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Japanese automakers welcome North American trade deal, fear what's next

TOKYO — Toyota, Nissan and Mazda welcomed on Tuesday the revised North America trade deal that left Japanese automakers unscathed, but they may face a bumpy ride when Washington and Tokyo hold new talks on over $40 billion of annual U.S. auto imports from Japan. The United States and Canada reached an agreement on Sunday to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement after Washington had forged a separate trade deal with Mexico in August. The updated deal effectively maintains the auto industry's current footprint in North America, and spares Canada and Mexico from the prospect of U.S. national security tariffs on their vehicles. Mazda, which ships cars to the United States from Mexico and Japan, called the deal a "big step forward". Nissan, which makes the cars it sells in the United States locally as well as in Mexico, Japan and other countries, said it was "encouraged" by the agreement. Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, said it was "pleased" that a basic deal was reached. Other automakers were not immediately available for comment. While the deal has removed the risk that the disintegration of the pact would have posed to automakers, bigger risks loom large for Japanese firms as a chunk of the roughly 7 million cars they sold in the U.S. last year were shipped from Japan, and a trade deal between Washington and Tokyo has yet to be agreed. The United States and Japan last week agreed to begin fresh trade talks, with U.S. President Donald Trump seeking to address Japan's $69 billion trade surplus, of which nearly two-thirds comes from auto exports. Washington is also investigating the possibility of slapping 25 percent tariffs on auto imports on national security grounds, although it has agreed with Japan to put any new tariffs on hold during the talks. Analysts say the United States may take a tougher stance on auto imports from Japan than from its neighbors. "If Japan requests an exemption from the 25 percent tariffs under consideration, Washington could propose a more strict cap on imports than it agreed to with Mexico and Canada," said Koji Endo, senior analyst at SBI Securities. "That would be a risk." This could be a big blow to Japan, as the United States is a key source of revenue for Japanese automakers including Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The U.S. market accounts for a quarter or more of their annual global vehicle sales, and of their total U.S.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata firsthand impressions and notebook scribblings

In a temporarily repurposed airport hanger in Monterey, CA, the world caught its first glimpse of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata tonight, and I was fortunate enough to attend in person along with my fellow auto media colleagues, Mazda execs, a couple hundred Miata devotees and, oddly, a fair number of Duran Duran fans. The klieg lights have dimmed, Simon Le Bon is no longer ringing in my ears, and I'm left to ponder what I've seen. I've scavenged my notes - and my Twitter feed - to give you some details and brief thoughts.
Fair Warning: I can't claim to be completely impartial (I own a second-generation NB and consider the Miata franchise to be one of but a few sacrosanct franchises in modern motoring), but I will share my honest first impressions of the new car, both good and bad.
Here are my notes:

Race-inspired Mazda 3, CX-5, and Miata look great with white letter tires

At the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, a customization show that is kind of like SEMA but definitely not the same, manufacturers promote what is available and explore what's possible. Mazda brought a variety of vehicles to the show, but none more intriguing than the Mazda Motorsports Miata, Mazda3, and CX-5 concepts. The trio has race-inspired graphics, as well as a slew of visual and mechanical changes. The three vehicles have a core pack of changes, then each one has its own signature pieces to create some differentiation. The roadster, hatchback, and crossover have height-adjustable suspensions, upgraded brakes, MazdaSpeed tow hooks, circular number body decals, new wheel nuts, Alcantara steering wheels and shift knobs, special heel plates, MazdaSpeed six-point harnesses, and MazdaSpeed sport seats. The Miata and 3 have Fujitsubo stainless mufflers, while the CX-5 has a slightly different exhaust. The Roadster appropriately has the most involved individual upgrades. It has a body kit with front, side, and rear alterations, and it sits on RAYS ZE40 17x7.5J wheels wrapped in Potenza RE-71R 215 / 45R17 rubber with beautiful white lettering. It also has a Cusco roll bar, a MazdaSpeed rear spoiler, a MazdaSpeed strut bar, and a MazdaSpeed lower arm bar. Inside, the door trim, decoration panel, shift boot, center console lid, and parking brake boot are draped in Alcantara. An aluminum pedal set is adds a final touch of polish. On the Mazda 3 hatchback, the aero kit is specifically noted to be "Signature Style." Mazda also upgraded the strut bar and lower arm bar, and threw on Rays ZE40 18x7.5J wheels in Potenza RE-71R 215 / 45R18 tires, also with white lettering. Black mirror caps, a scuff plate, and a sports pedal set complete the concept. On the CX-5, Mazda made it sportier but also added some crossover-focused features, too.. It has Mazda-styled aero, an Auto Exe sports muffler Rays G25EDGE F1 20x8.5J wheels, Bridgestone ALENZA001 255 / 45R20 tires with white lettering, and a new wheel nut set. It also has a scuff plate, premium floor mats, a premium luggage mat, and sports pedals. For now, these are only concepts, with no word as to whether anything similar could hit Japanese markets, let alone U.S. shores. A Mazda engineer previously said a MazdaSpeed3 wouldn't happen, but the company is reportedly considering a 3 with a 250-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.