To those who have their doubts regarding the off-road capability of Mazda CX-9 can shut their doubts off now as Mazda CX-9 is now the proud owner of the 2008 North American Truck of the Year Award. Although I don’t there are many of them who doubt Mazda’s celebrated CX-9. This is actually the Japanese automaker’s first time to win the said award and it’s all thanks to its producing the Mazda CX-9. This award had been given to Mazda CX-9 during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January 13, 2008.

The Truck of the Year Award has been established in 1994 and it is actually one of  North America’s most prestigious motoring awards. The vehicles that are awarded with the Truck of the Year Award have earned the highest scores in safety, handling, driver satisfaction, design, and value for money. 45 prominent automotive journalists from the United States and Canada are the ones who determine which vehicle should be provided with this award. These journalists assess the 2008 model year truck’s category which includes conventional trucks and sports utility vehicles.

President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, Jim O’Sullivan, said, "This truly is an honor. Since we brought CX-9 to market, it’s been a hit with media, customers and dealers alike. This vehicle represents everything a Mazda SUV should be: dynamically styled, powerful, with top-notch craftsmanship and a lot of fun to drive. Today’s award is proof that says we just might be on to something special."

The Mazda CX-9 won this award perhaps because of its skillful blending of the sporty driving signature of Mazda with the practicality brought by a seven-passenger sport utility vehicle. This Mazda model was able to successfully break out from the traditional SUVs because of its having dynamic styling, spacious interior, powerful and dynamic driving performance, and thus won high scores. Sales of the Mazda CX-9 started in January 2007 in North America  and during the end of 2007, sales in Australia and Saudi Arabia were launched.

The Mazda CX-9, thanks to its array of impressive safety features, earned the highest possible scores in frontal and side impact crashes from the test made by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S government. Therefore, it was given a five-star frontal and side impact crash test ratings. Aside from that, it also received four star rating for rollover resistance. And Mazda CX-9 has also been given the 2008 Sport/Utility of the Year award by Motor Trend magazine.

Top level sports vehicles of Mazda will score new paint schemes for the racing programs this year as the Japanese automaker has closed a multi-year partnership deal with BP and Castrol. For the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 will be taking the green flag during this event covered in new Castrol Syntec colors.

The No. 70 Mazda RX-8 is the car driven by a number of professional drivers namely Nick Ham, Raphael Matos, David Haskell, and Sylvain Tremblay. This particular vehicle was a part of a very special integration of race cars from Mazdaspeed Motorsports that will be on display at Mazda’s booth during the North American International Auto Show happening in Detroit this month.

The No. 70 Mazda RX-8’s paint scheme was actually a direct tie-in to the Furai concept of the Japanese automaker which had been unveiled just some months back. The rear fenders and the nose of the vehicle have dashed lines and these are the latest interpretation from the designers of Mazda vehicles. This was actually inspired by the paint scheme used by the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans winning Mazda 787B. And during the full 2008 Rolex GT, the drivers of the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 will be Ham and Tremblay.

Mazda’s Manager of Motorsports Team Development, John Doonan, commented saying, "This new partnership has been in the making for the last couple of years and we could not be prouder to be associated with such a great brand. The target audience of both of our companies is nearly a direct match, with so many enthusiasts recognizing that our brands ‘get-it’ when it comes to products that we bring to market. To be able to carry the Castrol Syntec colors into the 2008 season gives our RX-8 customer car program tremendous momentum and validation!"

Tremblay, the team principal at SpeedSource, also said, “We could not be more thankful to everyone at Mazda for their belief in the vision to develop the RX-8 as we have…and to have six Mazda RX-8s on the entry list…amazing! And then to add a brand name like Castrol to the program makes it even more special. We are very much looking forward to representing such a great company with a rich Motorsports heritage. To have the car in the Mazda display here in Detroit gives everyone a sense of tremendous momentum heading into the new season. Now we just have to deliver."

Other than that, another Mazda vehicle will be in a new “team car” reverse paint scheme during the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This vehicle is the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 driven by Emil Assentato, the 2007 Bob Akin Cup Winner. Lonnie Pechnik, Nick Lohngi, and Jeff Segal are the other racers who also drive the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8.

Detroit Auto Show is one of the most-awaited auto shows happening this year and so Mazda Motor Corporation is putting in a lot of faith in this auto show to be one of the best avenues to showcase two of its sports cars. One of the Mazda sports cars to be introduced is its Furai concept vehicle which is already being rejoiced over for having a rotary engine capable of 450 horsepower even though it will run on ethanol fuel.

The Furai actually translates to the meaning “sound of the wind,” and so this means that this concept vehicle will continue the “flow” design concept of the Mazda Taiki Concept, the one featured in the Tokyo Motor Show last October of 2007. Only a few details of the Furai concept car have been released but one thins is sure – it will be powered by a three-rotor rotary engine that has been designed to rely on ethanol (E100) for its fuel source.

The Taiki concept vehicle will again make an appearance and this time it will be at the North American Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit together with Mazda’s Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the revamped well-loved Mazda sports car, the Mazda RX-8.

The Mazda Premacy, to which Mazda5 is known in other markets, is a crossover minivan that can seat five people. What’s interesting and appealing about it is that it can be switched from hydrogen to petrol power with just a press of a button. The RE hydrogen rotary engine makes use of the battery power from the stop position. Then, the hydrogen rotary engine will take over and generate electricity during normal cruising. And then the battery will take its charge from regenerative braking.

The second sports car to be launched in the Detroit Auto Show is the redesigned Mazda RX-8. This sports car enjoys the popularity and reputation of being the only sports car to be powered by a rotary engine and with the redesigned look, enhanced handling, and a lot of great extras, the Japanese automaker hopes to amaze its audience once again.

Mazda welcomes the year 2008 by offering its loyal customers with the seven-passenger Mazda CX-9. This Mazda sports utility vehicles boats of a sleek and versatile styling. According to Motor Trend, the Mazda CX-9 is “The premium blend of performance, utility, and value.” These descriptions are evident on the three trim levels of the Mazda CX-9 – CX-9 Sports, CX-9 Touring, and CX-9 Grand Touring.

Mazda enthusiasts will be happy to know that Mazda CX-9 has a 3.7-liter DOHC 24-valve engine capable of producing 273 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. it is equipped with rain-sensing wipers that quickly activated on the first drops of rain when the CX-9 was tested. For safety, Mazda has incorporated heated outside mirrors with side marker lights. This helps the drivers see even when its raining and be clearly seen by other motorists on the road.

There are automatic xenon head-intensity discharge low-beam headlights help in providing drivers with an enhanced and automatic night time illumination. But of course, these headlights are still equipped with manual leveling adjustments. The tail lights are noteworthy as well. They make use of a horizontal array of multiple light-emitting diodes to ensure that drivers are provided with brighter, reliable, and more visible shine and longer service life as well.

The tested Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring trim turned out to be real comfortable and provides drivers with a sense of importance. Plus, as it has a unique styling, it makes it really fun to drive around the neighborhood for everyone to see. A lot of safety features are also integrated and these include the traction control system, front air bags, front-side impact air bags. There are even a 36-month/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 60-month/60,000-,mile warranty on the powertrain to help in maintaining the power and beauty of this Mazda sports utility vehicle. CX-( even scored a four star rating from the government for the frontal, side crash, and rollover ratings.

Fuel economy of this Mazda model is recorded by the Environmental Protection Agency to be at 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway. This is not quite impressive but I’m sure Mazda will do something about its low scores on fuel economy in the future with its other models, like when it released the Mazda2 diesel.