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New Mazda CX-4 teaser shots emerge ahead of Beijing debut

The Kodo styling language seen on last year's Koeru concept seems to translate well to a production car, judging by these teaser images of the upcoming CX-4 from Mazda's Chinese press site. And, as has been seen on several recent Mazdas, concept cars can be quite close to their eventual production versions. An earlier press release implies the CX-4 should be seen as a more coupe-like counterpart to the CX-5, with some of the MX-5's characteristic and often emphasized jinba ittai feel injected into it – if the MX-5 is all about the rider and horse being one, the CX-4 would just be a slightly bigger steed. The 19-inch wheels and LED headlights are some of the more attention-grabbing details on the car. Inside, there's a head-up-display and a MZD connect infotainment screen as seen on other current models. The hardware on the "Exploring-Coupe SUV", as Mazda call it, should match the CX-5: 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D turbodiesels in some markets, 2.0 and 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G gasoline engines in most. There will also be a choice of front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. The Beijing Motor Show opens to the public on April 29th, so we won't have to wait a whole lot longer to see the whole thing. Related Video:

NHTSA urges owners of recalled Takata airbag vehicles to take immediate action

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation are taking the unusual step of issuing a followup press release urging owners of certain recalled vehicles "to act immediately" to fix their cars and trucks. The problem in question concerns the repair campaigns for rupturing Takata airbag inflators issued in June and covers a long list of models from Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Infiniti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
While NHSTA doesn't specifically say why the recall is vital in the new release, Toyota's own explanation in its newly announced renotification campaign earlier today sheds some new light on the topic. According to the Japanese automaker, in testing, Takata found a possible link between the rupturing airbag inflators and high humidity. NHTSA is advocating that all owners pursue repairs immediately if they haven't already done so already. This is especially crucial for those drivers especially in Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii because of the humid conditions there.
We don't need to tell you how dangerous an inadvertent airbag deployment could be - even in a stationary vehicle - but adding to the Takata issue is fears that the deployment could lead to shrapnel being sprayed into the cabin.

Jay Leno brings a rotary-powered VW Beetle to the garage

It takes something really unique or inventive to pique Jay Leno's interest. His show, Jay Leno's Garage, has featured everything from concours-worthy classics to completely custom, home-built machinery. How do you get Leno to feature one of more than 20 million Beetles on his program? Stick a turbocharged rotary engine under the hood. The Beetle's owner, Mario Markakis, swapped the car's stock flat four-cylinder for the Wankel engine from a 1990 Mazda RX-7 Series 5 Turbo. The engine's 250 horsepower are fed through a reinforced version of the Beetle's stock four-speed transmission. That's about five times the original engine's output. It works well, with the car putting down some impressive times at the drag strip. Markakis did most of the work to the Beetle in his garage. In addition to the engine swap, he's modified the car's brakes, suspension, and interior. Check out the video to hear all the details of this custom Wankel-powered Volkswagen. Related Video: Celebrities TV/Movies Mazda Volkswagen Classics Videos Jay Lenos Garage rotary mazda rx-7