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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata shows off perfect 50/50 weight balance

When I attended the first drive event for the Japanese-spec 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata in Spain earlier this year, I was blown away – and not just by the car. I was blown away by the charts and graphs Mazda's engineers brought along, showing how every little facet of the ND Miata was finely tuned for pure driving perfection. It's like rocket science. Only cooler. One of the most important parts of the Miata package is its weight distribution. The 2,332-pound roadster must achieve a perfect 50/50 balance, with a driver inside. That's not easy. But it has to be done. Only the best for the Miata. In this video, Mazda shows off the Miata's balance by putting it on an aluminum balance beam, to see if the car stays perfectly centered. You can probably guess the outcome, but watching it all take place is super cool, especially with commentary by Mazda engineer Dave Coleman and MX-5 program manager Rod McLaughlin. How does the 50/50 balance help the Miata's handling out on the road? You'll have to wait until the embargo on driving impressions for the US-spec car lifts. We'll have the full scoop at 3:01 AM Eastern on Monday, June 1. In the meantime, get a sneak preview of the new Miata in the video below. Autoblog readers got a closer look at the 2016 MX-5 at our Cars & Coneys meet-up, and as you can see, the excitement for this car is definitely real.

Mazda3 successor due in dealers this fall

Following exciting new models like the 2013 CX-5 and 2014 Mazda6, Mazda is getting ready to introduce the next generation of its high-volume compact, the Mazda3. After talking to several of Mazda's dealers, Automotive News is reporting that the automaker is planning to introduce its new compact this fall, which is earlier than what was originally reported.
Aside from what we've seen in recent spy shots and what appeared to be a full-scale design mockup back in October, there is little information about the third-generation 3, but we can see that the car will get plenty of cues from Mazda's stylish Kodo design language, and we expect even more technologies from the company's SkyActiv efficiency program to come to bear. AN says that Mazda is hoping to top 300,000 sales this year in the US, and the sooner Mazda can replace the current aging 3, the better chances it has at reaching that goal.

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?