All Smiles: Updated 2010 Mazda CX-9 headed for New York originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2009 Mazda MX-5 Roadster

Gallery: 2009 Mazda MX-5 LIVE

Continue reading Chicago Preview: 2009 Mazda MX-5 will say hey to USA

Chicago Preview: 2009 Mazda MX-5 will say hey to USA originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mazda adding 'premium' touches to all models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Mazda3 has soldered on largely untouched since 2004, but the stylish econobox manages to win comparison tests against even its newest rivals. As a result, Mazda's top-selling vehicle worldwide has been a big-time favorite of tuners and enthusiasts. With a new i Touring Value model for 2008, even more buyers can now afford to experience Zoom-Zoom. For the very respectable price of $16,595, you get standard features like 17" alloy wheels, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and MP3 compatible CD player.

With a starting price under $14,000, the Mazda3 is one of the best small car values on the market, and the new Touring Value edition offers features that in the past were only offered with much pricier models. We find it amazing that even five years after its original introduction, the Mazda3 is still tough to beat. Unfortunately, pics of the 2008 model, specifically the i Touring Value and the updated interior across the entire Mazda3 line, have yet to be released, so the 2007 model is shown above and in the high-res gallery below.

Gallery: 2007 Mazda3

Continue reading Mazda3 cost of entry lowered with 2008 i Touring model

Mazda3 cost of entry lowered with 2008 i Touring model originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mazda vehicles are known for reasonable prices and outstanding handling. The company's long-standing "Zoom-Zoom" tagline, even for SUVs, shows that Mazda injects everything they make (except the B-Series) with a bit of race-car spirit. To help breed new Miata and RX-8 drivers, Mazda has decided to start with youngsters by throwing major dollars into karting.

At Sebring, Mazda announced a financial commitment of over $100,000 for prize money and operating costs, plus discounts on Mazda products for Kart racers in the sponsored competitions. Partnership agreements were signed with multiple sanctioning bodies and events, giving Mazda a major presence where young automotive enthusiasts grow on trees. The automaker is already involved in SCCA racing with sponsorships and big-dollar prizes for Mazda racers. Adding karting into the mix further increases Mazda's motorsports presence.

These latest moves demonstrate that the folks in Hiroshima are dead serious when it comes to exposing even more younger people to the Mazda brand. This cultivates potential new customers and ingrains them with a sense of brand loyalty at an early on. You can read the entire press release after the jump.

Continue reading Mazda makes big commitment to Karting

Mazda makes big commitment to Karting originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Mar 2007 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When the Mazda 6 came out in 2003 it had the best driving dynamics in its class, but four years later there's more power and more size everywhere else in the segment. We got our first glimmer of hope for a new 6 last summer when we tipped you off to some photos of a Mazda 6 test mule and now it seems we've stepped up to a fully-camouflaged prototype.

The new Mazda 6 looks to be bigger and wider than the previous model. Rumor has it that the 6 will ride on the CD3-2 platform that currently underpins the Ford Mondeo and Volvo S80. Power could come from Ford's new 3.5L cyclone V6 and a 2.5L four cylinder. The vehicle should be very versatile with sedan, hatchback, and wagon variants and a hybrid may be on the way as well.

Unless you count the B-Series pickup, the Mazda 6 needs a makeover more than anything else in the zoom-zoom lineup. With Mondeo guts, the Ford 3.5, and Mazda's legendary driving dynamics, the new Mazda 6 may be quite the handful for the competition.

Thanks for the tip, Aaron!

[Source: World Car Fans]

Spy Shots: 2009 Mazda6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The well-known zoom-zoom tag-line in every Mazda commercial is being tested by a flood of crossover vehicles that don't exactly fit the company's sporty persona. To complicate things further, all five vehicles are close in price, with the difference from bottom to top being a mere $11,400.

CX-9: Minivan replacement, seats seven

CX-7: Sporty and quick, seats five

Tribute: Seats five, SUV looks

Mazda5: Seats six, minivan-like

Mazda6 Sport Wagon: Not a crossover, but definitely a people and stuff-hauler

Of course Mazda tells anyone willing to listen that the vehicles all have specific demographic targets. The new CX-9, for example, replaces the slow-selling MPV minivan. The CX-7 has drawn rave reviews for its sporty styling and direct inject turbo engine. In addition, we've yet to come by anyone with bad things to say about the Mazda5. The point, though, is how many people movers in a single lineup constitutes too many?

[Source: AutoWeek]

Continue reading Crossover Crazy: Mazda has five people-haulers from which to choose

Crossover Crazy: Mazda has five people-haulers from which to choose originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Andrew Caddell celebrates winning the 2006 SCCA National Championship Runoff

You've got to hand it to Mazda. They want to be Zoom Zoom and they poney up the products and the marketing to back it up. Back in October we told you about Mazda's unique sponsorship of the SCCA, where they ran a contest for Mazda drivers in the amateur series. To be eligible to win, drivers had to win of one of the National Championships at the 2006 SCCA Runoffs. The winner gets a MX-5 with a ton of modifications, plenty of MazdaSpeed parts, and the money and tires to race in the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup.

After three days of racing, four of the top 25 drivers were in Mazdas and were eligible to win the prizes, which amount to about $50,000 and a chance of a lifetime to race with the pros. 18-year-old Andrew Caddell came in first in the competition by being near perfect in 10 of the 11 on and off track challenges. Needless to say, Andrew is pretty psyched about his spoils, and he can't wait to get to Houston for his first professional race.

[Source: Mazda]

Mazda awards young driver with an MX-5 and racing career originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Whether encountered via television, print, radio, Internet or billboards, it's hard to escape automotive advertising. Because they're so omnipresent, most people tend to 'tune out,' so automakers have turned to slogans to and catchphrases to stay in consumer's minds, with the inevitable varying degrees of success.

All of which makes the frequency with which they alter their slogans a bit hard to figure. In fact, things have gotten so schizophrenic that Paul Ballew, executive director of global market and industry analysis for General Motors recently told Advertising Age that "We're like ADD ferrets on amphetamines." Lovely picture, that.

Regardless, Ballew has a point. By AA's tally, Buick has had five taglines since 2000, and Saturn and Pontiac have had four a piece. By comparison, brands with decidedly clearer identities would appear to be keeping their slogans longer: BMW's 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' mantra has carried the company through the 1980s and four agencies. Mazda has 'Zoom Zoom'd for going on five years now. Hummer has had one slogan since its birth in 2001, "Like No Other," and GM's resurgent Cadillac has held fast to the Led Zeppelin-influenced "Break Through" since early 2002. Of course, GMC's "Professional Grade" campaign has been around since late 2000, and assessing that nameplate's success is problematic. Still, the correlation bears further study.

So... how do you feel about automotive taglines and slogans... do any ring particularly true or false for you as a consumer? Do you heed them at all? Mint your own catchphrase in 'Comments.'

[Sources: Advertising Age; ewancient.lysator.liu.se]

Car marketing firms "like ADD ferrets on amphetamines" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 May 2006 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're not sure how this slipped by us, but word came down earlier this month that the diminutive Mazda2 supermini is getting a once-over from the Japanese automaker.

The baby Zoom² is the beneficiary of revamped light fixtures (front and rear), and some fascia alterations. The net-net is a more grown-up 'corporate' face that reminds of the car's big brother, the Mazda3. Standard equipment has improved trim-by-trim, with all levels receiving a standard-fit CD player and anti-lock brakes incorporating electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and emergency brake assist. Mazda also claims that it has fitted higher quality interior bits and upholstery, but drivetrain options remain essentially unaltered.

[Source: WhatCar?]

Mazda2 receives freshening, equipment upgrades originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Mar 2006 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.