1999 Mazda Miata Base Convertible 2-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Automotive Grade Linux will be the backbone of your connected car

Creating a backend for a secure, reliable, and expandable infotainment system is costly and time consuming. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, has set out to promote and advance the Linux operating system in commercial products. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is a group within the Foundation that seeks to apply a Linux backend to a number of automotive applications in a variety of vehicles from various suppliers and manufacturers. AGL's goal is to create a common, unifying framework that allows developers and manufacturers to easily implement applications across platforms. Currently, the focus is on infotainment systems, but AGL has plans for instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and eventually active safety software. At CES, a display from Panasonic showed a completely digital and customizable dashboard that allows information and apps to be moved from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen and back, all through the use of gesture and touch controls. Although the organization has been around for five years, it's really only been in the past three that the group has been working hand in hand with automakers and suppliers. The first two OEMs to participate, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, have since been joined by Mazda, Suzuki, Ford, and, as of this week, Daimler. The latter is important as until now most of AGL's partner's have been based in Japan or the US. Other partners include suppliers Denso, Renesas, Continental, Qualcomm, and Intel. AGL want's to supply roughly 80 percent of the backend, allowing partners to then finish and refine the Linux system for each individual application. Think of how the Android operating system is refined and customized for individual smartphones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. While the final product looks different, developers can have an application that will work across all AGL systems. Because it is open source, anyone can use and develop for AGL. You can even go onto the group's website and download a copy right now. There is also a software development kit available that helps facilitate app creation on the platform. Vehicle development cycles take roughly five years, so there currently are no cars that run an AGL backbone available for consumers. AGL Executive Director Dan Cauchy says products should be hitting the market later this year, with even more coming in 2018. Right now, the industry is relatively fragmented when it comes to infotainment and related systems.

Mazda announces mild-hybrid variant of MX-30 crossover in Japan

Mazda hinted its first series-produced electric car, the MX-30 introduced in late 2019, might not be sold in the United States. We could see it on our shores with another powertrain under its coupe-like sheetmetal, however. The company announced a mild-hybrid variant of the crossover during a press conference held in Japan. Technical details about the gasoline-electric MX-30 are hazy, but Mazda said it's powered by the same basic mild-hybrid system available in the Mazda3 and the CX-30. That means the drivetrain is built around a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a small electric motor that captures the kinetic energy generated while braking. It uses this electricity to power the car's electronics, and it injects it into the driveline to deliver bursts of extra power. Fuel economy and performance figures haven't been released yet. We expect the mild-hybrid model will be quicker than the heavier electric version, and its driving range will be appreciably greater. The electric model is equipped with a relatively small, 35.5-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a 124-mile range. Mazda explained using a smaller pack yields total CO2 emissions on par with a turbodiesel-powered Mazda3. The biggest visual difference between the two variants is an e-Skyactiv-G emblem on the hatch. Both model wear the same sporty design characterized by a steeply-raked roof line and a set of rear-hinged half doors reminiscent of the rotary-powered RX-8. It's the same story inside, where the hybrid and the EV are all but identical. Significantly, the hybrid MX-30 is expected to cost less than the electric model, which carries a base price of ˆ33,490 (about $40,000) in Germany. All told, it's better positioned than the EV to stick the landing if it's sent to the United States. Mazda hasn't yet published a list of the countries where it will sell the hybrid MX-30. Autoblog asked the company for additional details, and received word back that the company hasn't yet "made any announcements on MX-30 for the U.S. market." Related Video:     Featured Gallery 2021 Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv-G Green Mazda Crossover Electric Hybrid

Mazda Miata speedster and spyder concepts set for SEMA

Mazda will show speedster and spyder concepts based on the 2016 MX-5 Miata next week at SEMA in Las Vegas. The speedster is at the top of the teaser, and the spyder is the bottom half. The speedster goes with an extreme lightweight design. It has only a small wind deflector in place of the windshield and a blue ether topcoat. The spyder is a vintage roadster rendered into a modern form with a handcrafted leather interior and mercury silver paint job. Both are lighter than the production version and will be sure to get the hearts of Mazda fanatics and roadster enthusiasts alike racing at the possibilities. We doubt either will actually see production, like so many Miata-based concepts of the recent past. But that won't stop us from dreaming all the same. MAZDA TO SHOWCASE LIGHTWEIGHT PERFORMANCE AT SEMA WITH TWO MX-5 MIATA CONCEPTS - MX-5 Spyder and Speedster Concepts Bring Vintage Cues into Modern Designs - IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2015 -- The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been an exercise in honing the concept of a lightweight sports car for more than 26 years, created solely for driving exhilaration. But for the 2015 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Mazda designers wanted to see what they could do if that idea was taken to the extreme. What they created were two vastly different takes on the fourth-generation MX-5: The 2016 MX-5 Spyder Concept and 2016 MX-5 Speedster Concept. MX-5 Spyder captures the character of a vintage roadster and translates it into a modern-day design, including bespoke leather interior details that were painstakingly crafted, and featuring a new Mercury Silver concept paint color. MX-5 Speedster is a study in the extremes of lightweight, purpose-built performance, paying homage to minimalist roadsters of the 1950s. The Blue Ether-painted MX-5 Speedster is uncompromised in its approach to wind-in-the-hair driving, going so far as to eschew a traditional windshield for a lighter deflector. Both cars are significantly lighter than the 2,332-lbs. MX-5 roadster that customers can purchase at dealers and come with a host of conceptual and aftermarket pieces and fabrication from partners including Racing Beat, Haartz Corporation, ASC – American Sunroof Corporation, Makin Industries/RAYS Wheels, KW Suspensions, Delta Seat, H&R Springs, Lusch, AC&A Manufacturing, Franks Fab Shop, Long Road Racing and SIM Specialty Interior Manufacturing.