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Surprise! 2017 Mazda MX-5 RFs are already being delivered

Last month, when Mazda opened up ordering for Launch Editions of the MX-5 RF, the company estimated that cars would arrive in February. Well, today Mazda announced that some changes in production scheduling meant that MX-5 RFs are ready sooner than expected. In fact, Mazda already delivered an RF to a customer. The company delivered the first MX-5 RF Launch Edition in America last week to Dave Putter. He got the keys from Masahiro Moro, president and CEO of Mazda North America Operations, at the LA auto show last week. More RFs are coming, too. Mazda says that about 500 more will arrive across the country in December. Mazda also said that availability will expand throughout the winter and spring months. So, for people who've ordered a Launch Edition, it looks like you may get an early holiday gift. And for those waiting to check out normal ones in dealers, you won't have to wait much longer. Related Video:

Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes also under diesel emissions scrutiny

The controversy over Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal isn't limited to the US. In Europe, where diesel engines are far more popular, the issue is shining a harsh light on the NEDC emissions test. As already known, the evaluation does a poor job of reflecting real-world production of NOx, and it appears a significant number of automakers are affected. The Guardian in the UK has been reporting on real-world test results from a company called Emissions Analytics. After the latest round of checks, vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi were found to generate far more NOx than they should. The newspaper also published similar results for Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Fiat, Volvo, Jeep, Citroen, VW, and Audi. On average, the figures are about four times over the limit of producing the pollutant. Unlike VW and its defeat device, these automakers aren't actually breaking the rules. The vehicles perform up to the NEDC lab test for emissions, but those results simply aren't translated to the street. "The VW issue in the US was purely the trigger which threw light on a slightly different problem in the EU - widespread legal over-emissions," Nick Molden from Emissions Analytics said to The Guardian. A big fight to decide the future of this issue appears to be on the horizon. Automakers claim that they can't meet the next round of tightening emissions regulations and are asking for compromises. Although, spokespeople for Mercedes and Honda told The Guardian that the brands would be in favor of the stricter rules. Meanwhile, some European governments began backtracking their support of diesels well before this scandal came to light. The added scrutiny certain hasn't helped the future of the oil-burner. Related Video:

Mazda announces Takata expansion in US to 472k vehicles [UPDATE]

Update: Mazda is revising the total number of vehicles affected by its Takata airbag inflator recall downward to 464,684 units, compared to the original NHTSA documents showing 472,056. According to Mazda Public Affairs Manager Tamara Mlynarczyk to Autoblog, "It is my understanding that Mazda Japan will be submitting a revised Part 573 on Monday that reflects our numbers." The company's official statement on the recall is now included below. Mazda is the latest automaker in the US to officially announce the details of its expanded Takata airbag inflator recall. The company is broadening its campaign to cover a total of 472,056 vehicles. Mazda's airbag inflator recall covers now the front driver's side for the 2003-2008 Mazda6 produced between May 29, 2002, and May 5, 2008, the 2004-2008 Mazda RX-8 from between April 10, 2003, and February 18, 2008, and the 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 made between August 4, 2005, and June 29, 2007. Among these three models there are 444,907 units affected. This is an expansion from of the previous total of about 330,000 examples from 2004-2008. The passenger-side airbag of the 2004-2006 B-Series pickup is also being recalled for those with build dates between April 17, 2003, and May 2, 2006. There are 27,149 of these vehicles in need of replacement parts. Takata's airbag inflator recalls have affected 34 million vehicles nationwide from 11 automakers. In a recent hearing before Congress, Takata said it was producing 740,000 replacement kits a month and hoped to grow that to a million. Other suppliers have also started making the parts. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Driver's Frontal Air Bag May Rupture Report Receipt Date: JUN 04, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V345000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 444,907 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) MAZDA MAZDA6 2003-2008 MAZDA MAZDASPEED6 2006-2007 MAZDA RX-8 2004-2008 Details Manufacturer: Mazda North American Operations SUMMARY: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured May 29, 2002, to May 5, 2008, 2004-2008 RX-8 vehicles manufactured April 10, 2003, to February 18, 2008, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles manufactured August 4, 2005, to June 29, 2007.