1999 Mazda Mx-5 Miata on 2040-cars

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A tuned 1973 Mazda RX-3 is all business on Petrolicious

People with good memories might remember Savant Young and his highly modified 1973 Mazda RX-3 from an appearance on Jay Leno's Garage last summer. Now Petrolicious spotlights him and learns more about his amazing rotary coupe. After extensive upgrades, his car packs an estimated 400 horsepower, which is especially potent with only around 2,000 pounds to move around. Young thinks his Mazda is a perfect expression of his personality as a martial artist because it offers no frills and is all about business. This coupe looks ready for a fight, too, and sounds like a swarm of angry bees going down the road. Young works hard during the week but makes time to drive the RX-3 every weekend. We can understand why. A few hours enjoying this rotary could definitely erase some stress. Get a taste of this amazing machine in Petrolicious' latest video. If you want to experience another cool rotary, the channel profiled an RX-2 racecar from Australia last month. Related Video:

Mazda CX-3 to be diesel-only in Japanese home market

Diesel power. It's not just for Europeans anymore. In fact, when Mazda introduces its new CX-3 compact crossover to its home market of Japan, the model will be exclusively diesel-powered, Reuters says, citing remarks made by Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai. Consistent with its recent push for better fuel economy, Mazda is embracing diesel power as a way to boost fuel-economy for cars that may be larger than the compact variety. Mazda, which plans to make about 150,000 gas- and diesel-powered CX-3s for global consumption per year, is pricing the diesel CX-3 at about $20,000 in Japan. Diesel sales accounted for less than three percent of new-vehicle sales in Japan last year, so there's a risk to Mazda's strategy. But the automaker, which is the fifth-largest in Japan, says performance and noise (and smoke) issues largely associated with diesel powertrains in the past have largely been eliminated. In all, Mazda expects worldwide sales for the year ending March 31 to rise almost five percent from a year earlier to about 1.4 million units. Mazda showed off an early version of the CX-3 at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, though North American versions of the model will indeed be gas-powered. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Mazda CX-3: LA 2014 View 17 Photos News Source: Reuters Green Mazda Diesel Vehicles mazda cx-3

Mazda Miata could get retractable hardtop in New York

The upcoming New York Auto Show just got a little more exciting because Mazda could debut the latest MX-5 Miata with a power retractable hardtop there. The best evidence comes from Autocar, which has an image of Mazda's invitation. The message promises a "world premiere" in the Big Apple and further teases, "Help us blow the lid off the New York Auto Show." The last Miata PRHT made up 52 percent of the roadster's sales mix in the US, so creating another one is an easy decision for the company. According to Autocar, expect the new roof mechanism to be lighter and more compact than the previous design. It would still add some weight compared to the cloth top, but customers would get the added insulation and security from the hardtop. With the NC PRHT as a guide, don't expect many changes for the new other than the roof. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 155 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque with either the six-speed manual or automatic should still make for an exciting drive. The hardtop just makes life a little more comfortable if you have to deal with rain or snow for part of the year. We can't wait to see it. Related Video: