2007 Mazda 3 S Sedan 4-door 2.3l I4 Mpi on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mazda hopes to return to Le Mans

Mazda has been away from the winner's circle at Le Mans for some time now. But it could be preparing a return to the forefront at the famous French endurance race in the near future. That is, at least, if the racing enthusiasts within its ranks get their way. "I know that the expectation for us to return to Le Mans is high. I can imagine a day when Mazda returns," Nobuhiro Yamamoto told Top Gear at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend. "I hope - as with many other Mazda fans - that we go back to Le Mans." His words hardly serve as confirmation of the Zoom-Zoom brand's intentions, but they certainly speak rather loudly to a desire within its ranks. They hardly come out of left field, either. Yamamoto-san is arguably the man best positioned to spearhead such a campaign – or would at least be best informed if such a campaign were underway. He's currently the program manager for the MX-5, and decades ago was the racing engineer behind the 787B. That Group C prototype racer represented Mazda's last major effort at taking top honors at Le Mans, and take them it did when it won the race outright in 1991. The Japanese automaker was out in force this past weekend at Goodwood, the event's central sculpture honoring Mazda's racing history, and its presence only fueling rumors that it could be preparing a renewed assault on endurance racing – potentially once again under rotary power. The 787B, motorsport history buffs will tell you, represented the first and last time to date that a Japanese manufacturer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although Toyota has been competing with Audi and Porsche at the front of the field with the TS040 Hybrid, it has yet to win the key race, despite having taken the FIA World Endurance Championship last year. "Everyone at Mazda would love to see the only Japanese company to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans return to the famed twice-around-the-clock classic," a spokesman for Mazda's North American motorsports department told Autoblog by correspondence. "Whether that'll actually happen isn't something we can discuss at this time, but, given our historical and current involvement in motorsports, our interest in the event should be no surprise to anyone. We agree with Yamamoto-san when he says he hopes it happens." So while Mazda may not be ready to confirm the prospect of its return to Le Mans, it certainly isn't ruling it out, either.

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

Fiat 124 spied with top down

With fall officially here, the days are rapidly running out for much of the country to put the top down and enjoy a convertible. Fiat apparently wants to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts, given these fresh spy shots of the 124 Spider testing with the roof down. In terms of styling, these photos show the droptop with an extremely similar look to the ones from July. The roadster still appears to have rounded headlights and a wide grille up front, which the kidney-shaped cladding does nothing to hide. The hood bulge continues to be there, too, and so is the spiderweb-pattern camouflage. However, these new shots let us check out the roll hoops that are visible with the top out of the way, and we even get to see the manual roof in operation. Also, note there are now dual exhausts at the rear, rather than the quad tips from before. Underneath all this camo and cladding, we know that the 124 Spider shares underpinnings with the new Mazda MX-5 Miata. The engine remains a mystery, but competing rumors suggest the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the current 500 Abarth or the 1.7-liter turbo four from the Alfa Romeo 4C. Thankfully, an answer might not be too far away because the roadster is mooted to debut this year, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. With the latest Miata receiving high praise from critics, the motoring world soon gets to find out whether Fiat can find any room for improvement. Related Video: