04 Rx-8 6 Speed Coupe Sunroof Leather Heated Seats Cd Warranty We Finance Texas on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda bringing electric car to the Tokyo Motor Show

In June this year, Mazda CEO Akira Marumoto told Automotive News Europe that "the first Mazda battery-electric vehicle will hit the market next year." Earlier this month, Mazda invited journalists to Oslo, Norway, to learn more about the automaker's EV plans and drive a prototype of the e-TPV powertrain, the letter designation standing for electric-Technology Prove-out Vehicle. Mazda had dressed the e-TPV production-intent powertrain under bodywork from the carmaker's new CX-30 compact crossover. Automotive News reports that Mazda will unveil its actual EV at the Tokyo Motor Show next month, which a Mazda spokesperson confirmed.     Mazda developed the powertrain in-house, engineered for buyers in dense urban environments. A 35.5-kWh lithium-ion battery powers a single electric motor wiith 141 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Range is said to be 200 kilometers (124 miles) on the city cycle, but that's likely on the Japanese or WLTP cycle that returns larger numbers than the U.S. EPA. The mechanical figures lie between the 28-kWh battery of the Hyundai Ioniq Electric and the 40-kWh battery of the standard Nissan Leaf. The EPA rates the less-powerful Ioniq for 124 miles of range, while the more powerful Leaf can go 150 miles. AN writes that Mazda's initial planned markets include Japan, China, and Europe where 124 miles is plenty for day trips. A version serving markets known for urban sprawl would employ a rotary engine range extender, a tech tidbit Mazda's spoken about regularly over the past year.   Iain Curry of Australian outlet Chasing Cars had good things to say about the e-TPV prototype he drove. Curry said the experimental car didn't offer strong regen braking and piped a mild four-cylinder soundtrack into the cabin to give drivers a connection to the ICE experience they're familiar with, but there's no word on whether the production vehicle will be set up the same way. Curry praised the handling, saying the e-TPV felt similar to a Mazda3 on the go and around corners. We'll get more concrete info next month in Japan. The show car in Tokyo will be a "brand-new model" on a new EV-specific platform, and don't be surprised by a compact crossover shape since the carmaker CEO said, "Our global crossover mix is currently about 60 percent."

Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.

Mazda planning 'aggressive' dealer shakeup

Mazda has set an ambitious goal of selling 400,000 units by the end of the 2015 Japanese fiscal year in March 2016, and to do that, it's going to need to take some aggressive action. That means that underperforming members of its 637-showroom strong dealer network are about to get the axe.
The purge won't just be limited to dealers that aren't performing, though. Mazda will seek to consolidate poorly located dealers and build new showrooms in better locations. It still isn't clear how many dealers are being targeted or at what point Mazda would end its cull.
This consolidation of dealers is all part of a one-two punch for the Japanese brand, that will also see increased marketing efforts in 35 key areas. Of those markets, Mazda is placing a special emphasis on New York and LA, although there's not much mention of what other regions are being looked at.