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Mazda's EV resistance may mean CAFE trouble ahead

Is Skyactiv the limit for Mazda? The Japanese automaker has ridden its gas-powered engine technology platform to the upper end of fleetwide fuel economy among automakers in the US. But the company's lack of electrification, either hybrids of plug-in vehicles, combined with increasing sales of crossovers, may limit future fuel-efficiency gains, Automotive News reports. Mazda has no plans to add battery-electric variants across its product line, the publication says, citing comments from Mazda North America CEO Masahiro Moro. So far, the dependence on Skyactiv has worked well, as Mazda was the second automaker - after electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors – to meet the US fuel-economy mandate of 34.1 miles per gallon for 2016. Additionally, Mazda plans to unveil the second-generation version of Skyactiv next year. Using a technology called "homogenous-charge compression ignition" (HCCI), Mazda's gas-powered engines will approximate the compression in diesel engines, boosting fuel economy accordingly. Because of that development, Mazda's Moro is "very confident" that the company will meet the US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mandate for 2021. With no plans for US plug-ins or hybrids (Mazda's only hybrid, a variant of the Mazda3, is sold in Japan), Moro is not so sure about meeting the 2025 CAFE mandate of 54.5 mpg (which equates to a "real world" fuel economy of about 40 mpg). Additionally, Mazda's "biggest regulatory headache" will be meeting California's mandate that 15 percent of the state's new-vehicle sales be zero-emissions within the next decade. In 2011, Mazda laid out its strategy of leaning on its Skyactiv technology instead of moving to drivetrain electrification as a way to boost fleetwide fuel economy, saying at the time that "you can't out-Toyota Toyota and you can't out-Honda Honda." The company also took a strong stance against even the idea of electrification in vehicles. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mazda's model-year 2015 vehicles averaged 30.1 mpg, beating out Honda's 28.9 mpg, Subaru's 28.7 mpg, and Nissan's 28.3 mpg. Mazda's fleetwide fuel efficiency increased from 29.4 mpg for the 2014 model year, and from 28.1 for the 2013 model year, according to the EPA. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mazda3 SkyActiv-Hybrid View 21 Photos News Source: Automotive News-sub.req. Green Mazda Fuel Efficiency Green Automakers Electric Hybrid skyactiv mazda hybrid mazda electric car

Mazda spiders return, 42k Mazda6 sedans recalled for webby fuel tanks

It seems that Yellow Sac spiders really, really love Mazda. Three years after Mazda recalled 52,000 Mazda6 sedans over spider webs obstructing the evaporative canister vent lines of 2009 and 2010 Mazda6 models, another recall has been issued for 42,000 more of the models built between 2010 and 2012 and equipped with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.
According to the automaker, there have been nine confirmed sightings of spiders in vent lines since the original recall. It seems that covers were applied at the factory to keep the arachnids from entering, but it hasn't quite exterminated the problem. A reflash of the ECU is required that "[changes] the logic behind how the car purges the charcoal canister during normal operation," says Jeremy Barnes, Director, Public Relations & Brand Experience at Mazda North American Operations.
So far, Mazda has not recorded any fires, accidents or injuries due to this tangled mess of webs. Recall notices will be mailed out to owners later this month. Scroll down below for the statement from Mazda, along with the official recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

More 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary editions are heading to America

The 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary edition made its debut a few months back at this year's Chicago Auto Show. The special model was limited to just 3,000 units worldwide, with just 500 heading to the U.S. Miata enthusiasts were so excited by the car that the entire allotment sold out within four hours. To help satisfy demand for this limited edition model, Mazda is allocating another 143 cars for the American market, bringing the total number of cars heading to the U.S. to 643. Note, Mazda is still only building 3,000 cars total. The 30th Anniversary Miata is available as both a roadster and the retractable hardtop Miata RF. All of them will be painted Racing Orange and will be fitted with RAYS ZE40 17-inch forged alloy wheels, orange Brembo brake calipers and Recaro seats. The cars also come with a Bose audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The cars still retain the 2019 Miata's updated 2.0-liter inline-four making 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Cars equipped with the manual transmission get a limited-slip differential, Bilstein shocks and a front shock tower brace. This special edition isn't cheap. The manual soft top starts at $35,915, and the manual RF starts at $38,515. Adding an automatic ups the price by $499 on the soft top and $400 on the RF. That's up from $27,080 for a base roadster and $32,945 for a base Miata RF.