2014 Mazda Mazda3 Salvage Light Flood Touring Skyactiv Brand New 4 Door Skyactiv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

How long will the 'golden age' of performance last?

High-powered sports and luxury cars were everywhere at the New York Auto Show, prompting the obvious question for enthusiasts: How long will this golden age of performance last? Industry leaders have some time before regulations elevate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy level in 2025. Even then, they expect cars rippling with power to survive in some form. "Is it the end of an era," I don't think so," said Ola Kallenius, Daimler AG board member for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales. "That performance element of individual mobility I don't think will ever go away." Kallenius, who oversaw the company's AMG division from 2010-2013, expects it to continue to grow. Last year, AMG sold a record 68,875 units around the world, an increase of 44.6 percent over 2014, with strong growth in the US, China, and Germany. Still, there's always the potential for gas to spike, and pending fuel economy regulations are looming. That could lead AMG to add electrification to its products, Kallenius said, pointing to the electric SLS as a test case. Chevy is also thinking ahead, said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro. He wouldn't bite when asked about electrification for the Camaro (he did say "never say never"), but admitted in 2025 "it's going to be pretty tough to sell V8s." For now, things are rosy for muscle cars, and Chevy confidently showcased the 640-hp Camaro ZL1 in coupe and convertible form in New York. "I think that this is truly the golden age of performance," Oppenheiser said. It's hard to disagree. News & Analysis News: The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF was a show-stopper in New York. Analysis: There was a palpable energy when this RF — for Retractable Fastback — was revealed the night before the show at a trendy off-site venue near the Hudson River. Even as a parade of SUVs and flashy luxury cars rolled out the rest of the week, the Miata remained a hot topic. The Retractable Fastback is really a clever targa top, with part of the roof stowing behind the seats, adding about 100 pounds compared to the standard convertible. It makes the car more practical and arguably more attractive. The RF continues Mazda's tradition of selling the Miata with a hardtop variant. The first and second generations offered a detachable one, and a power retractable hardtop (a $1,700 option) was available on third-gen models. Judging by its reception in New York, the RF could prove to be even more popular than its predecessors.

2015 Mazda2 spotted in Japanese magazine

The styling changes at Mazda are proceeding at a fairly quick tempo. The CX-5 was unveiled, followed by a refreshed CX-9, the excellent Mazda6, and most recently a new Mazda3. This all happened over the course of less than two years, which in the auto industry is like a long week.
Now the Mazda2 is getting its revamp. Thanks to a magazine scan from Japan, we now have our first look at the new sub-compact, called the Demio, in its home market. Mazda's familial front end has been fitted, and it doesn't look quite as suited to the smaller car. Lacking the long-hood look of the Mazda3 and Mazda6, the new styling looks overly rounded, almost bulbous from our angle. It's still attractive, but the shape is kind of off-putting compared to the chiseled faces of the 2's big brothers. We'll concede that the folded magazine page may have something to do with it, however.
The next-generation 2 should adhere to Mazda's Skyactiv philosophy, which means we can expect a highly efficient four-cylinder engine, although it's impossible to say if Mazda will do away with its smallest offering's one-engine strategy. Considering the Mazda2 will be riding on a shortened version of the CX-5's platform, we'd expect some degree of mechanical parts sharing, regardless of how much the larger platform needs trimmed. Perhaps a detuned version of the 2.0-liter, Skyactiv four-cylinder could be under the 2's hood?

Mazda is developing gas and diesel inline-six engines

Once the favored engine configuration for luxury and high-performance cars, the inline-six suffered a bit when the transverse (east-west) engine configuration became popular during the shift to front-wheel drive cars. The packaging benefits are obvious – no driveshaft or transmission intruding on passenger space or rear differential on cargo volume, plus turning the engine 90 degrees meant the front of the car could be shorter. But the inline-six is slowly, slowly crawling out of near-obsolescence, notably in BMW, Jaguar-Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz products. Add Mazda to that mix: An investor report first spotted by Jalopnik and confirmed by Mazda reveals that the company is developing a Skyactiv-X and Skyactiv-D inline-six that will be installed longitudinally (north-south) in a new "Large Architecture" platform. Before reading any further, let's catch up on the Skyactiv-X and -D technologies. The former basically burns gasoline like diesel, providing some benefits and advantages of both types of combustion - here's an explainer on how that all works. We drove a prototype 2.0-liter Skyactiv-X 4-cylinder engine in a Mazda3 mule, too. And the Skyactiv-D series of engines is a comparatively typical turbodiesel. Mazda has a 2.2-liter turbodiesel inline-4 that has had a long and convoluted development and certification process, but is finally showing up in the 2019 CX-5. Since Mazda has implemented these technologies in existing four-cylinder engines, we would assume that the new Skyactiv engines will be "modular" – that is to say, they'll essentially be the existing engines with two extra cylinders, rather than an entirely new design. Jaguar-Land Rover is doing a similar thing with its Ingenium engine family. Assuming the Mazda engines will be modular would mean they'll be roughly 3.0-liter units, which is a common displacement for modern inline-sixes. And as we mentioned eariler, they'll be arranged longitudinally, unlike any other Mazda save the MX-5 Miata (and the long-departed rotaries), in a new vehicle architecture. As part of a medium-term plan over the next six years, Mazda will develop some unspecified vehicles on what it calls the "Large Architecture". These vehicles will have 48V mild hybrid and PHEV capabilities, and be able to use a version of Mazda's i-Activ AWD system. Why do this at all?