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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:

Mazda RT24-P brings KODO style to the Rolex 24 at Daytona

In addition to its new CX-5 crossover, Mazda revealed its new racecar, the RT24-P, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The car has been designed for the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and will make its racing debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It was designed using Mazda's KODO design language, which the brand has so successfully applied to its road-going cars. The racer's relation to Mazda's production cars is made obvious by the small five-point grille at the tip of the RT24-P's nose. While plenty of credit needs to go to the stylists and aerodynamicists at Mazda and Multimatic, one of the companies Mazda partnered with on the car, some of the credit needs to go to IMSA's new DPi rules for 2017. The new DPi class is very similar to the LMP2 class that it competes with in the WeatherTech series, with some noteworthy differences. The DPi class allows manufacturers to create unique bodies and engine packages for one of the four chassis available. The LMP2 class requires competitors to use the chassis companies' bodies, and are restricted to one engine package. View 14 Photos As for the powertrain, the Mazda RT24-P uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out roughly 600 horsepower. Mazda used the same engine in its P2-class race car last season. Mazda's body and engine will ride atop a chassis developed by Riley Technologies and Multimatic. You may remember that latter company as the one that developed the awesome spool valve shocks on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. The RT24-P will be campaigned by Speedsource, a company that has been racing Mazdas in American endurance racing for years, including last year's P2 cars. Considering Mazda's success in making such a cool race car, we're excited to see what other manufacturers do with the extra design freedom of the DPi class. Both Chevrolet and Ford competed last year in the WeatherTech prototype class with Daytona Prototype-style cars, and Honda competed with an LMP-style racer. Depending on what other makes decide, this year's WeatherTech line-up could have some nifty designs. Related Video: Related Gallery 2017 Mazda RT24-P race car View 9 Photos News Source: Mazda, IMSAImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Motorsports LA Auto Show Mazda Racing Vehicles Videos Original Video 2016 LA Auto Show

Mazda is going to start restoring first-generation Miatas

Many of the world's premium car companies have in-house restoration shops that help provide parts and complete restorations to owners of classic models from the marques. Ferrari has one, Lamborghini has one, Mercedes-Benz has one. Now Mazda will have one, and it will be focused on the Mazda Miata, also known as the MX-5 in Europe, and the Roadster in Japan. And although some might think the Miata is too new for restoration, remember that it was launched in 1989, so it's closing in on 30 years old. Japanese Nostalgic Car broke the news of the restoration service, which will start accepting applications for restoration service this year, with the first work being done at the start of 2018. Mazda explains on its site (Google Translate is recommended) that owners of first-generation Miatas were telling the company they really wanted to restore and maintain their little convertibles for as long as they could, which is what prompted the company to pursue the service. Before offering it to customers, the company did a trial restoration of an early Miata (Roadster in Japan). Once Mazda starts restorations, it said the services will be tailored to the individual cars. In addition to restoration services, Mazda announced it will also start selling reproduction parts for first-generation Miatas. On the list of parts are new tops, Nardi wood steering wheels and shift knobs, and even the original-style Bridgestone tires. The company also said that it will add more parts later depending on which ones are most in demand. Unfortunately, according to Japanese Nostalgic Car, the service will only be available to owners in Japan for the time being. The service will also only be for first-generation models. But perhaps if the program is successful, and there's demand for other regions and generations, Mazda might expand the service. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mazda Roadster restoration View 10 Photos News Source: Japanese Nostalgic Car, MazdaImage Credit: Mazda Mazda Maintenance Convertible Performance Classics