2015 Mazda Mazda6 I Grand Touring on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda halts Mazda3 sales for fuel tank problem

Mazda is issuing a stop sale and recall on 14,406 examples of the 2015-2016 Mazda3 in the US with build dates between May 21, 2015, and August 24, 2015, due to a possible fuel leak. There are no reports or accidents or injuries from this problem. According to the company, a defective fuel shut-off valve can allow gasoline to move from the tank and fill the charcoal emissions canister. If it gets too full, there can be a leak, which obviously carries the risk of a possible fire. The engine might stall, as well. Affected owners will be notified to bring their Mazda3 in "as soon as possible." Dealers will inspect the vehicles, and if a problem is found, the fuel tank and charcoal emissions canister will be replaced. During the downtime, customers will get a free rental or loaner car, as well. Those who are particularly concerned can also call Mazda roadside assistance to have their vehicle delivered for the check and possible repair. Related Video: Mazda Issues Stop Sale and Stop Delivery for Mazda3 Fuel Tank Recall WASHINGTON, DC (October 2, 2015) – Mazda Motor Corporation will conduct a Safety and Emission Recall Campaign for certain 2015-2016 Mazda3 vehicles (built from May 21, 2015 through August 24, 2015), which could have a safety-related problem. A defect in the fuel shut-off valve may allow fuel to flow from the fuel tank into the charcoal emissions canister. With this condition, the check engine light may illuminate, and if the fuel exceeds the canister capacity, fuel leakage could occur, increasing the risk of a fire and/or engine stalling. Approximately 14,270 vehicles in the U.S. and 136 vehicles in Puerto Rico are affected. Owners of subject vehicles will be notified by mail in early October. They will be informed to bring their vehicle to the nearest Mazda dealer as soon as possible. Dealers will inspect the fuel tank to determine if the defect exists on the vehicle. If the defect exists, the dealer will replace the fuel tank and charcoal canister at no cost to the customer. A rental or loaner vehicle will be provided at no cost to the owner, until the vehicle is repaired for this concern. If there are no concerns, the vehicle will be returned to the customer. Should a customer not want to drive the vehicle to the dealership, they may contact Mazda's 24-hour Roadside Assistance service at 800-866-1998 and have the vehicle picked up and delivered to the dealership. There have been no reports of accidents or injury related to this issue.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata First Drive [w/video]

Hypothetically speaking, if you blindfolded me, put me in the car pictured above, and told me to hit the road, it would have taken me maybe two minutes to figure out that I was driving the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. There are just certain facets about Miata driving that have been baked into every generation of Mazda's roadster, and it makes for a symbiotic relationship between car and driver that's truly unique. Sure, I could rattle off a list of cars that come close to offering the same sort of experience, but they just can't quite capture the same intrinsic Miata magic. Mazda knows its Miata is an incredibly special machine. Listening to the company's engineers and designers talk about the development of this fourth-generation ND model is fascinating. The attention to detail is astonishing, and every single person involved in the Miata program knows that the most important goal is to keep this car as true to its predecessors' ethos as possible. It cannot just be a great convertible, or even a great Mazda – it has to be a great MX-5 Miata. But the company did not just want to improve upon the third-generation NC Miata, which has been around since 2006. They wanted to tie the ND Miata's roots back to the original NA from 1989. Back in '89, the Miata was a less-powerful, 1.6-liter model with 115 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque. Mazda's team said they are proud of every version of the MX-5, but it's this specific, first-generation model that the company calls the "most right" – the most true to the idea of what a Miata ought to be. So that's why, before being allowed to attack the winding roads of the Spanish countryside in the 2016 MX-5, Mazda wanted me to spend some time with a cherry example of the original NA Miata: a Mariner Blue darling that, even with some 239,000 kilometers on its clock, still felt absolutely impeccable from behind the wheel. Light, responsive, and perfectly balanced, it was the original embodiment of the harmony between driver and car that Mazda wanted in every Miata. Mazda executives said they felt the first Miata was also the right size. So they chopped off three inches on the ND compared with the NC, and put it on a wheelbase that's been reduced by six-tenths of an inch. In fact, these dimensions mean the new Miata is more than two inches shorter in length than the original, and only two-tenths of an inch taller. In this day and age of ever-expanding waistlines and footprints, it's a remarkable achievement.

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