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Toyota Yaris iA, Mazda CX-3 sales show crossover formula isn't an automatic win

While 2017 was another watershed year for crossovers, in one interesting case, a crossover had its lunch eaten by its sedan counterpart. In the past year, Toyota sold nearly 36,000 Yaris iAs, a sedan that is identical to the foreign-market Mazda2 in everything but Toyota's ugly front bumper. In the same time frame, Mazda sold just over 16,000 CX-3s, a subcompact crossover based on the Mazda2. Not only that, but the Yaris iA saw an increase of around 8,000 units over 2016, and the CX-3 sold about 2,000 fewer units than in 2016. View 29 Photos There are a few reasons this is surprising. First of course is that the crossover market is surface-of-the-sun hot right now, so much so that primarily crossover-building brand Subaru saw its best sales year ever last year. Even Mazda's other crossovers, the CX-5 and CX-9 saw better sales in 2017 than in 2016. But on paper, the CX-3 has a number of advantages compared to the Yaris iA. The CX-3 has a larger 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes about 40 more horsepower than the 1.5-liter engine in the Toyota. Also, while the cargo area behind the rear seats in the CX-3 is about one cubic foot smaller than the iA, it has the added flexibility of being a hatchback, and thus having more capability when it comes to large, bulky items. And of course, the CX-3 is quite a shapely machine compared with the awkward, angry-looking iA. That's not to say the iA doesn't have any of its own advantages. It gets 3 more mpg in the city and 6 more on the highway than the CX-3. It also costs roughly $3,000 to $4,000 less than a CX-3 and can be found at more dealers than the Mazda. But it's still surprising that a car, especially a sedan, can outsell a mechanically very similar crossover. Apparently the formula of adding more ground clearance and plastic fenders isn't foolproof. Then again, maybe it's not such a big deal to Mazda, since the CX-3's total sales were just over a tenth that of the Mazda CX-5. Related Video:

2020 Mazda6 Signature Driveway Test | A luxury car interior with a non-luxury price

The 2020 Mazda6 Signature is pure luxury on the inside. If one were to remove the Mazda badges and replace them with Audi’s four rings, or LexusÂ’ stylized L, customers may not even bat an eye. Alas, that is the point of MazdaÂ’s range-topping Signature trim. Mazda fancies itself a “premium” car brand at this point, and the Mazda6Â’s cabin does an excellent job of selling that theme. A luxury interior starts with excellent and original design, and then itÂ’s finished with quality materials. Anybody can throw leather, suede and wood around, but if the design itself isnÂ’t moving, the fancy materials look tacked on. Mazda has managed to ace both the design and material quality sections of its test with the Mazda6 Signature. ThereÂ’s beauty in simplicity, and the Mazda6Â’s interior exemplifies that. A wide, sweeping dashboard dominates the view from the driverÂ’s seat. An endless swath of soft-touch UltraSuede is front and center, splitting the climate controls from the vents and infotainment screen above it. Mazda says itÂ’s “adorned with a subtle gold tint,” and itÂ’s made in a similar fashion as ornate kimonos. I found myself staring at the stitching running the full length of the dashboard. ItÂ’s topped by a silver strip that extends from one side of the cabin to the other into the side air vents. Interestingly, the side air vents extend beyond the rest of the dash into the door, so they look like silver metal wings sticking out with the doors open. Above the silver strip is something Mazda calls “Sen Wood.” It looks and feels like real wood, because it is — Mazda says Sen wood is used in taiko drums and Japanese furniture.   And then thereÂ’s the lovely continued presence of physical buttons for vital controls. All of the climate control options are integrated into a classy strip just below the suede in the center of the dash. The buttons themselves are high quality, easy to find and satisfying to use in their action. Same goes for the climate control temperature knobs. They turn with precision and give a clear indication of each degree of change. The ribbed faux metal (it's extremely convincing as real metal) surround on the dials makes it feel like youÂ’re changing the climate control on a car that costs twice as much as this Mazda does. Even some luxury cars donÂ’t offer the same level of tactility and satisfaction in their controls.

Mazda Kai concept hints at a more muscular, refined Mazda3

Mazda is packing some serious punch for the Tokyo Motor Show, unveiling a stylish hatchback it's calling the Kai Concept to go along with the earlier reveal of the show-stopping Vision Coupe. The compact five-door concept heralds a new generation of cars for the Japanese automaker, which is best known for making sporty, smallish and well-designed vehicles — such as the Mazda3, from which this concept derives its design direction. This version smooths over most of the Mazda3's sharp body creases in favor of smooth, undulating body panels that dramatically reflect light and reflect Mazda's KODO design language. It also gets more narrow, aggressive-looking headlights and a unique overhead profile, with two panes of glass that continue from the windshield and are intersected by a solid-color center, like a U-shaped moonroof. The Kai is powered by a next-generation Skyactiv-X combustion engine, which uses Mazda's proprietary compression ignition system to give the gas-powered engine the fuel efficiency, torque and initial acceleration response of a diesel powertrain. Which is encouraging, considering the Mazda3 already delivers impressive fuel economy. Inside, the concept hints at more refinement, with streamlined chrome accents popping from the black dash and interior panels. It all rests on Mazda's Skyactiv Vehicle Architecture that reflects human-centered design philosophy in everything from redesigned seats to maintain the spine's natural "S" curvature, to NVH tweaks to encourage a quieter, more comfortable ride. Mazda has said it plans to put this concept into production, but there's no word yet on when exactly that will be.Related Video: