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Stock Miata beats bunch of high-powered cars in wet 1/4-mile drag race

When is a stock, 167-horsepower Mazda MX-5 Miata quicker than a Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lotus Elise and a Porsche 911? When it's raining. Sort of.
Mazda Canada arranged a unique drag race to show off the fact that the Miata's optional power retractable folding hardtop can go from top-down to top-up in just 12 seconds flat. In this video, all six cars line up for a drag race, and it starts to rain (well, sort of - but you'll have to watch the video all the way to the end to see what we mean). The green flag is waved, and the timer starts as soon as the convertibles begin to put their tops up. But because the Miata's roof mechanism gets the car's roof back up a full 5.1 seconds quicker than the second-place car, the Mazda gets a serious advantage off the line for the actual drag race.
It's a fun video. And while we've spoiled the results (come on, the video was uploaded by Mazda, you knew the Miata was going to win), be sure to see how it all unfolds, below.

Mazda reportedly to be fully electric and hybrid by 2030s

TOKYO - Mazda plans to make all of its vehicles electric-based, including gasoline hybrids, by the early 2030s, Japanese media reported on Friday, as more automakers shift strategies to meet tightening global emission regulations. The Japanese automaker plans to use electric motors in all of its models by that time, Kyodo News reported, without citing sources. A Mazda spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. At the moment, Mazda's lineup does not include any all-battery electric vehicles. It does offer a hybrid version of the Mazda3, but it's only available in Japan. The company has also experimented with a range-extended electric Mazda2, which used a tiny rotary engine to produce electricity. The move is consistent with the company's Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 plan, which lays out the launch of various green powertrains. Among them are electrified models coming out in 2019. That same year will include the launch of the company's new SkyActiv-X engine, a compression ignition gasoline engine, which promises fuel efficiency improvement of 20- to 30 percent over comparable spark-ignition gas engines. This engine could hypothetically be combined with hybrid technology for even greater gains in efficiency, or even performance if the company so chooses. Mazda's recent partnership with Toyota also means Mazda could be able to quickly develop hybrids and electrics using Toyota's existing technology. This news that Mazda will begin primarily focusing on electric powertrains does seem contrary to Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai's statement that its gasoline, diesel and electric vehicle technologies would "co-exist" in the future. Mazda on Thursday also launched a new CX-8 three-row crossover for the Japanese market, which is currently only available with a diesel engine. The company also plans to finally introduce a diesel engine to the United States in the CX-5 crossover. Assuming that Mazda's move to fully electrified vehicles is true, it will join a couple of other automakers planning to do the same. Volvo Car Group in July said that all of its new models from 2019 would feature some amount of electrification, and Jaguar-Land Rover will follow suit starting in 2020. Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu. Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips. Additional words from Joel Stocksdale.Related Video: Image Credit: Toru Hanai / Reuters Green Mazda Electric Future Vehicles Hybrid mazda hybrid mazda electric car

2017.5 Mazda6 gives you more for the same money

The current Mazda6 has been around since the 2014 model year, but Mazda continues to update it and make it more enticing. For this midyear update that's earned the "2017.5" model year stamp, Mazda has added more standard features to both the base model Sport and midlevel Touring models. The Sport model now comes with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard features. The Touring model picks up navigation and heated seats as standard equipment. You can also opt for 8-way power leather seats on the Touring as well. If the extra features weren't enough, Mazda doesn't charge anything extra for the trim levels. All the base prices remain the same. The cheapest Sport model, which comes with a manual transmission, still starts at $22,820. The cheapest Touring model, again with a manual transmission, keeps its starting price of $25,070. Aside from a nice addition of features for no extra cost, there's something else interesting about the 2017.5 Mazda6, and that's the model year itself. The last time Mazda used a half-year designation was for the 2016.5 CX-5. It was the last model year of the previous generation CX-5, with the completely redesigned model launching for 2017. This leads us to believe that we may be seeing a completely new Mazda6 for the 2018 model year, with a reveal sometime within a year. It's possible Mazda could just do a significant refresh for 2018 as well, but the 6 also is the next model due for a complete redesign. And since the folks at Mazda have told us they're in the process of thoroughly updating the lineup again, we would lean toward the likelihood of a completely new car rather than a refresh. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Mazda 6 View 33 Photos Image Credit: Mazda Mazda Car Buying Sedan