2014 Mazda Mazda3 I Touring on 2040-cars

Auto blog

New Mazda CX-4 teaser shots emerge ahead of Beijing debut

The Kodo styling language seen on last year's Koeru concept seems to translate well to a production car, judging by these teaser images of the upcoming CX-4 from Mazda's Chinese press site. And, as has been seen on several recent Mazdas, concept cars can be quite close to their eventual production versions. An earlier press release implies the CX-4 should be seen as a more coupe-like counterpart to the CX-5, with some of the MX-5's characteristic and often emphasized jinba ittai feel injected into it – if the MX-5 is all about the rider and horse being one, the CX-4 would just be a slightly bigger steed. The 19-inch wheels and LED headlights are some of the more attention-grabbing details on the car. Inside, there's a head-up-display and a MZD connect infotainment screen as seen on other current models. The hardware on the "Exploring-Coupe SUV", as Mazda call it, should match the CX-5: 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D turbodiesels in some markets, 2.0 and 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G gasoline engines in most. There will also be a choice of front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. The Beijing Motor Show opens to the public on April 29th, so we won't have to wait a whole lot longer to see the whole thing. Related Video:

Mazda reveals new 'Game Changers' advertising campaign

Looking to highlight its unique and sporty mindset, Mazda is getting ready to launch its biggest advertising campaign since "Zoom-Zoom" became its tagline in 2000. The new campaign, entitled "Game Changers," will begin in May, and rather than focusing on its sporty past - like it did with Zoom-Zoom early on - the new ads will look at recent advancements made in building its future, including Skyactiv technologies and its new diesel race program, both of which involve its excellent new Mazda6 sedan.
As a part of the ads, Mazda will showcase game changers from the sporting world, including Dick Fosbury who changed how competitors perform the high jump and Laird Hamilton, who redefined how surfers attacked big waves. It doesn't sound like Zoom-Zoom is going away, but "Game Changers" will definitely feature heavily in the Japanese automaker's marketing moving forward. A few examples of the new ad campaign are posted in our gallery, and the press release is available below.

Confirmed: Mazda Miata gets more power, higher redline, telescoping wheel

Our friend over at Road & Track, Bozi Tatarevic, has a keen nose for stuff just like today's Miata news, and he spotted an article by the Japanese car magazine Car Watch that details Mazda's upcoming updates. Car Watch actually got to drive the car, too. There's a lot to go through, but the highlight has to be confirmation of what we told you earlier this year about a significant power bump: The Miata will indeed get an increase of 26 horsepower, from 155 to 181. But the power's not the whole story. Mazda has increased the redline from 6,800 RPM to 7,500. It's not clear at this point where torque and power peaks are in the rev range, or how these changes affect low-speed drivability, but more revs are almost always a good thing and aren't likely to detract from the roadster's fundamental goodness. Car Watch reports that lighter pistons and connecting rods are fitted to help reduce rotational mass in the 2.0-liter inline-four. Some valvetrain changes were needed to support the higher redline, mainly stiffer valvesprings to prevent valve float. Mazda also changed the shape of the valves and optimized the intake ports to breathe better at higher RPM. The inner diameter of the exhaust ports were increased to flow better through a new muffler better tuned to the engine's new operating range. This confirms and gives a little more detail to what we reported earlier based on a leaked document from Mazda Canada. Car Watch also confirms that the revised Miata will get a low-inertia dual-mass flywheel, which should help absorb some vibration, noise and harshness from the higher-revving engine without losing too much of the directness that a single-mass flywheel provides. Mazda usually gets stuff like this right, so while we won't know until we get a chance to drive it whether the DMF feels "right," we're not too worried about it. There's also a telescopic steering wheel, a first in any Miata, which has a range of about 1.1 inches. That doesn't sound like much, but it should help folks with longer legs reach the wheel without having to crank the seat forward. Interestingly, Car Watch reports that the telescoping wheel was opposed by some in the company seeking to save every fraction of an ounce of weight, and to get it through, the company apparently had to change some of the material in the upper steering column from steel to aluminum to satisfy the weight-conscious. Little details like these are fantastic.