2014 Mazda Mazda3 I Grand Touring on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Next-gen Mazda3 teased in new video, should debut next month

Despite being one of the oldest vehicles in its class, the third-gen Mazda3 is still a favorite here at Autoblog. It's handsome, comfortable and one of the best-driving compacts around. While we had hoped to see a new Mazdaspeed3 hot hatch before this model expired, it seems that's not the case. Today, Mazda released a short teaser video showing a very brief glimpse of what appears to be a new hatchback. A caption says there's more to come next month. That leads us to believe we'll see the next Mazda3 in late November at or around the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. We don't know much about the new model, though it does look like the hatchback will carry over. That's no surprise given the Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra all offer five-door variants. You can include the hatch-only Volkswagen Golf on that list, too. The sedan is a given considering how popular the body style is in America. Expect the design to draw a lot from the Mazda Kai concept we saw last fall. It's harder to say what Mazda might stuff under the new 3's hood. Skyactiv-X would be great, but the compression-ignition gasoline engine likely won't be ready in time for the Mazda3's debut. That's a shame, as the engine shows a lot of promise and would be a good and unique feature for Mazda. Until the EV infrastructure improves and the associated costs go down, more efficient internal-combustion engines will still have a place in the market. Check out further info on the Skyactiv-X technology here, and stay tuned later next month for more news from Mazda. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mazda Hatchback Sedan

2021 Mazda Miata rocks new white leather interior

Mazda has announced changes for the 2021 MX-5 Miata, and while the model year is mostly a quiet one for the enthusiast-favorite sports car, there is one striking new addition: a White Nappa leather option. Sure to be the bane of Miata restorers years hence, the White Nappa leather is exclusive to the Grand Touring trim level, where it carries a $300 upcharge. Sadly, where Mazda giveth, it also taketh away, as last year's Red Nappa leather option has been dropped, and Tan Leather also falls by the wayside. That leaves black as your only other leather color choice. You may want to pair your white leather interior with the Miata's new Deep Crystal Blue exterior hue, as shown above. Deep Crystal Blue replaces 2020's Eternal Blue. The white interior also can be paired with any other exterior color with the exception of Snowflake White Pearl — that would be a little too '76 Eldo. Once again, soft top colors are black or gray, the latter for an extra $200. (The red soft top that was exclusive to the 100th Anniversary model has departed with that limited edition.) Equipment-wise, the only changes for 2021 have to do with smartphone mirroring. The base Miata Sport roadster adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (they were already standard on the upper trims). The Grand Touring, meanwhile, upgrades to wireless CarPlay. Prices for the base Miata Sport rise by $250, to $27,775 (including the $945 destination charge) for the roadster with a six-speed manual, with the automatic adding $1,350. The tariff for the Miata Club roadster and the RF is unchanged, with the soft top at $31,235 and the hardtop stickering for $33,990. Pricing for the Club's Brembo/BBS/Recaro option package is also unchanged at $4,470 (soft top) or $4,670 (RF). The news is even better with the top-spec Miata Grand Touring, which actually sees its base price drop — albeit only by $100, but still. The Grand Touring roadster is now $32,715, with the Retractable Fastback at $35,570. The 2021 Mazda Miata should arrive in showrooms this month. Related video:

Illinois’ pro-union stance kills bid for Toyota-Mazda plant, report says

Mazda and Toyota are fielding bids from states eager to land its new prize: an all-new $1.6 billion U.S. plant where the Japanese automakers would jointly build electric vehicles and employ around 4,000 workers. Now we can apparently scratch Illinois off the list of contenders. According to Automotive News, the Land of Lincoln has been disqualified due to a lack of shovel-ready sites and the state's lack of a right-to-work law curtailing union membership. Mark Peterson, the president and CEO of economic development agency Intersect Illinois, told the publication he's been informed Illinois is not among the three or four finalists for the facility. It's believed those finalists are all in the South. Peterson said that "many national site consultants charged with making recommendations for corporate relocations and expansions will not even consider a state that is not a right-to-work state. In this case, the three states I am told are still in the running are all right-to-work states." The Midwest may be the ancestral home of U.S. automotive manufacturing, but the South has made major inroads in recent decades, with the likes of Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota all opening plants there, among others, thanks to lucrative tax incentives and the absence of labor unions. Recent years have also seen so-called right-to-work laws, which prohibit union dues and membership as a condition of employment in organized workplaces, spread to traditional labor strongholds such as Michigan and Wisconsin. The new joint venture plant, which would start operating in 2021, would be capable of producing 300,000 vehicles a year, with production divided between the two automakers. Mazda and Toyota would also take small stakes in one another as part of the deal. It's expected that at least 15 states have submitted proposals to attract the plant. Expect the Illinois news to trigger a new round of debate over the role of organized labor in the modern economy.Related Video: Image Credit: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Mazda Toyota