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The 2020 Mazda CX-30 will start at $22,945 with 2.5L power

We saw the CX-30 debut in Geneva earlier this year, and now Mazda has made its U.S. specification and pricing official. To get right down to it, the new crossover that splits the small end of the company’s crossover lineup will start at $22,945. We also have some solid information about spec and trim levels for our market, with some notable differences to how it can be equipped in Europe in particular. For one, like the latest Mazda3, it can only be equipped with a 186 horsepower 2.5-liter engine (naturally-aspirated, to be clear). Europeans can get a range of engines, and our neighbors in Canada and Mexico can get a 2.0-liter gas engine. A six-speed automatic is similarly our only transmission choice. All trims are available with front- or all-wheel drive. No word on whether the (somewhat underwhelming) Skyactiv-D diesel or (rather incredible) Skyactiv-X compression-ignition engines will be available. The materials Mazda provided us ahead of the CX-30Â’s U.S. debut focus heavily on the vehicleÂ’s standard equipment, including the now standard Mazda Connected Services — offering a variety of remote functionality and monitoring via the MyMazda app. Nothing you wouldnÂ’t expect from this sort of connectivity feature, including remote start and lock/unlock, as well as a WiFi hotspot (via Verizon, which is the parent company of Autoblog) and emergency assistance calls. Note that itÂ’s a three-year free trial; after that it becomes a subscription service, with a price weÂ’ll share with you once we learn it. There are four trims for the CX-30. The base model has some decent standard equipment: an 8.8-inch infotainment display, automatic headlights and the standard i-Activsense safety suite including driver inattention alert, radar cruiser control, lane departure warning with lane keeping assist, emergency braking assist and automatic high beams. Notably, blind spot monitoring is not available in the base model; buyers will have to step up to the next trim, Select, to get that safety feature. WeÂ’re disappointed that itÂ’s not standard across the board. So too with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, also only available on Select and above. The Select trim is $24,945, and provides those features mentioned above as well as leatherette seats, keyless entry and 18-inch wheels. The Preferred trim ($27,245) provides upgraded audio, heated front seats, a power driver seat, a black gloss grille and a SiriusXM trial.

Mazda CX-30 crossover will have its U.S. debut at L.A. Auto Show

After debuting at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the Mazda CX-30 is ready to relocate to the U.S., and is now preparing to meet its future compatriots at the LA Auto Show. The small crossover — whose name is a workaround due to the Chinese-market CX-4 crossover — is five inches longer than the new Mazda3 hatchback and five inches shorter than the CX-5 crossover. Its appeal is intended to be a mix of high maneuverability and roominess for occupants and cargo, not to mention being the second vehicle in the lineup to adopt the evolved Kodo design language first expressed on the latest Mazda3.  In Europe, the CX-30 offers buyers a range of engines from a Skyactiv-D 1.8-liter diesel to the new Skyactiv-X engine with gasoline compression ignition. Last month, Motor Trend dug up a California Air Resources Board document listing the two engines and two transmissions for the North American market. Our continent gets the 2.0-liter four-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder mated solely to a six-speed auto. The smaller engine and manual transmission are expected to be reserved for Canadian and Mexican buyers. The U.S. likely gets the 2.5-liter, the engine that makes 186 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque in the Mazda3 and 187 hp in the CX-5.  Mazda's i-Activ all-wheel drive is predicted from launch, and safety features should include front cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and driver monitoring linked to a Smart Brake Support system that cuts the reaction time to issue a the driver a brake warning. The CX-30 will share the Mazda stand with the 2019 Mazda MX-5/Miata RF, refreshed 2020 CX-5 and 2020 CX-9 crossovers, the 2020 Mazda 3, and Mazda3 TCR racer. Anyone with some free time at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time on November 11 is welcome to stream the press conference at Mazda's YouTube channel.

Mazda Miata speedster and spyder concepts set for SEMA

Mazda will show speedster and spyder concepts based on the 2016 MX-5 Miata next week at SEMA in Las Vegas. The speedster is at the top of the teaser, and the spyder is the bottom half. The speedster goes with an extreme lightweight design. It has only a small wind deflector in place of the windshield and a blue ether topcoat. The spyder is a vintage roadster rendered into a modern form with a handcrafted leather interior and mercury silver paint job. Both are lighter than the production version and will be sure to get the hearts of Mazda fanatics and roadster enthusiasts alike racing at the possibilities. We doubt either will actually see production, like so many Miata-based concepts of the recent past. But that won't stop us from dreaming all the same. MAZDA TO SHOWCASE LIGHTWEIGHT PERFORMANCE AT SEMA WITH TWO MX-5 MIATA CONCEPTS - MX-5 Spyder and Speedster Concepts Bring Vintage Cues into Modern Designs - IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 29, 2015 -- The Mazda MX-5 Miata has been an exercise in honing the concept of a lightweight sports car for more than 26 years, created solely for driving exhilaration. But for the 2015 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Mazda designers wanted to see what they could do if that idea was taken to the extreme. What they created were two vastly different takes on the fourth-generation MX-5: The 2016 MX-5 Spyder Concept and 2016 MX-5 Speedster Concept. MX-5 Spyder captures the character of a vintage roadster and translates it into a modern-day design, including bespoke leather interior details that were painstakingly crafted, and featuring a new Mercury Silver concept paint color. MX-5 Speedster is a study in the extremes of lightweight, purpose-built performance, paying homage to minimalist roadsters of the 1950s. The Blue Ether-painted MX-5 Speedster is uncompromised in its approach to wind-in-the-hair driving, going so far as to eschew a traditional windshield for a lighter deflector. Both cars are significantly lighter than the 2,332-lbs. MX-5 roadster that customers can purchase at dealers and come with a host of conceptual and aftermarket pieces and fabrication from partners including Racing Beat, Haartz Corporation, ASC – American Sunroof Corporation, Makin Industries/RAYS Wheels, KW Suspensions, Delta Seat, H&R Springs, Lusch, AC&A Manufacturing, Franks Fab Shop, Long Road Racing and SIM Specialty Interior Manufacturing.