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2016 Mazda6 and CX-5 see gentle price hike

Mazda has modestly updated the Mazda6 and CX-5 for the 2016 model year, and the company just announced revised pricing for the pair. The vehicles cost a little more now, but buyers also get additional features and an improved look. When it comes to the 2016 Mazda6, the already attractive sedan wears a revised look up front with more chrome and a redesigned cabin with a new instrument layout and seven-inch infotainment system on most models. Mechanically, things carry over with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet and either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox depending on trim. The base Sport trim with a six-speed manual gearbox costs $305 more than it did in 2015, and starts at $21,495*, plus an $820 destination charge on all models. Upgrading to the automatic gearbox at $22,995 also adds the revised infotainment system and reverse camera. Prices top out at $30,195 for the Grand Touring, which is $300 more than last year. All of the other versions see a $100 year-over-year increase. LED headlights are standard on the Grand Touring, but they can be added to the Touring through the Touring Technology package for $1,675. The 2016 CX-5 sees light exterior upgrades and similar interior improvements as the Mazda6, including the improved infotainment system for some trims. Pricing rings up for $250 more than last year, except the all-wheel drive Sport trim at just an extra $50. The cheapest CX-5 is the front-wheel Sport with a manual gearbox and 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 155 hp and 150 lb-ft, and it costs $21,795. All other models combine a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 184 hp and 185 lb-ft with a six-speed automatic. Prices go all the way up to $29,470 for a CX-5 Grand Touring with all-wheel drive. There's a new i-Activesense package for the Grand Touring for $1,500, as well, that adds safety sensors and radar cruise control, but it can only be combined with the Grand Touring Technology Package for $1,505 with navigation and LED headlights. 2016 Mazda6 Pricing Announced IRVINE, Calif. (February 9, 2015) – Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced pricing for its refreshed 2016 Mazda6 midsize sedan lineup. The 2016 Mazda6 is available in three trim levels – Sport, Touring and Grand Touring – and is equipped with the SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter gasoline engine. There are a number of enhancements for 2016 including bold changes to the shape of the instrument panel and floor console giving the interior a fresh new look.

Mazda and Toyota formally announce plans to 'make cars better'

Following Monday's report that Toyota and Mazda could be expanding their cooperation, the two Japanese automakers have made it official, issuing a joint press release announcing a "mutually beneficial long-term partnership" that will "make cars better." The two companies will set up a joint committee to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each party. As we explained yesterday, that likely means Mazda will benefit from Toyota's plug-in-hybrid and fuel-cell tech, while the world's largest automaker can take advantage of the Zoom-Zoom automaker's line of efficient Skyactiv engines. "I am delighted that our two companies can share the same vision and work together to make cars better. I can think of nothing more wonderful than showing the world – together – that the next 100 years of cars will be just as fun as the first," Toyota President Akio Toyoda said in the attached joint statement. Mazda President and CEO Masamichi Kogai echoed that sentiment, saying: "I hope that by working together to make cars better, we can raise the value of cars in the eyes of consumers while also enhancing the manufacturing capabilities of our home, Hiroshima, and all the communities we are involved in as well." Scroll down for the official joint press release. Toyota and Mazda Team Up to Make Cars Better Tokyo, Japan, May 13, 2015-Toyota Motor Corporation and Mazda Motor Corporation today entered an agreement to build a mutually beneficial long term partnership. By leveraging the resources of both companies to complement and enhance each other's products and technologies, the partnership will result in more appealing cars that meet the diverse needs and tastes of customers all over the world. A joint committee will now be set up to evaluate how best to utilize each company's respective strengths. The committee will encourage broad and meaningful collaboration across a range of fields, including environmental and advanced safety technologies. Marking the agreement, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: "As evidenced by their SKYACTIV Technologies and KODO-Soul of Motion design, Mazda has proven that it always thinks of what is coming next for vehicles and technology, while still managing to stay true to its basic carmaking roots. In this way, Mazda very much practices what Toyota holds dear: making ever-better cars. I am delighted that our two companies can share the same vision and work together to make cars better.

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mazda 929 S

In the late 1980s, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda were cleaning up in the American market with the Cressida, Maxima, and Legend, respectively. Mazda wanted some of those dollars, so the HC-series Mazda Luce was modified for the US market and sold here as the 929. It had rear-wheel drive, a powerful V6 engine, and lots of luxury features, but not many were sold. Here's a rare '90 that I spotted in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service yard. In 1990, the sporty 929S version got 190 horsepower from its DOHC 3.0-liter V6. Unfortunately for Mazda, American buyers associated the marque with sensible econoboxes and screaming rotary engines, not luxury machinery, at the time. For the 1990 model year, American-market cars were required to have either a driver's-side airbag or automatic seat belts. The 929 had the automatic belts, the less said about the better. The Luce-based 929 became the Sentia-based 929 for the 1992 model year. Meanwhile, the new luxury brands from Honda, Nissan, and Toyota were kicking the crap out of 929 sales; Mazda had planned to launch the Amati brand in the United States, but didn't have the resources to follow through. The last 929s were sold in the United States for the 1995 model year. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Mazda 929 S View 16 Photos Auto News Mazda