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Mazda Hazumi concept gets punchy, comes out of its corner early

The official images Mazda Hazumi concept, which previews the next-generation Mazda2, have leaked out from Chinese website Auto.sohu.com ahead of its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
The subcompact, four-door hatchback shows off Mazda's Kodo design language in its smallest size yet. Hazumi means "bound" or "spring up" in Japanese, and it is meant to look like it is packed with energy. It is a very attractive little concept and hopefully points to a more stylish face for the next-generation Mazda2.
Mazda has not unveiled the full details about the concept yet, but in a previous release, it said for the car is using a 1.5-liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine. While Mazda has not officially said that the Hazumi shows the next Mazda2, it did say in its earlier release that it "points the way to the future" for the brand's small cars. Reading between the lines isn't too difficult, then.

Mazda hits Vegas with a pair of Sixes

Despite the fact that the annual SEMA show is more of an exercise in what "could be" than what "will be," it gives automakers the chance to stretch the legs of some of its most important models. Take the 2014 Mazda6, for example - it's hardly new, having gone on sale early this year - but this year's SEMA expo marks the first time Mazda has been able to show off the customization possibilities for its sleek midsize sedan. To that end, the Japanese automaker has arrived in Las Vegas with two very different takes on its sexy Six.
First up is the Mazda6 Club Sport you see above, wearing a "motorsports-inspired" gray, black and red accent-color scheme that, as Mazda says, is "represented in not-so-subtle angular lines reminiscent of a car speeding past your line of sight." The whole car is done up in a base color of Composite Grey, and uses a Brilliant Black roof to match the similarly colored front, side and rear diffusers, as well as the rear spoiler. Mazda has fitted the Club Sport with Rays 57 Motorsport G07FXX 20-inch wheels, wrapped in Yokohama 245/35R20 tires. Powering the CS is Mazda's 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel four-cylinder engine (that we'll get in the standard Six early next year), and other changes include an H&R spring kit, larger Brembo brakes and a Racing Beat exhaust.
And then there's the Ceramic 6 Concept, pictured right. The name comes from the car's Ceramic White paint, though we don't really get the Taupe Silver accent stripes. Mazda says they're meant to mimic "the linear frequency patterns found on the likes of couture dresses and flowing fabrics," but it just looks a bit overwrought to us. The Mazda6 already has so many clean lines, why add more?

Next Mazda CX-9 to launch by 2016, could get turbo-four

Mazda has a lot going on these days, what with launching the new Mazda6 and Mazda3, with the new Mazda2 just around the corner. We know the new Miata is also on the way, and after that it looks like the next vehicle in its lineup due for an overhaul is the CX-9 crossover, due to launch by 2016. The move makes sense because the CUV is growing long in the tooth. It was first introduced in 2007 and was refreshed twice since then.
The next-generation CX-9 will move away from Ford-derived components like the V6 in the current model and will likely use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. However, a final decision hasn't been made yet. "If I ask Mr. Hitomi, our top guy of powertrains at Mazda, he believes the downsizing turbo solution costs more. But real downsizing means six-cylinder to four-cylinder turbo could make sense from a cost point of view," said Mazda's global marketing boss Masahiro Moro to CarAdvice at the New York Auto Show. The executive said a hybrid powertrain option would be unlikely, but markets outside the US could get a diesel, as well.
Moro also tipped his hand at future Mazda model plans. He hints that the Japanese automaker is considering building a luxury vehicle with a six-cylinder engine. "It's too early, we don't have a car yet. But we are collecting advice as to V6 or straight-six," he said to CarAdvice. We'll definitely be watching.