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Mazda reports highest profits in its 94-year history

We may only be a third of the way through 2014, but for Japanese companies, March 31 marked the end of fiscal 2014, and it was a banner financial year for Mazda's global operations. The Japanese independent saw its highest global operating profits in its nearly 100-year history. Its global operating profits were up a huge 238 percent. Yes, a 238 percent increase over 2012 to 1.36 billion euros ($1.88 billion), eclipsing the brand's previous best year, 2008, by 12 percent. Net earnings, revenue and global sales volume also saw increases over the last fiscal year.
What's most impressive, though, is where Mazda saw improvement. The notoriously rough European market was rather kind to the Zoom-Zoom brand, where sales increased 25 percent to 163,000 units. That figure was bolstered by a 35-percent sales increase in Great Britain and a 20-percent jump in Germany, Europe's two largest markets. Japanese sales, meanwhile, were up a respectable 13 percent, to 244,000 units. In China, Mazda saw a 12 percent bump.
Notice we aren't talking about North American sales? That's because Mazda only saw a moderate, five-percent gain in the New World, with sales climbing to 391,000 units in the US, Canada and Mexico. This is particularly disappointing considering Mazda has launched three critically acclaimed products (CX-5, Mazda6 and most recently, Mazda3) for the North American market over the past two fiscal years. Still, it isn't a particular reason to be concerned, as IHS industry analyst Stephanie Brinley notes. "Five percent isn't terrible," Brinley told Autoblog, saying that Mazda should see a bump in 2014 as the Mazda3 picks up steam.

2020 Mazda CX-30 small crossover lands an IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 has come out of the gate swinging on the safety front, earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award in its first year on the market.  Mazda's new baby crossover earned a "Good" rating in all six of the Institute's crashworthiness categories (driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint) and its accident avoidance system was rated "Superior." Sadly, only one set of available headlights was rated "Acceptable" or better, which kept the CX-30 out of the running for the coveted Top Safety Pick+ award. The best-rated lamps available on the CX-30 are actually those that come standard. The curve-adaptive units offered as an optional upgrade were rated "Poor" due to excessive glare. For 2020, IIHS made the guidelines for earning Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards even more stringent. Up until 2019, cars needed only to earn an "Acceptable" rating in the passenger-side small overlap test to qualify for a Top Safety Pick. For 2020, that has been raised to "Good."   The bigger challenge for many OEMs will be headlights. To earn Top Safety Pick+, a vehicle cannot be sold with any headlight configuration that does not earn at least an "Acceptable" rating.    So far, fewer than two dozen 2020-model-year vehicles for sale in the U.S. have met the criteria for Top Safety Pick+; roughly half again as many qualify for the lesser award. In coming years, the Institute is expected to add even more conditions, especially in the realms of accident avoidance and pedestrian safety. 

Mazda confirms MX-30 will get a rotary engine as a range extender

Mazda teased out the possible return of the rotary engine as a range extender in the MX-30 earlier this year, but now the rotary’s return appears to be official for MazdaÂ’s new crossover. In a video (below, skip to 7:34, and turn on English subtitles) streamed to MazdaÂ’s official YouTube channel, CEO Akira Marumoto confirmed that Mazda will use a rotary engine in the MX-30. Just as it was initially teased out, Mazda plans to use the rotary as a range extender on the otherwise all-electric version of the MX-30. Marumoto said that it will begin testing with a small batch of prototypes next year. The goal is to have a production version of the MX-30 with a rotary engine on Japanese roads in 2022. Unfortunately, Mazda wasnÂ’t super forthcoming about the specifics of this upcoming rotary engine. A news brief over two years ago (where Mazda officially confirmed the rotary was coming back) contained the most detailed information about the engine. Mazda says itÂ’s going to be compact, have a high power output and be a smooth operator. Of course, those are all things we expect out of a rotary engine. Any numbers or specifications for the engine are still unknown. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mazda hasnÂ’t announced specific plans for this rotary range extender outside of the MX-30 for now. The cute and spunky MX-branded crossover is now on sale in Japan where itÂ’s launching with a mild-hybrid powertrain. An all-electric version of the MX-30 has been on sale in Europe for about a month now, too. There are still no official plans for Mazda to unleash the MX-30 on the American public, and even if it did, thereÂ’s no guarantee that weÂ’d get one with a rotary range extender. Mazda could always stick the rotary in a different car, but thatÂ’d mean an even longer wait for us to see one here. TodayÂ’s news is certainly worthy of some excitement for rotary enthusiasts, but there are still plenty of questions left unanswered. Related Video: