2006 Mazda Mx-5 Miata Sport Convertible 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata may be getting 181 hp

Even though the current 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata makes only 155 horsepower, our experience has shown that it's more than enough fun with its modest output. Still, if Mazda were to offer more, we wouldn't turn it down, and it appears that's exactly what will happen for the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Road & Track dug up a VIN filing from Mazda to NHTSA with information about the Miata for that model year. On one of the pages, it states that the 2019 Miata will have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 181 net brake horsepower. That's a pretty big jump from 155 horsepower, nearly matching the larger 2.5-liter engine in the Mazda3 and Mazda6. It's also close in power to the estimates for the Skyactiv-X spark-controlled compression-ignition engine. But, based on what a journalist on Twitter posted, the 2019 Miata will continue to use a version of the existing spark-ignition Skyactiv-G engine. Apparently it will have a new cylinder head, be able to rev higher, and make more horsepower, though he didn't say how much more. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We've reached out to Mazda for comment on this discovery, and, like with most car companies, wouldn't give comment since the topic regards a future product. If it does turn out that Mazda won't up the horsepower for 2019, the good news is that the aftermarket has speed demons covered. Flyin' Miata offers a package that includes camshafts, exhaust and a tune that will bring it up to about 200 hp. There's a supercharger kit from Edelbrock that will provide similar power, but without the need for digging into the engine. Flyin' Miata also offers a turbocharger kit that can bring the Miata up to nearly 250 hp, and if you're really speed-crazed, the company can swap in a Chevy LS V8 with more than 500 hp. Or, you know, you could just be happy with 155. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club View 32 Photos News Source: Road & Track, Twitter Mazda Convertible Coupe Performance

Mazda plans a new crossover for 2021

If Mazda is going to increase sales, it's going to need more crossovers. According to company CEO Masamichi Kogai, a new crossover that won't cannibalize sales of the CX-3, CX-5, and CX-9 is coming in 2021, to be built at the new U.S. factory Mazda is building in partnership with Toyota. The plant will be able to build 150,000 vehicles per year, and that full capacity will be reserved for the new CUV. With 112,235 units sold, Mazda's best-selling vehicle in the United States last year was, not surprisingly, the CX-5. With that in mind, it seems a safe bet that the new crossover will be a replacement for the discontinued CX-7 to slot above the CX-5 and below the CX-9. Kogai told Automotive News that the vehicle will be designed for America and built exclusively in the States. "We are actually going to introduce a totally new and different type of SUV," said Kogai. We don't know exactly what that means, but we hope the new model line follows Mazda's tradition of crossovers that are more fun to drive than their main competitors. Related Video: