Clean | Low Miles | No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda and Clemson collaborate on Deep Orange 3 concept

There are school projects, and then there's the Mazda Deep Orange 3 Concept Car, a one-off built by Clemson University automotive engineering students and designed by Frederick Naaman from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Clemson students unveiled the chassis at the 2012 SEMA show in Las Vegas, although this is the first showing of the car fully clothed.
Sporting a unique hybrid powertrain that can automatically switch between front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive. A gas-powered engine handles the fronts, while the rears are powered by an electric motor and a battery pack. The Deep Orange 3 also has an unusual three-plus-three layout, making it a much cooler version of your parent's old Vista Cruiser. The exterior sheetmetal clearly follows Mazda's established design language, and looks like it could easily pass for a five-door version of the Shinari Concept. It really is a great looking vehicle.
The Deep Orange 3 was part of Clemson's graduate-level auto engineering program, and is a regular partnership between the east coast school and the Pasadena-based design college's students. Clemson, Art Center and Mazda will be showing the Deep Orange 3 at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI, from August 5 to August 8. Click through for a press release from Clemson University.

Mazda recalling 18k Mazda6 and RX-8 models over airbag inflators

Faulty Takata airbag inflators keep taking their toll on automakers. Mazda is the latest to be affected in the US by announcing a recall covering 18,050 Mazda6 and RX-8 models to replace the front, passenger-side airbags. Specifically, the campaign covers 18,000 Mazda6 units from the 2003 and 2004 model years built between May 29, 2002, and March 4, 2004, and 50 RX-8 vehicles from the 2004 model year made between June 25, 2003, and June 30, 2003.
As with the rest of the vehicles with these faulty inflators, it's possible for the part to rupture when deploying the airbag and potentially spray shrapnel at the occupant. Mazda's defect notice goes into a bit more detail than most about the problem saying: "some propellant wafers have been produced with an inadequate compaction force, or may have been exposed to uncontrolled moisture conditions (those wafers could have absorbed moisture beyond the allowable limits)."
This isn't Mazda's first difficulty with Takata-supplied airbags this year. The company was among the seven automakers that recalled vehicles in hot-weather states over the inflators. It also had to recently fix 42,000 Mazda6 vehicles in China over the issue.

Mazda6 diesel may finally launch this year according to CARB certification

For close to a decade, Mazda said it would bring its latest generation of diesel engine, Skyactiv-D, to the United States. And for most of that time, it said that engine would appear in the Mazda6. Last year Mazda finally brought us the engine in the CX-5, and it looks like this year, the 6 will finally get it, too. This seems to be the case based on a CARB certification posted on January 31 specifically for the midsize family sedan. The CX-5, in both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive variants, is listed in a different certification, so it's not a case of a blanket certification for every vehicle the engine could appear in this year. As expected, the document lists the 6 as having a 2.2-liter turbocharged engine with a six-speed automatic, though it doesn't say whether the model is front-wheel-drive or all-wheel. Either is certainly possible, since all-wheel drive, in particular with the diesel, is available in overseas Mazda6s. Like in the CX-5, the engine will probably make 168 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. While this certification tells us the diesel 6 will probably launch this year as a 2021 model, we're left to estimate the reveal date. Midway through the year, or possibly at the start of the next auto show cycle would seem likely, which would coincide with a model year update. Mazda has stated it will only be offered on the top-tier Signature trim, which starts at $36,345 with the standard turbocharged gasoline 4-cylinder. Looking at the price difference between a turbocharged Mazda CX-5 Signature with all-wheel-drive and the diesel CX-5, the price difference is about $4,000, so it would seem reasonable to expect the Mazda6 diesel to ring in at about $40,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.