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Recharge Wrap-up: BlaBlaCar raises $100M, NASA launches CO2 satellite

BlaBlaCar, a ridesharing startup in Europe, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by Index Ventures. After recently growing to 12 countries and 8 million users, BlaBlaCar plans to us the funding for even more aggressive growth throughout Europe. The ridesharing service pairs drivers and passengers, allowing passengers to catch rides between cities while allowing drivers to save money on fuel on road trips. Drivers are not allowed to make a profit, and are only allowed to charge enough to break even after BlaBlaCar takes its percentage, to keep costs low for everyone involved. BlaBlaCar doesn't currently have plans to break into the US. Read more at The New York Times or at Gigaom. NASA has launched its Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 into space to keep track of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. After being delayed on Tuesday, the Delta II rocket equipped with an instrument to measure CO2 launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 5:56 am on Wednesday. It is ultimately headed for a polar orbit to watch how CO2 levels rise and fall throughout the seasons, in part to try to figure out if the land and oceans will continue to be able to absorb half of carbon emissions. The mission will last two years, and should give further insight into climate change. Learn more in the video below, at NASA or at New York Times. Mazda is likely to release a plug-in version of its Mazda2 hatchback with a rotary range extender, reports Australian site Motoring. The electrified Mazda2, and any other future Mazda EVs and hybrids, will likely be limited to markets with government subsidies for such vehicles (which doesn't include Australia) says Mazda Australia Managing Director Martin Benders. "As the best possible fuel economy at an affordable price hybrid doesn't make sense, because the fuel economy gain isn't that great unless half of all sales are hybrid, which won't happen without big tax breaks like in the Netherlands," said Benders. That doesn't rule out the US, though. A prototype version of the range-extended Mazda2 featured a 0.33-liter rotary engine to provide power to the lithium-ion battery pack when depleted. A 2.6-gallon gas tank essentially doubled the electric Mazda2's driving range to 250 miles. Read more at Motoring. Zap plans on selling 1,000 Urbee EVs per month to SunRa for distribution in China.

Mazda CX-5 diesels get discounts up to $10,000 off MSRP

When Mazda positioned its long-awaited and oft-delayed CX-5 diesel crossover as the “premium” option in the CX-5 trim structure, we were skeptical. After driving one last fall with a $42,045 sticker price, our eyebrows furrowed even deeper. Today, to nobodyÂ’s surprise, Mazda dealers are slapping massive discounts on the Skyactiv-D. CarsDirect initially reported on the discounts, pointing out that some dealers are slashing prices by $10,000. We took a spin through Autotrader to see what was out there, and the results were shocking. There were pages of CX-5 diesels with prices in the low-to-mid $30,000 range. We asked Mazda what kind of incentives it was currently offering on the 2019 CX-5 diesel. Since December, Mazda has offered a $5,000 cash rebate, alongside a 2.9 percent APR for 60 months. However, the other several thousand dollars worth of discounts weÂ’re seeing listed — as much as $5,000 more — are not being accounted for by Mazda.  Just as CarsDirect found, the largest discounts we could find on the web are for a cool $10,000, bringing the price down to $32,045. At that price, youÂ’re looking at a 23.8 percent discount. ThatÂ’s a discount of nearly a quarter(!) of the carÂ’s original asking price. We thought the Skyactiv-D was overpriced originally, but at this price, weÂ’d strongly consider it as the CX-5 to buy. Since the diesel is only offered in the top-of-the-line Signature trim, it has every gizmo and gadget Mazda offers in addition to the most premium interior materials. ItÂ’s also offered in all-wheel drive only, leaving every box with a checkmark in it.  Compared to the gas-engined CX-5 Signature that starts at $38,100 for the 2020 model year, these diesels are a steal. In fact, this price hierarchy makes a lot more sense than the way Mazda had it organized in the first place. The more powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the gas-engined Signature can easily be marketed as the most “premium” option in the CX-5 lineup since itÂ’s the fastest and most enjoyable to drive. Moving the slower diesel with the same equipment below it on the food chain sounds like the right move to us. At around $33,000-$35,000, the diesel isnÂ’t such a bad buy anymore. Fuel economy still isnÂ’t where weÂ’d like it to be, but as we opined in our First Drive review, itÂ’s still a wonderfully pleasant car to drive. Related Video:    

2021 Hyundai Elantra vs. compact sedans | How they compare on paper

Despite the rising popularity of crossovers, the sedan market remains packed and fiercely competitive. It looks like it will stay that way with the introduction of the strikingly redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra. And since Hyundai was kind enough to provide plenty of specifications on the new car, we figured we ought to see how it stacks up to some of the latest and greatest small sedans on the market. For this comparison we picked the two best-sellers, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, one of the other recently redesigned sedans, the Nissan Sentra, and a perennial enthusiast favorite, the Mazda3. Below you'll find a chart with all the raw numbers for your perusal. Following that will be our usual break down and analysis of the numbers and any other noteworthy features not included in the chart. Performance and Fuel Economy While the design and chassis are all-new on the Elantra, the base powertrain isn't. It uses a version of the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder shared throughout the Hyundai and Kia line-ups, and it's again paired with a CVT. With 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, it's the second least powerful entry for conventionally-powered sedans, only ahead of the sluggish 1.8-liter base engine in the Toyota Corolla. For those looking for a peppy small sedan, the Mazda3's naturally aspirated 2.5-liter has the most power and torque, even ahead of the turbocharged Honda Civic's 174 ponies. On the other hand, the Elantra, which Hyundai says will have better fuel economy than the outgoing model, should get at least 36 mpg combined, and probably better, making it the most efficient non-hybrid of this group. For the best blend of power and efficiency, the Civic is likely the way to go, as its turbo engine can return 36 mpg combined in lower trims. If you want a manual transmission in this body shape, only the Civic and Corolla offer it. A manual transmission is available on the Mazda3 hatchback, and the turbo Civic can also be had with a manual in hatchback or Si forms. A new powertrain for the Elantra is the hybrid. It's unique compared to other hybrids in that it's coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, rather than an electronically controlled CVT (which is not the same thing as a CVT) or something too complicated to describe in this sentence (the Honda Insight).