September 11, 2007
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.
July 4, 2007
Mazdaspeed versions of the company’s Mazda3 and Mazda5 have already been released. Mazda enthusiasts can’t help but anticipate that an MPS(Mazdaspeed) version of the Mazda2 will also soon be available in the market. Well, good news! They need not wait long as according to a post in Autoblog, word has it that Hiroshima is already working on the Mazda2 MPS version.
Mazda’s 2.0L engine will be outfitted with direct injection and turbocharged to deliver 230 horsepower and 231 lb.-ft of torque. With this upgrade, there will also be prerequisite larger wheels and body kit on the highly-anticipated cooled up little hatchback.
However, the not-so-good news about this is that it would only be in Japan and Europe who’d be able to experience this upgraded version, as that is Mazda’s original release plan. Let’s just keep our hopes that if Mazda received great praises and positive feedbacks from both Europe and Japan, they’d decide to let the American market taste its performance goodness.
June 21, 2007
Mazdaspeed Motorsports development and Pace American Trailers announced their two-year partnership with Pace as the official trailer of Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development. This partnership will allow members of the Mazdaspeed racing contingency program, which is already one of the most lucrative in this sport, to have discounts when they purchase Pace trailers. Mazdaspeed has also launched a trailer that will be used for parts distribution and meetings during the amateur and professional race events around Canada and U.S.
“Racers need trailers, and Mazda racers want trailers that perform well, are well-built, easy to tow and – above all else – are a great value. Pace trailers meet those criteria, have a great reputation for performance and will be a great addition to the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development family,” said John Doonan, Mazdaspeed Business Development Manager. “ Because Pace and its product range appeal to the same grassroots racing competitors that MAZDASPEED supports, this partnership made perfect sense for both companies,” Doonan added.
Mazdaspeed and Pace is similar in terms of their enthusiasm in motorsports and great cars. “Pace American is proud to become a partner of MAZDASPEED and assist in the continued development of their motorsport programs. This partnership brings together two companies with rich racing histories, companies who use racing not just as a marketing exercise, but actually to test and develop better products,” said Peter Calhoun, marketing manager of Pace American Trailer.
June 12, 2007
Now, why would Mazda name their newly-designed Mazdaspeed model for their Mazda 3 line "Wild Child?" Of course, it would only mean that this beauty has something very unique to offer its driver, and its all contained under its hood.
Mazda boasts of its uniquely-engineered engine performance that has 263 horsepower, 0-60miles in 5.8 seconds, razor sharp handling, sport tuned suspension, making the Mazdaspeed 3 a sport compact vehicle like no other. With its sport-tuned suspension, handling and controlling the 263 amount of horsepower it has during twists and turns will now be a piece of cake.
So why Wild Child again? This set of wheels are lightweight but contains a big engine capable of all the specification mentioned above, and a whole bunch more. It also has a six-speed manual transmission for the speed loving driver, and a 2.3L direct-injected turbo engine coupled with that.
The exterior accessories that accentuates its sporty frame and enhances its road functionality are 18-inch wheels, streamlined roof spoiler, a boisterous tailpipe, floating fog lamps, an muscular-angled frame. This is indeed one mouth-watering Mazda performance branding, that anyone would want to experience!
June 7, 2007
Performance branding is becoming one trendy fad in the automotive industry that automakers are incorporating in the production of their cars. Performance Branding is just the releasing of sports oriented versions and special editions of some or all of their models.
We’ve seen Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, Volkswagen, and BMW release special editions of some of their car models to keep up with the latest fad and show car enthusiasts what they’ve got and what they have to offer. Only Japanese automakers seem to be silent amongst the spread of this trend, seemingly not keeping up with the latest.
But this isn’t the case, as one Japanese automaker emerged with a different concept on performance branding. Mazda broke the Japanese silence and they came up with their own performance branding, without car enthusiasts having to buy new models just to experience the effect of the industry’s spreading trend. While other automakers made a fuss on building special editions of some of their latest models, Mazda broke the tradition and just offered their patriots individual performance kits that they could install in their old Mazda models to enjoy performance enhancements. Performance branding of other car companies is presented in a whole different package and Mazda offered those who couldn’t afford to buy a new model a taste of upgraded performance.
Thus, Mazdaspeed upgrades were born, concept which has something to do with performance enhancement. This boosts the appeal of a range of Mazda vehicles without having to spend a lot of cash on the whole package.
Among the industry where a lot of things could be similar, Mazda proved that they are one unique company, not having to follow the norms of the industry but still giving just as much performance like others.
