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Mazda 787B and Vision Gran Turismo tower over Goodwood in 131-foot sculpture

Mazda is being honored at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed by getting the space to create the event's annual sculpture outside Goodwood House. Given this year's theme of "Flat-out and fearless: racing on the edge," the Japanese automaker is showing off two of its racers at the very top of an intertwined spire that rises over 131 feet above the motoring event. The statue's design is the work of artist Gerry Judah, and it's made from over 132 tons of steel, including 418 beams, towering over the event. A Mazda 787B, the only Japanese car to ever score an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the company's LM55 Vision Gran Turismo concept are featured at the very top. Spectators can certainly get a good view of the racers, too, because the sculpture twists to actually hang the cars above visitors. "Gerry has faithfully expressed our brand in a striking and beautiful structure that is clearly Kodo. There is a lightness and strength to the sculpture, yet it gives the cars movement and energy," said Ikuo Maeda, the General Manager of the Design Division at Mazda, in the announcement about the statue. Each year, Goodwood selects an automaker to create an artistic piece with the brand's vehicles outside of the estate's manor. Mazda shares some very prestigious company in being picked, too. Often rising high into the sky, in the past we've seen outstanding work from Audi, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, and Porsche. Goodwood celebrates Mazda's motorsport heritage Mazda is the subject of the central feature at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed Immense sculpture features Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B and LM55 virtual racer Goodwood / Leverkusen, 25 June 2015. Mazda's racing heritage is the centre of attention at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The central feature of the annual motoring event is a spectacular 40-metre high sculpture in front of Goodwood House featuring two Mazda racers bursting into the sky on a twisting track of steel beams. Inspired by Mazda's KODO – Soul of Motion design, the creation of artist Gerry Judah conveys a grace and agility that disguises the complexity of the installation, which is made from 120 tonnes of steel. Each of the 418 steel beams is stacked at a different angle, curling the structure so that the cars at the top actually hang over the spectators below.

2020 Mazda3 Review & Buying Guide | The connoisseur's choice

Completely redesigned last year, the 2020 Mazda3 pretty much carries over, continuing to be the connoisseur's choice for a compact car. For starters, its elegant sedan and unique hatchback body styles are considerably more stylish than expected for this segment. Park it next to a similarly priced Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla and people are likely to think you paid far more than you did. The same goes for the cabin, which is functional yet stylishly minimalist (if a bit cramped). Then there's the driving experience, which continues to delight those who value sharp responses and a driver-focused character. The switch to a less sophisticated rear suspension for this latest generation has dulled some of its corner-taking capability at the limit, but that's a low-percentile complaint. The bigger dynamic beef is perhaps that Mazda doesn't offer a hotter version in the vein of the Civic Si or VW GTI. Yet, that falls under the category of "wishes" not "problems," which the 2020 Mazda3 has scarcely few. Perhaps it won't be for everyone in the market for a compact car, but everyone should at least consider it.   What's new for 2020? After being completely redesigned last year, updates are light for 2020. The base trim level now comes standard with the Mazda i-Activsense suite of accident avoidance tech and driver aids that continue to be standard on every other trim level. 2019 Mazda3 AWD View 33 Photos What's the interior and in-car technology like? The interior quite simply makes you go "wow." A Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, which are actually quite nice, look and feel like they should cost substantially less – especially when comparing top trim levels. Whatever trim level of 3 youÂ’re considering, however, the key to its wow factor is how the MazdaÂ’s design removes visual clutter by reducing switchgear and effectively hiding air vents and door handles. It just looks special. It's also functional. The steering wheel, which looks sensational, is an absolute treat to hold. There's considerable center console space and Mazda's tech interface, which had lagged behind its competition due to key usability issues, has been cleaned up. The dashtop screen is large and easy to see. The knob that controls it is large, not unlike BMW's iDrive, and ergonomically placed on the center console. It's not a touchscreen, though, as Mazda engineers determined that hunting for touch-operating icons can be distracting.

2020 Toyota Yaris hatchback could return as a Mazda2 clone

Less than a week ago we got the news that Toyota killed the 2019 Yaris Liftback in the U.S., instead choosing to sell the remaining inventory from 2018. There should be plenty of stock left, too: Car and Driver reports that Toyota sold 1,940 of the tiny hatches last year. The automaker said it would have an announcement about the Yaris at this year's New York Auto Show in April, telling Automobile, " We're working on something new for MY2020." C/D thinks it already knows what's coming, writing, "We assume ... that the new Yaris hatchback ... will be a rebadged Mazda2, like the current Yaris sedan that Mazda builds for Toyota in Mexico." Toyota and Mazda formed a development- and technology-sharing partnership in 2015. As part of the collaboration, we got the Scion iA in 2016, based on the Mazda2 sedan. That four-door became the Toyota Yaris iA when the Scion brand got put in the ground, and then became just the Yaris for 2019. In spite of Americans' well-publicized aversion to sedans, the trunked Yaris sold 25,269 units last year. Meanwhile, the Yaris hatch, built at a Toyota factory in France, has carried on basically untouched since 2013 — with a four-speed automatic, even — helping to explain its slow take-rate. If the Yaris five-door moves to the Mazda2 platform, we expect it to follow the same formula as the sedan. That means a 1.5-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder with 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque. That's the same output as the Toyota NR engine in the current hatch, but from a better, more modern engine. Transmission options would include a six-speed manual as standard on the L and LE trims. For 2019, Toyota added an XLE trim to the sedan that comes with a six-speed automatic. Assuming all comes to pass, the new Yaris five-door would be built at Mazda's Mexico plant alongside the sedan. But we'll have to wait until New York to know for sure. Related Video: