2008 Mazda Cx-7 Touring on 2040-cars

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2016 April Fools' Day: Morgan digs at Tesla, Mini's scissor doors, more

Every year automakers go out of their way to come up with gags for April Fools' Day. Sometimes the jokes fall flat, but occasionally a company really nails it with an idea that we'd actually love to see. Rather than scouring the Web for all of these stunts, you can find some of our favorites right here. Morgan MOGrod The Morgan Motor Company's MOGrod is one of our favorite April Fools' jokes so far this year because it's a car we wish could be real. The company says on Twitter that the retro hot rod uses a 3.7-liter Ford V6, and there are already 250,000 preorders, which is a play on the huge number of reservations for the Tesla Model 3. Morgan took the joke even further by sketching a landspeed record version for the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mini Scissor Doors The people at Mini apparently have a lot of free time because the company has two gags this year. The first is the scissor door option. The idea cleverly plays on the myriad ways customers can customize their Mini, but this solution doesn't look like anyone could easily enter the car due to the way these doors open. Mini Hipster Hatch There's also the Hipster Mini, which is a much funnier idea. This fictional hatchback would be perfect for fashionable Millennials thanks to features like Instagram-filter windows and a fixed-gear drivetrain, which limits the top speed to 25 miles per hour. The interior uses stonewash denim upholstery and packs a twin-deck cassette player. Skoda Dog Umbrella People love dogs, and owners know that a wet canine can be a mess. Skoda is ready to tackle this problem with an umbrella for your mutt. Made from unobtainium, the gadget hides in the door when not in use, but when raindrops start falling, people can keep their pup dry. Skoda Snowman Skoda's Facebook page also teases us with a very cool vehicle. The Snowman is a 396-horsepower plug-in hybrid snow machine. With its tracks, the company's newest model would never have to worry about getting stuck in the winter. Opel Adam C Sure, electricity and hydrogen are cleaner forms of fuel than gasoline or diesel, but Opel has a way to make your car even more environmentally friendly – muscle power. Wind up the crank at the rear for 15 minutes, and the Opel Adam C is good for 125 miles. GM's European division also claims that owners get a great workout because a full winding session burns 400 calories. You wouldn't feel guilty about picking up that pizza after cranking up this hatchback.

2021 Mazda6 gets small price increase and updates, and that Carbon Edition

Mazda's blowing a soft breeze of change over the 2021 Mazda6. We already knew the Japanese automaker has included the sporty sedan in its batch of Carbon Editions, along with the 2021 Mazda CX-5 and Mazda CX-9. The trio feature an exclusive Polymetal Gray exterior hue with blacked-out trim and a black metallic finish for the wheels. while the interior shouts in red leather with black accents. We now know the Carbon Edition is based on the fourth-highest trim, the Grand Touring Reserve, adding just $275 to the price of that trim in standard guise. Pricing for the entire 2021 range and differences to 2020 after the $945 destination charge are: Mazda6 Sport $25,270 ($225) Mazda6 Touring $27,870 ($225) Mazda6 Grand Touring $30,970 ($225) Mazda6 Grand Touring Reserve $33,470 ($225) Mazda6 Carbon Edition $33,745 Mazda6 Signature $36,695 ($350) Two of the three premium paint choices go up in price as well. Snowflake White Pearl Mica will cost $395 instead of $200, Machine Gray Metallic goes from $300 to $495. Soul Red Crystal Metallic holds steady at $595. At the entry-level, the Sport adds Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to its list of standard equipment, meaning the infotainment feature is now standard across the lineup. Everything holds steady until the Mazda6 Grand Touring, which adds a "Turbo" badge at the back for distinction, and wireless Apple CarPlay inside. Mazda didn't say so, but we're guessing wireless Apple CarPlay will be available on trims above the Grand Touring as well. Under the hood, the 2.5-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-G four-cylinder gains 10 pound-feet of torque when filled with 93 octane, producing the same 250 horsepower but an improved 320 lb-ft. On 87 octane, the engine makes 227 hp and 310 lb-ft.  The 2021 Mazda6 misses out on the new infotainment system shared with the Mazda3, CX-30, and CX-5, and the diesel and all-wheel drive options still haven't decided to come out of their hiding places. The sedan is expected on dealer lots later this month or early next. Related Video:    

Junkyard Gem: 1985 Mazda 626 Sedan

Mazda began selling cars in the United States all the way back in the late 1960s, with the Cosmo Sport 110S, and many interesting(ly strange) Wankel-powered machines followed, but they eventually gave way to much more conventional piston-powered cars such as the the original 626 that the ex-cork-making company from Hiroshima offered here starting in 1979. That car didn't sell so well, though it looked good and boasted build quality as good as the better-known Japanese brands. Starting with the 1983 model year, a new 626 with front-wheel-drive appeared here, with production continuing through 1987. That car did a better job at luring buyers away from Nissan and Toyota showrooms, but examples are nearly nonexistent today. Here's one of those cars, found in a Colorado yard overseen by Pikes Peak. Just as the GLC became the 323, which became the Mazda3 (after first dabbling with the Protege name), the 626 eventually became the Mazda6 (with coupes badged as MX-6s or Ford Probes for a while in the late 1980s through middle 1990s). The last year for the 626 name here was 2002. This one made it well past the 200,000-mile mark, which was serious stuff for a mid-1980s car (yes, I've found some Toyotas of the same era that doubled that figure and a couple of Mercedes-Benzes that tripled it). The 2.0-liter straight-four in the 1985 626 made 84 horsepower. Not great, but good enough for a 2,500-pound car in that period. Once BMW started adding the "i" to the designation of fuel-injected cars during the late 1970s, everybody else jumped on board the moment they ditched the carburetor. The 626 and subsequent Mazda6 held onto the manual transmission all the way until the 2018 model year, though finding a 6 from the last decade with three pedals in North America is an unusual happenstance. This car even has the optional air conditioning, something that was still considered a rich-people-only luxury by a large swathe of the American car-buying public in 1985. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Do you think the only way to get into a serious road car is to empty your bank account and buy something from the Black Forest? Not so, according to James Garner! This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In its homeland, this car was pitched as highly opulent. This content is hosted by a third party.