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Mazda taps Americas head as CEO to raise game in its biggest market

TOKYO — Mazda has named the head of its Americas operations as its next president and CEO after its current chief steps down in June, as Japan's fifth-largest automaker seeks to boost profitability in North America, its biggest market. The company said on Friday that Masamichi Kogai will step down and be replaced by current vice president Akira Marumoto, who now oversees operations in the Americas. The changes are effective June 26 after Mazda's annual shareholders' meeting. Mazda, which has global annual sales of around 1.6 million vehicles, has enjoyed a run of rising vehicle sales, expanding in markets particularly in North America, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of total sales. But as one of Japan's smaller automakers and a tiny player globally, it faces growing competition in the United States, where market growth has slowed, and where the company's profitability has sagged due to higher discounting and slowing demand for sedans. The maker of the MX-5 Miata roadster and the reputed Skyactiv gasoline engines also faces higher costs to stay competitive in an industry which is being disrupted by new technologies, including self-driving cars and electric vehicles. Marumoto, a 38-year company veteran with a background in engineering who described himself as having a "strict" work ethic and admitted to being "short-tempered" at times, previously led Mazda's corporate planning and product strategy divisions before heading its Americas operations. He said that growing sales and improving profitability in the North American market would be his biggest priority, along with expanding the company's brand image as an innovative car maker. "Given the rapid changes occurring in the auto industry at the moment it's often asked whether a small company like us will be OK," Marumoto, 60, told reporters at a briefing in Tokyo. "But before we even consider this we need to show our strengths, and what makes us different if we want to grow our brand." Kogai, who became Mazda's president and CEO in 2013, will be following the footsteps of his two immediate predecessors who also held the top job for five years each. He will still be with the automaker and become its chairman, the company said. Earlier this year, Mazda announced that it would invest in a new, $1.6 billion plant in the U.S. state of Alabama as a joint venture with Toyota.

MotorWeek proves '90s were awesome with Supra, Stealth, RX-7, Corvette, 968, 300ZX comparo

Oh, the heady days of 1993, back when the Clinton Presidency was just getting underway, and it seemed like every hot new rock band was coming out of Seattle. Sports cars in the US had finally shaken off the shackles that slowed them during the '70s and '80s, and you could buy any number of legitimately quick vehicles again. MotorWeek recently went digging into its archives to find this six-model test from 1993 showing off some of the best semi-affordable performance coupes that money could buy at the time, and it's priceless.
Featuring the 1994 model year Toyota Supra in twin-turbo guise and MY 1993 versions of the Porsche 968, Nissan 300ZX TT, Mazda RX-7, Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and Chevrolet Corvette LT-1, MotorWeek definitely covered all of the bases. One thing that might surprise younger readers is these cars' performance. The video only provides 0-60 acceleration times, but several of these vehicles would still be considered pretty potent today - over 20 years since going on sale. The Supra is especially impressive, hitting 60 miles per hour in just 5 seconds. Even today, that's nothing to sneeze at.
Given their performance potential and still-attractive looks, it's amazing that some of these coupes are old enough to drink now. The progress of interior design and safety equipment in the intervening years is pretty shocking, though. In most of these models, having two airbags is touted as a big deal. Scroll down to watch a Throwback Thursday blast from the past about some of the '90s best sports cars.

2019 Mazda CX-5 Turbo First Drive Review | Two-row crossover perfection

Listen: If you're shopping for a crossover, and by all accounts most Americans are, there is no better option on the market than the 2019 Mazda CX-5. When we test drove the all-new 2017 CX-5, we were astounded by its marked improvements over the already-great previous generation. We noted then its biggest drawback was its average 187 horsepower. The CX-5 didn't feel slow, and it certainly made up for it in other ways, like by delivering superior road-hugging abilities. But, it was probably enough to turn off buyers who do their shopping by analyzing spec sheets. For 2019, Mazda addressed that exact issue with a vengeance. With an all-new 2.5-liter SkyActiv Turbo good for 250 horsepower, the CX-5 not only leapfrogs bestselling rivals like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but lands squarely in the realm of luxury stalwarts such as the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. When we drove the 2017 CX-5, we likened the handling to that of a Porsche Macan. Now it has the power to match. Among its direct competition, only the 2019 Toyota RAV4 breaks the 200-horsepower mark, ringing in at 203 (and the Hybrid makes an even more impressive 219 ponies), while the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and VW Tiguan all sit between 180 and 190. Now, to get the full herd you must fill the tank with 93 octane premium, but if you don't mind leaving a few ponies in the stable you can pump 87 octane for a slight dip to 227 horsepower. The engine adjusts with no ill effects. Even better, torque stays the same no matter what, and the stump-pulling 310 pound-feet of torque comes quick at just 2,000 rpm. The SkyActiv turbo is full of clever engineering tricks, too. There's an exhaust port restrictor, for instance, a narrower channel used only at low engine speeds. Mazda engineer Dave Coleman likened it to a thumb over a firehose, making more exhaust pressure at idle to spool up the turbo, and thus delivering more oomph when you take off from a standstill. Mazdafarians will recognize the mill as the same one that debuted on the 2018 Mazda6. It powers the CX-9 too, Mazda's highly acclaimed three-row crossover. The 3,825-pound CX-5 has 558 fewer pounds to shuffle around than its larger stablemate, making it downright snappy. However, that extra pep does come with a fuel economy penalty, 22 city and 27 highway mpg versus the naturally aspirated version's 24 city and 30 highway mpg.