The design team for the Mazda5 wanted to make the space wagon ‘stylish and clean from the inside out.’ Their aim was to design the Mazda5 in a fresh new ‘taste’ but not compromising the well-balanced driving experience, and that it should still attract a lot of would-be buyers. Another goal of the design team is to make the Mazda5 have a pleasing new utility design that would widen the appeal of the Zoom-Zoom brand of Mazda. Also, being a ‘space wagon,’ the design team also wants to make the Mazda5 a roomy and space-efficient form.

Info from Mazda Press Release via Autoblog. 

Mazda Motor Corporation has introduced earlier this year its redesigned Mazda Premacy, or most commonly known as the Mazda 5. This is a six-seat space wagon and it was presented as a concept car, the MX-Flexa, during the Geneva International Motor Show. It was initially built so that Mazda could demonstrate the future of a Mazda space wagon but with a touch of its Zoom-Zoom technology. But as the event went, the concept car was well-praised and was warmly welcomed that Mazda has decided to further develop its concept car. So, it was that time that it decided to prepare the Mazda5 for release as a production car.

Source: Mazda Press Release via Autoblog.

There are rumors spreading that a concept-inspired rotary coupe will be introduced in the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show happening next month. The said rotary coupe was inspired by Mazda Motor Corporations three concept cars – the Nagare, Kabura, and Ryuga. Although the rotary coupe looks muck more like the Kabura, it still sports features that are present in all three.

Details of it are not yet known, like if it would have a front or rear wheel drive, but one article from a Japanese magazine reported that it would be powered by Mazda’s very own advanced rotary engine which is the RENESIS(2).

Finally, we may be closing in on the answer as to how the three Mazda concept vehicles will materialize into production vehicles. Let’s just hope the concept-inspired rotary coupe will quench the thirst of car enthusiasts for a materialized car that’s as great as its concept.

The new Mazda6 has been finally spotted during the Frankfurt Auto Show this month and spectators of the said event were more than amazed at what they saw. Car experts were saying that the new Mazda6 has a lot of nice curves, is very sleek, but not too much of it. They also said that it now presents itself as athletic but still very much sophisticated like that of some BMW vehicles. The new Mazda6 also new parts and features that make it close to a luxury car.

Mazda Motor Corporation gives us a peek at the specs of its all new vehicle offering:

Mazda6 at a Glance

• Second of the new-generation models representing an
evolution of Zoom-Zoom after the all-new Mazda2

• 3 body styles: sedan, hatchback and estate

• 65 mm longer, 15 mm wider, 5 mm taller, with a
50 mm longer wheelbase (sedan and hatchback)
than the first-generation Mazda6

• Exquisite craftsmanship: body gaps greatly reduced
and higher quality materials introduced for a greatly
improved premium feel

• Mazda’s Karakuri rear seat system (hatchback and
estate): one-touch seat-drop function from a latch
in the boot panel and an all-new boot tonneau cover
for the estate that automatically moves up when the
rear liftgate is opened

• Sporty performance feel enhanced by new six-
point mounting system for the high-mount double
wishbone front suspension and electric power
assisted steering

• Excellent coefficient of drag (Cd) lowered to 0.27
(down from 0.30) for the sedan and hatchback, and
to Cd 0.28 (down from 0.32) for the estate

• New 2.5-litre petrol engine (170 PS). Also available
are 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines and the MZR-CD
2.0 turbodiesel (140 PS)

• 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines’ fuel efficiency and
CO2 levels improved by approximately 10 percent

• Active safety: large disc brakes, ABS, DSC, electronic
traction control and brake assist (standard in
Europe)
Stopping distance from 100 km/h is 39 m on dry
ground among the best in the class (Mazda in-house
measurement)

• Passive safety: Mazda’s stiff and strong Triple-H body
shell and up to six airbags (depending on market)

• New safety equipment includes Adaptive Front
Lighting System (AFS), parking sensor, an extensive
field of vision, Mazda’s first active headrest, crushable
brake and clutch pedals and extensive pedestrian
protection measures

• CF-Net (Cross Functional Network): combination
of switches on the steering wheel which provide
integrated control of navigation, audio, air
conditioning, driving information, and other systems.
Centralised display at the top of the instrument panel
to minimise movement of the driver’s line of sight

• Independent air temperature controls, and optional
(standard depending on grade) advanced keyless
entry system with engine start-stop button

• A BOSE® premium sound system with eight speakers
and a Bluetooth® hands-free mobile-phone interface,
are optional (standard depending on grade)

• Driver’s seat armrest with adjustable front-back slider
mechanism

Mazda has announced that the Mazdaspeed6 and the Sport Wagon variants will be discontinued for the 2008 model year. But hope is not all gone as a redesigned Mazda6 sedan and the five-door will be the next Mazda vehicle choices. Also, we may still be able to see a next-generation Mazdaspeed6, but it will come out only after a year or two after the launch of their new vehicles for their 2008 model year line up.

According to a press release from Mazda: Mazda6 Sports Sedan and 5-Door*

The MAZDA6 set new standards for performance, driver appeal and styling when it was launched four years ago. As a vehicle that married sports performance with refinement and practicality, it has proven a huge sales success and picked up more than 70 awards for automotive excellence.

For 2008, the MAZDA6 gets even better with a new standard Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), BOSE stereo system (Touring models) and 17-inch alloy wheels (i Sport models).

New or enhanced for 2008:

Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) standard on all models Standard BOSE stereo system (Touring models) Standard 17-inch alloy wheels (i Sport models) New exterior colors - Volcanic Red (4-door model) and Silver Metallic Standard security alarm system (Sport VE and Touring)

*To better meet customer demands for the MAZDA6 Sports Sedan and 5-Door, the MAZDA6 Sport Wagon will be discontinued for the 2008 model year.

Mazda prioritizes safety of their customers/buyers as the Japanese automaker believes that great performance is nothing if there is nothing to match or control all that power when circumstances call for it. Below are some of their safety technologies which they have developed over the years in the industry of automotive vehicles.

Dynamic Stability Control for Side Skid

Mazda has a Four-Wheel Antilock Braking System (4W-ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution System (EBD) and braking assistance that enhance the braking performance of their vehicles. Aside from that, it also makes use of Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system to the car to avoid or prevent skidding sideways which may be caused by understeering or oversteering.

Understeer may happen when the owner fails to follow the intended path of steering. Mazda’s DSC system decreases the torque of the engine and utilizes the brakes to the inner-side wheels to prevent the front tires from skidding sideways.

Oversteering, on the other hand, takes place when the driver makes too much turns into the direction of the steering. The side skidding of the back tires is then controlled by applying the brakes to the outer-side wheels.

Two New technologies Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)/Pre-crash Safety System

The Adaptive Front Lighting System is that which adjusts the headlight’s lowbeams by turning side to side according to the steering angle and the speed of the vehicle to improve the visibility during turns, cornering, and maneuvers. The maximum angle to which the headlights rotate is 20 degrees for the right headlight and 15 degrees for the left. Because of the large angle rotation, the path of the vehicle when it is making a turn is all the more illuminated.

The Pre-crash system makes use of the latest collision prediction technologies to reduce injuries to the passengers when collision occurs. This system identifies the vehicles in front, oncoming vehicles, and other obstructions through the use of milliwave radar. If there is a possibility for a collision to occur, it gives warning by buzzing and a light. It will also automatically engage the brakes to decrease impact speed if the driver fails to do so.

These are just of the systems which Mazda developed in the hope of reducing road accidents and saving lives or sav9ing the passengers from the gravity of injuries that may be brought by vehicular accidents.