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The 2018 Mazda6 also snags top IIHS safety rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of two organizations that issues important safety ratings. To get to IIHS's Top Safety Pick rating level, the 2018 Mazda6 not only had to ace a bunch of difficult crash tests, it also must have headlights that meet a strict test as well. Its stablemate, the CX-5 crossover just received the even higher Top Safety Pick+ rating. Both must be equipped with optional adaptive headlights to achieve these ratings. The rationale is, many crashes happen at dusk or in the dark, and an outsized number on unlit roads. While almost all modern headlights outperform the dim, unfocused sealed beams of the past, IIHS says that government regulations aren't doing a good enough job of ensuring real-world performance. Adaptive headlights turn with the front wheels, helping out a lot in IIHS's tests on illumination in sharp and gradual curves. Related: How the 2018 Mazda6 stacks up to its competitors in the midsize sedan segment The Adaptive Front-Lighting System is only available in the Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trim levels, meaning that you'll have to upgrade to those fancy versions to get it. It'd be nice if Mazda allowed even lower-trim buyers to add this as a stand-alone option, but for now that's not how it works. Fancy, safer headlights or no, we love the new Mazda6, especially the turbocharged version. It's one of the most fun sedans around. And, according to IIHS, now one of the safest. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mazda Hazumi Concept previews next Mazda2 in Geneva [w/videos]

The official photos of Mazda's Hazumi concept leaked out yesterday, but we have finally gotten to see it in real life at the Geneva Motor Show. Our view is that its Kodo lines looks as good on the diminutive car's sheet metal as they did in photos.
The Hazumi was designed to appear to be bursting with energy, and it seems to deliver. While Mazda refuses to actually say that this is the concept for the next Mazda2, it makes it clear that the little hatchback is "foreshadowing Mazda's next-generation subcompact car." We can all read between the lines.
Hazumi also introduces the new Skyactiv-D 1.5-liter diesel engine but details about it are scant at the moment. The specs for the engine are still unannounced, but the company promises that it is both very efficient and has lots of torque for its size. Mazda is also promising that its Mazda Connect infotainment system will be available in the car too. Scroll down for the brief press release a brace of videos that celebrate the tiny concept's arrival.

Toyota and Mazda in talks to build joint US auto plant

UPDATE: The Toyota-Mazda deal has been announced. A newer version of this story appears here. Toyota Motor Corp and rival Mazda Motor Corp are expected to announce plans on Friday to launch a joint venture and build a new U.S. assembly plant, a person briefed on the matter said. A new auto plant would be a major boost to U.S. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to boost manufacturing and expand employment for American autoworkers. Japan's Nikkei reported on Thursday that Toyota would take a roughly five-percent stake in Mazda Motor Corp to develop key electric vehicle technologies and jointly build a factory in the United States. The deal could be announced as soon as Friday, the newspaper said. The person briefed on the matter, who was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity, confirmed the Japanese carmakers were planning to build a large plant in a yet to be determined U.S. location and planned future joint efforts on electric vehicles. The same source declined to offer further details, however. Toyota, in a statement, said the two companies have been exploring various areas of collaboration under a May 2015 agreement. "We intend to submit a proposal to our board of directors today regarding the partnership with Mazda, however, we would like to refrain from providing further comment at this time," Toyota said in a statement issued by its U.S. operations. Mazda said in statement that "nothing has been decided yet" and added the company "will have a board meeting on this matter today. We cannot comment any further." Toyota, the world's second-largest automaker by vehicle sales in 2016 and Japan's dominant car company, has been forging alliances with smaller Japanese rivals for several years, effectively consolidating the Japanese auto sector. A new U.S. assembly plant would likely become the prize in a fierce competition among Midwestern and Southern states eager to expand manufacturing jobs. Trump in January criticized Toyota for importing cars to the United States from Mexico. The Republican president also threatened to impose a hefty fee on Toyota if it were to build its Corolla cars for the U.S. market at a plant in Mexico. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S. or pay big border tax," Trump said in a post on Twitter. But since January, Trump has praised Toyota for its U.S. investments.