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Mazda brings slick sports-car concept to Tokyo

Mazda teased a slick spots-car concept Wednesday that will debut at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. The as-yet unnamed concept promises to blend elements from the company's heritage with a sleek and modern shape. It apparently takes the form of a front-engine, two-door coupe – always a favorite configuration – with a sloping roofline and classic hood-to-greenhouse ratio. It'll be displayed alongside the Koeru concept (which returns home for its Japanese debut), a handful of MX-5 Miatas, and a classic 1967 Cosmo Sport 110S – the marque's original, rotary-powered sports car. We have a good feeling that it's the latter from which the new concept principally draws its inspiration, albeit with different dimensions than the long-tailed original - and hopefully a little RX-7 thrown in for good measure. We'll have to hold on a while longer to find out, but we're looking forward to seeing the finished product. Mazda to Unveil New Sports Car Concept at Tokyo Motor Show -- Japan-debut of Mazda KOERU and racing-spec Mazda Roadsters among fourteen models on display -- HIROSHIMA, Japan, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda Motor Corporation will hold the world premiere of a new sports car concept model at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, which runs from October 30 through November 8.*1 A total of 14 models will be on display at the Mazda stand, including crossover concept Mazda KOERU making its first appearance in Japan, two racing-spec Mazda Roadsters (known as Mazda MX-5 outside Japan) and the Cosmo Sport (110S outside Japan), first introduced in 1967. The design of the sports car concept to be unveiled in Tokyo is modern but maintains a sense of lineage and authenticity, appearing almost to condense Mazda's entire history of sports car development into a single model. In line with the company's theme for the Tokyo Motor Show this year, "Accelerate toward our dreams," Mazda will make an appeal for the brand's unique approach to driving pleasure. In addition to the sports car concept, Mazda KOERU will be on display along with new-generation models featuring SKYACTIV Technologies and KODO—Soul of Motion design. A motor sports exhibit will feature racing-spec Roadsters and the Cosmo Sport will complement a heritage display showing Mazda's history of convention-defying engineering.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.

Mazda reports highest profits in its 94-year history

We may only be a third of the way through 2014, but for Japanese companies, March 31 marked the end of fiscal 2014, and it was a banner financial year for Mazda's global operations. The Japanese independent saw its highest global operating profits in its nearly 100-year history. Its global operating profits were up a huge 238 percent. Yes, a 238 percent increase over 2012 to 1.36 billion euros ($1.88 billion), eclipsing the brand's previous best year, 2008, by 12 percent. Net earnings, revenue and global sales volume also saw increases over the last fiscal year.
What's most impressive, though, is where Mazda saw improvement. The notoriously rough European market was rather kind to the Zoom-Zoom brand, where sales increased 25 percent to 163,000 units. That figure was bolstered by a 35-percent sales increase in Great Britain and a 20-percent jump in Germany, Europe's two largest markets. Japanese sales, meanwhile, were up a respectable 13 percent, to 244,000 units. In China, Mazda saw a 12 percent bump.
Notice we aren't talking about North American sales? That's because Mazda only saw a moderate, five-percent gain in the New World, with sales climbing to 391,000 units in the US, Canada and Mexico. This is particularly disappointing considering Mazda has launched three critically acclaimed products (CX-5, Mazda6 and most recently, Mazda3) for the North American market over the past two fiscal years. Still, it isn't a particular reason to be concerned, as IHS industry analyst Stephanie Brinley notes. "Five percent isn't terrible," Brinley told Autoblog, saying that Mazda should see a bump in 2014 as the Mazda3 picks up steam.