1996 Miata "m" Edition - 5 Speed - Hardtop on 2040-cars

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Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.

2018 Mazda6 refresh takes the car further upmarket

The 2018 Mazda6 is, on the surface, a very mild refresh. The front grille has been given more depth, and the fascia is generally cleaned up a bit, putting the design inline with the new CX-5 and future Mazda products. The interior has been given the same treatment: cleaned up and modernized. But throughout the car, some important updates under the skin make the 6 a more compelling product, and one that continues the company's push upmarket. The biggest change has already been partly revealed, and that's the addition of Mazda's turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder. It's the same engine found in the CX-9, and Mazda has now revealed it will make the same 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque with premium fuel. The engine will also happily accept 87-octane, in which case the engine will make 227 horsepower. Though the addition of this engine is welcome, we're a bit disappointed to learn that it will only be available with a six-speed automatic transmission. If we're lucky, we might see Mazda add a manual option, since when Mazda launched the current Mazda3, the larger 2.5-liter engine was initially only available with an automatic. But try not to get your hopes up too high, either. The good news is that Mazda will continue to offer a manual transmission as well as an automatic with the base, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder. This engine will now feature cylinder deactivation, as will the 2018 Mazda CX-5. This system will shut off the cylinders on each end at cruising speed to improve fuel economy. Official fuel economy ratings for both engines have yet to be released. Aside from the powertrain, Mazda says it has made a few other mechanical improvements. The suspension has been retuned, and the steering rack rigidly mounted to the chassis to improve handling. Thicker sheet metal for the rear wheel wells, thicker trailing arms, and a bevy of braces have also been added in order to reduce noise for a more refined driving experience. The interior has also been updated for more refinement, particularly on the new Signature trim model. The sleeker interior design on all Mazda6s is joined by redesigned seats Mazda says are more comfortable. Those seats are now available with optional ventilation. A windshield-projected heads-up display, adaptive cruise control that can bring the car to a stop and resume accelerating, as well as an instrument panel with a configurable 7-inch screen are other options.

Mazda hands over first factory-restored Miata

In August 2017, Mazda announced that it will be offering factory quality restoration work for the original, NA body Mazda MX-5 Miata introduced in 1989. The program also included parts support, as Mazda wants to underline how much the original Miata still means to it. The program was launched with exemplary work carried out on a Miata owned by Mazda, but the first customer car has now been finished. The first car was picked from 600 applications sent to Mazda. Out of all these cars needing factory certified work, the 1992 British Racing Green V-Special owned by retired tomato farmer Keiji Nishimoto was chosen to be the first. The Eunos-badged limited-edition car was bought new by Nishimoto, and he told Mazda the car had been instrumental in creating some wonderful road-trip memories. The V-Special edition came in a British roadster-style color combination: "Neo" green over tan leather, complete with a retro-style Nardi wood wheel. The car also has a front strut bar and a limited-slip differential. Nishimoto had already been planning to get his car restored, but getting it done by Mazda during the summer was even better. The car was finished in August, and it was officially handed over to its owner in September. To have owned and enjoyed a car for a quarter-century and getting a chance to experience it in as-new condition again must be a fantastic experience. Nishimoto says the car is now good for another 25 years of driving. For the time being, the TUV Rheinland certified restoration program is only available for Japanese customers. But since a large percentage of first-generation Miatas are still on the road, and a large percentage of those will need bodywork done in all the usual places, we would happily see Mazda reach out to European and American customers as well. Related Video: