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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.

2019 Mazda6 Skyactiv-D diesel caught in spy photos

We get it – we're a little sick of getting a few years of assurances that Mazda's much-anticipated diesel engine is just around the corner. First, it was going to go in the 2014 Mazda6, then it was delayed. More recently, Mazda told us it'd first land in the CX-5 – and in fact, there's a part of the Mazda USA website devoted to the diesel crossover, which makes it seem more legitimate than previous pronouncements. But the fact of the matter is, there's some unforeseen hiccup in the government approval process for this engine, likely centered around emissions standards, and it seems to be dragging on. But this Mazda6 was spotted at an EPA facility in Michigan, which gives us some hope that perhaps the company is rounding the final base on the approval process. It looks very much like an American-spec Mazda6 to our eyes ... except for the strange, possibly temporary exhaust outlets, which might be required for EPA testing. The rear looks like a current-look car, rather than the revised 2018 styling that will get the 2.5-liter turbocharged gas engine. Since the Mazda6 was originally supposed to get the Skyactiv-D engine, we can only assume that if it's at an EPA facility, Mazda is hoping to bring it to market here – likely sometime after the CX-5 goes on sale. If Mazda can get approval, it'll be another point of differentiation between the Mazda6 and its competitors – there's no currently-approved diesel sedan that's a direct match. The smaller Cruze and larger, more expensive offerings from BMW and Jaguar are about it. The fuel economy guide (PDF) produced by the EPA back in late 2017 lists both the CX-5 and the Mazda6 as having diesel engines, but neither are rated, and as we know at this point, neither are on sale or have an official timeline for doing so. We can assume anything with an application in progress made it on the list, whether approval would be granted or not. It seems unlikely at this point that Mazda would abandon the Skyactiv-D in America. It's a solid part of their strategy, although a product roadmap released a few months ago shows that Mazda expects diesel sales globally to taper off after 2020, to be supplanted by plug-in gas hybrid, EV, and fuel cell vehicles. But between now and about 2030, pure diesel cars are expected to be a small but significant portion of Mazda's product mix. We hope this means we'll see the CX-5 emerge from the approval process and hit dealer lots soon, to be followed by the 6.

Mazda builds 1 millionth MX-5

Mazda produced its 1 millionth MX-5 Miata on April 22. Known alternately as the Miata, the Mazda Roadster, or the Eunos Roadster, the MX-5 has long held the record as the best-selling open-top two-seat sports car. It topped half a million at the turn of the millennium, and hit 800,000 less than a decade ago. The MX-5 recently entered its fourth generation over 27 years, which only promises to drive that record number higher. While it's not one of the most prolific automobiles in history – Ford has made over 34 million F-Series pickups and Toyota produced over 40 million Corollas – the Miata stands as a rather notable exception among niche performance vehicles. Related Video: Mazda Produces One-Millionth Mazda MX-5 HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that production of the Mazda MX-5 (Mazda Roadster in Japan) reached one million units on April 22, 2016. The milestone figure was achieved over 27 years, with mass-production of the MX-5 starting at Ujina Plant No. 1 in Hiroshima in April 1989. "From the first generation through to today's fourth-generation model, the reason we have been able to continue selling the MX-5 all these years is due to the strong support of fans around the world," said Masamichi Kogai, Representative Director, President and CEO. "Mazda was founded in Hiroshima 96 years ago, and as we move toward our centennial year we will continue offering customers the joy of driving with this model, which has become a symbol of our brand. Mazda aims to create a special bond with customers and become a 'one-and-only' brand they will choose again and again." As a way of expressing thanks to MX-5 fans and owners, the One-Millionth MX-5 will be displayed at fan events in Japan and around the world. The tour begins on May 3 at the Hiroshima Flower Festival where the car will participate in the Flower Parade. The MX-5 is a symbol of Mazda's car-making philosophy and tireless pursuit of driving pleasure. Since its debut in 1989, the model has consistently offered driving fun that can only be experienced in a lightweight sports car and won the admiration of people from various countries, cultures and age groups. The MX-5 is also critically acclaimed, with over 200 awards from around the globe to its name. The fourth-generation model released last year has won a string of awards, including 2015-2016 Car of the Year Japan, World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year 2016.