There will be an upcoming Auto Salon in Tokyo happening this January 11-13, 2008 and naturally, Mazda Motor Corporation is participating. However, this time, the Japanese automaker is only going to release images of its new concept vehicle, the Mazda Atenza Mazdaspeed Concept. The Atenza is actually the name of the Mazda6 in its home market. Thus, this concept vehicle is the customized version of the Mazda6.

The Mazdaspeed version of the Atenza is based on the new Mazda6 or Mazda Atenza which will be arriving in spring 2008 in Japan. Mazda will be showcasing show horses, not horsepower during the Auto Show as it will be exhibiting tweaked versions of its line up. The Mazda2 or Mazda Demio “Haru Iro” (spring colors) Collection will be included as well. The spring colors available for the Mazda Demio are green, pink, and blue.

The other Mazda vehicles revealing themselves during the Tokyo Auto Salon are the Mazda CX-7 “Cool Style” Concept and the Mazda RX-8 Type RS. The “Cool Style” Concept of the CX-7 is brought by its enhanced appearance which includes chrome exterior trim with a brown interior. On the other hand, the RXD-8 Type RS is the Japanese automaker’s new top-end model. This has been equipped with 19-inch forged aluminum wheels, urethane-foam-filled front crossmembers, Bilstein dampers, and customized Recaro bucket seats. Aside from these models, Mazda has pledged to feature a line up of 16 customized vehicles during the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon.

Mazda6 is known to be such a big car but it has also been mated to a 1.8-liter powertrain. Because such a small engine was mated to a big car, many had assumed that it will not be a successful car. However, Mazda has proved them wrong. The second generation Mazda6 has been very well-engineered by Mazda that the mating of the small engine and the big car is a success.

Asides from this success, Mazda has also been successful in designing the interior and exterior of the 1.8-liter Mazda6. there’s a bold identity and hewn-from-solid-stone solidity to the interior and the design is very much Germanic. The seats have been made more comfortable, it has a classy cockpit lighting, an intuitive switchgear, and a steering wheels incorporated with multi-function control buttons. There’s also plenty of space in the interior. The Mazda6 keeps its sporting focus but it has become obvious that the model has now better refinement and ride comfort. It also has a responsive steering. And the maximum power output of the 1.8-liter Mazda6 is 118bhp. This 1.8-liter engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission and acceleration time from 0-62mph is 11 seconds.  

Fuel economy of the this second generation Mazda6 is also notable. With its small engine, it is able to cover 36.2 miles per gallon of fuel. Another great thing about this is that its carbon dioxide emissions have been remarkably reduced. Thus, the 1.8-liter Mazda6 is able to provide a five band decrease in car company tax to 19 percent from the previous 24 percent.

Of course, the Mazda6 is also offered with other powertains. These include the 2.0-liter diesel producing 138bhp, the flagship 2.5-liter petrol with 168bhp, and 2.0-liter petrol with maximum power output of 145bhp. These three engines have the six-speed manual transmission as their standard gearbox. But the 2.0-liter petrol is also available with an option for a five-speed automatic transmission.

Other features of the second generation Mazda have also been improved. The entry level S now comes equipped with six airbags, four electric windows, dynamic stability control, and CD entertainment system complete with a socket for MP3.

There will be a hatchback and saloon petrol versions of the Mazda6 arriving next month and January will also see the coming of the estate and the diesel version.

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 6 will soon be showing off its new skin and it will take place this September at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It will appear in concept form this autumn and it will go on sale in the UK later this year.
 

Mazda promises that it will be longer, better looking, and will have better driving performance that could even compete with the likes of the new family car class leader Ford Mondeo. It will become another purveyor of its “Zoom-Zoom” image, with its sportiest styling of any car in the class with matching handling characteristics.

Mazda is already a part of the Ford’s empire but it was just recently that the Japanese automaker decided to significantly adapt Ford’s mechanical to fit its own purposes, instead of adapting them wholesale, and that’s what they also did with the new Mazda 6.

Mazda 6 shares the basic underbody structure of the Mondeo but of course, it’d still differ in some aspects. It will have its own stiffer chassis tuning, an array of petrol and diesel engines that could also be found in Ford models, and a cabin that looks a little like the Mondeo.

The new Ford-sourced 2.2-liter diesel engine will be the first oil-burning engine options and the petrol engines range from 1.8-2.3 liters.

The price range is about £15,000 for the standard Mazda 6 to £21,000 for the top versions of this model.