header on the naturally aspirated version is big enough as it is, making it easy to shoehorn in the 250-horsepower turbo version without issue. They also said that the company is closely monitoring buyer demand, which originally led to the turbo being available on the Mazda6 and CX-5, along with justifying the introduction of all-wheel-drive in the new Mazda3. So: if there is a case for it, the turbo might come — just don't call it a Mazdaspeed 3, or view it as an overt hot hatch. But the shoe fits.