| 2 BREAKS COVER
- The 2 (called Demio in Japan) is a B-segment (sub-compact) hatchback that debuts in Geneva next month. It will share many engines and many internal giblets with the Ford Fiesta that breaks cover in all-new form later this year. - There should be a variety of four-cylinder engines displacing under 1.6 litres. Diesel version would be the 1.4-litre unit co-developed with PSA Group, meaning that there will now be five brands using it: Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Citroen and Mini. - The 2 is positioned as a stylish hatch to match the Toyota Yaris, instead of a practical alternative to the Honda Jazz which, however, is still a rival to the 2. - There could be more body variations of the 2 possibly three-door hatch, five-seat MPV and high-body (SUV style with 2WD).
Man dies after causing 3-car crash, CHP says
The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office has identified a man who died early Monday in a three-car accident on eastbound Interstate 80 in Hercules. Vallejo resident John Gaddies III died after his 1992 Chevrolet Camaro collided with a 1991 Mazda minivan near Willow Avenue at 2:15 a.m., said California Highway Patrol investigating officer M. Blankinship. After the first collision, a 2005 Dodge sport utility vehicle struck the minivan. Gaddies was driving recklessly and speeding, Blankinship said. He drove onto the dirt embankment on the freeway shoulder and struck the minivan when he tried to re-enter traffic, the CHP officer said. The 60-year-old driver of the minivan was taken to Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo, where he was treated for minor injuries.
Crossover Crazy: Mazda has five people-haulers from which to choose
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 sevenCX-7: Sporty and quick, seats fiveTribute: Seats five, SUV looksMazda5: Seats six, minivan-likeMazda6 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.
More pics of the Mazda Hakaze concept
Mazda has had a successful auto show season so far thanks to the warm reception of its first two concepts, the Nagare and Ryuga. Unveiled at the L.A. and Detroit auto shows respectively, those two concepts were admittedly as far from production ready as you can get. Mazda's third and final concept for this show season, the Hakaze, is said to be the only one of the three that could be made production ready in a relatively short amount of time. Well, we brought you a large gallery of images showing the development and design team behind the Hakaze concept already, but there were only two exterior shots of the vehicle and no interior shots in that batch of snaps. KickingTires.com has come across almost a dozen additinal shots that show the Hakaze in real world situations, as well as the interior.
Mazda's soaraway success in Scotland
Mazda's soaraway success in Scotland hit new peaks in January with a further 22.4 per cent increase in sales and its highest-ever monthly market share north of the border.
A total of 509 vehicles were sold during the month, 22.4 per cent higher than January two years ago and 93 more vehicles than the same month last year.
Mazda's market share was also up 1.1 per cent over January 2006, to a record 4.5 per cent, in a market which was down five per cent overall
Gordon Burt, business manager for Scotland, confirmed Mazda's highest ever monthly market share in the region. This gives us an excellent platform for building for the March market," he said
Sales success was across the board of models with Mazda3 and Mazda6 the top sellers.
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