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Mazda reportedly to be fully electric and hybrid by 2030s

TOKYO - Mazda plans to make all of its vehicles electric-based, including gasoline hybrids, by the early 2030s, Japanese media reported on Friday, as more automakers shift strategies to meet tightening global emission regulations. The Japanese automaker plans to use electric motors in all of its models by that time, Kyodo News reported, without citing sources. A Mazda spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. At the moment, Mazda's lineup does not include any all-battery electric vehicles. It does offer a hybrid version of the Mazda3, but it's only available in Japan. The company has also experimented with a range-extended electric Mazda2, which used a tiny rotary engine to produce electricity. The move is consistent with the company's Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 plan, which lays out the launch of various green powertrains. Among them are electrified models coming out in 2019. That same year will include the launch of the company's new SkyActiv-X engine, a compression ignition gasoline engine, which promises fuel efficiency improvement of 20- to 30 percent over comparable spark-ignition gas engines. This engine could hypothetically be combined with hybrid technology for even greater gains in efficiency, or even performance if the company so chooses. Mazda's recent partnership with Toyota also means Mazda could be able to quickly develop hybrids and electrics using Toyota's existing technology. This news that Mazda will begin primarily focusing on electric powertrains does seem contrary to Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai's statement that its gasoline, diesel and electric vehicle technologies would "co-exist" in the future. Mazda on Thursday also launched a new CX-8 three-row crossover for the Japanese market, which is currently only available with a diesel engine. The company also plans to finally introduce a diesel engine to the United States in the CX-5 crossover. Assuming that Mazda's move to fully electrified vehicles is true, it will join a couple of other automakers planning to do the same. Volvo Car Group in July said that all of its new models from 2019 would feature some amount of electrification, and Jaguar-Land Rover will follow suit starting in 2020. Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu. Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips. Additional words from Joel Stocksdale.Related Video: Image Credit: Toru Hanai / Reuters Green Mazda Electric Future Vehicles Hybrid mazda hybrid mazda electric car

Mazda's mission for the 2017 CX-5: Smooth out the NVH

NVH: the dreaded noise, vibration, and harshness. According to current Mazda CX-5 owners, as well as those who decided against becoming owners, NVH was its biggest area of need. Traveling in the CX-5 was just too loud, so Mazda's engineers made sure that the redesigned, second-generation model would offer its occupants a more serene environment in keeping with quieter competitors. To reduce wind noise, more aerodynamic parts were strategically placed about the exterior, while extra efforts were made to reduce low-frequency noises on coarse surfaces. According to Mazda engineer Dave Coleman, the new CX-5 is nearly as quiet as its platform-mate, the 2016 CX-9. Actually, to be very accurate, all Mazdas apart from the CX-3 and 2 (aka Toyota iA) now share that platform. Another reason compact SUV buyers opted to skip the CX-5 was its comparatively firm ride. So, while the CX-5 remains "head and shoulders above the segment for handling," according to Coleman, the ride was improved. One of the primary ways of achieving that was the adoption of rigid steering mounts, which allowed for the suspension to be less stiff without a loss in handling precision. View 12 Photos Of course, handling remains a key reason to buy the CX-5, and it's improved for 2017 courtesy of an increase in body rigidity, the adoption of liquid-filled front suspension bushings, and Mazda's G-Vectoring Control. Under the hood, every CX-5 now comes standard with the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder, with output figures to be announced at a later date. The 2.0-liter, previously standard on the Sport trim, has been exiled to other markets. However, finally making its appearance on these shores is Mazda's 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel engine. Although Mazda did its darndest to make it certifiable in the United States without a urea injection system, it was ultimately unable to do so without resorting to an ultra-sluggish throttle response that engineers deemed was anathema to what was expected of a Mazda. Therefore, the diesel-powered CX-5 will indeed have a DEF tank that will need to be periodically topped off to not run afoul of emissions regulations. Otherwise, the 2017 CX-5 is very much an evolution of the SUV it replaces. Customers thought its size was just right, so its passenger and cargo area remain in the same ballpark.

Mazda hits Vegas with a pair of Sixes

Despite the fact that the annual SEMA show is more of an exercise in what "could be" than what "will be," it gives automakers the chance to stretch the legs of some of its most important models. Take the 2014 Mazda6, for example - it's hardly new, having gone on sale early this year - but this year's SEMA expo marks the first time Mazda has been able to show off the customization possibilities for its sleek midsize sedan. To that end, the Japanese automaker has arrived in Las Vegas with two very different takes on its sexy Six.
First up is the Mazda6 Club Sport you see above, wearing a "motorsports-inspired" gray, black and red accent-color scheme that, as Mazda says, is "represented in not-so-subtle angular lines reminiscent of a car speeding past your line of sight." The whole car is done up in a base color of Composite Grey, and uses a Brilliant Black roof to match the similarly colored front, side and rear diffusers, as well as the rear spoiler. Mazda has fitted the Club Sport with Rays 57 Motorsport G07FXX 20-inch wheels, wrapped in Yokohama 245/35R20 tires. Powering the CS is Mazda's 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel four-cylinder engine (that we'll get in the standard Six early next year), and other changes include an H&R spring kit, larger Brembo brakes and a Racing Beat exhaust.
And then there's the Ceramic 6 Concept, pictured right. The name comes from the car's Ceramic White paint, though we don't really get the Taupe Silver accent stripes. Mazda says they're meant to mimic "the linear frequency patterns found on the likes of couture dresses and flowing fabrics," but it just looks a bit overwrought to us. The Mazda6 already has so many clean lines, why add more?