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Showing posts with label Mazda6. Show all posts

Mazda6 and Subaru Tribeca to be Axed, According to Report from Japan

Mazda and Subaru may soon be forced to axe two of their models in the US market, the Mazda6 mid-size vehicle and the Subaru Tribeca SUV, due to low volumes that undermine the efficiency of the U.S. plants that they are built in, according to a newspaper report from Japan’s business daily Nikkan Kogyo. It should be noted though that spokesmen for both companies declined to comment on the report.

Nikkan Kogyo wrote that Mazda is planning to discontinue production of the Mazda6 at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant, which it operates as a joint venture together with Ford Motor Co., as sales missed expectations. When Mazda introduce the latest generation of the mid-size model in 2008, the company expected an annual production of around 100,000 units, but last year, the plant churned out just 45,168 Mazda6s. In April, Mazda6 posted an increase of 7.8 percent but sales reached just 2,734 vehicles.

It seems that the petrol-sniffing Yellow Sac spider that forced Mazda to issue a recall on some 52,000 cars in the USA last week has a thing for mid-size Japanese sedans as the eight-legged arthropod also caused problems to Honda in the past. According to reports, Honda posted a Technical Service Bulletin in the summer of 2009 alerting its dealers to check Accords for possible infestation by the Yellow Sac spider, but had not issued a recall then.

This must be by far the most hilarious recall action we've ever heard about. It involves some 52,000 US-market Mazda6 cars from the 2009 and 2010 model years and a gasoline-loving spider. Yes, you read correctly; it's about a species of a spider that loves to build its web in the Mazda6 vent line, thus endangering the integrity of the gas tank.

Obviously Mazda has embarked on a journey to teach Japanese to British buyers. After the MX-5 Miyako limited edition series - named after a Japanese island, Mazda is now introducing the 'Takuya' special edition range, available on the Mazda2, Mazda3 and Mazda6 models. The name 'Takuya' – pronounced 'tah-koy-yah' – is taken from the Japanese for forerunner or pioneer. Changes on the special edition models are limited to cosmetic and equipment upgrades.

Following the announcement on the release of the refreshed Atenza in Japan, Mazda revealed that the facelift version of the European market Mazda6 will have its premiere alongside the all-new Mazda5 and one more car that has yet to be named, at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

Like its sister model in Japan, the new Mazda6 has received some minor cosmetic touches in the form of new head and rear lamps along with a restyled front bumper that adopts a five-point grille and new alloy wheel designs.

As expected, the Mazda6 will be offered with the firm's new 2.0-litre DISI gasoline unit with direct injection that is said to use less fuel and produce fewer emissions than the 2.0-litre engine it replaces.

Furthermore, Mazda said that it has updated the 1.8 and 2.5-litre gasoline engines, without giving out any more details.

The '6's European lineup is rounded off by a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that is available in three power derivatives, from 129 to 180HP, all of which are said to have improved fuel-efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

Finally, the Mazda6 also gets new chassis settings and several new active safety features including an adaptive front lighting system and hill-launch assist.

The facelifted Mazda6 will go on sale across Europe this spring.

2011 Mazda6 - Atenza Facelift Officially Unveiled in Japan, gets New 2.0-Liter Engine with Direct Injection

Only moments after we posted a gallery of scanned brochures from the refreshed Atenza, otherwise known as the Japanese market version of the Mazda6, and the automaker came out with an official release on its mid-size model. More of a subtle nip-and-tuck than a full blown facelift, the 2011MY Atenza has been refined with some styling changes, chassis tweaks and a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with direct injection.

The exterior enhancements for the freshened Mazda6 bring it line with the firm's more recent models mainly by adopting the new Mazda family face with a five-point front grille.

There front bumper has been redesigned and features more pronounced air-inlets on the corners, while the newly styled 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels together with the revised tail lamp clusters complete the exterior makeover.

The interior updates are even less obvious as aside from some equipment upgrades, changes are limited to the new glossy, piano-black finish that has been applied to the center panel, audio and air conditioner panel surrounds as well as the shift gate and steering wheel spokes, and the chrome garnish on the climate control and audio dials, shift knob and inner door handles.

Underneath the hood, as expected, Mazda fitted the Japanese '6 with its newly developed 2.0-liter DISI gasoline engine with direct injection.

Mazda did not disclose any details, but we gather that it's the same unit found on the new Mazda5 MPV that will have its debut at the Geneva Show in March.

The Japanese automaker said that it has also tweaked the Atenza's power steering and suspension settings improving the car's handling and straight-line stability at high speeds as well the ride quality.

Although Mazda did not mention anything about the Mazda6 sold in overseas markets including Europe and North America, chance are we'll see a similar facelift on the '6 sometime this year.

2011 Mazda6 / Atenza to Receive Mild Facelift?

A single brochure photo of what is said to be the faclifted JDM Mazda6, or as it's known in its home market, the Atenza, has been making the rounds on the internet today.

Being the investigative types that we are, we dug a bit deeper and discovered five more scanned leaflets that include photos of the available aero parts and packages from Mazda and its tuning partners circulating on various Japanese sites.

Unfortunately, we can't say with certainty if these photos actually show the facelifted version of the JDM Mazda6 or not, but from what we can tell, the Atenza pictured here features a different nose with a new bumper incorporating a more smiley-shaped lower grille and more pronounced air inlets on both corners.

If the facelift turns out to be real, it's almost certain that the Mazda6 / Atenza will be offered with the firm's newly-developed SKY-G 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with direct-injection and SKY-G twin-turbocharged diesel units.

Via: Autoblog.it , Beebee2see & Minkara