Beautiful 1988 Mazda Rx7 Turbo Ii 10th Anniversary Rx-7 Fc3s - One Adult Owner on 2040-cars

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Mazda 16X rotary engine two years away, will arrive in all-new model

We last reported on Mazda's next-generation rotary engine project in June of 2012 when the automaker built its last Renesis-powered RX-8, but rumors of this new engine's development had been around way before that final car left the production line in Japan, last year.
We now have enthusiastic confirmation that this next-gen rotary engine is really and truly going forward. It is still referred to as 16X and has several priorities. First is to lower fuel consumption compared to the RX-8's engine, while still making gains in terms of performance. The second is to reduce the burning of oil that was happening at the highest revs. And the third and final priority, and perhaps most key for enthusiasts, is to give the powertrain a big torque upgrade.
What we were told by a Mazda USA insider (while we are all here together at the festivities in Monterey) is that the first application of the new 16X engine will be happening in two years' time in an as yet undisclosed new model. Oh, the mind races to our eternal Mazda wish list...

Mazda5 will officially die this year

We knew it was coming, but it just became a lot more official. Mazda is going to kill the closest thing to a driver-oriented people-mover when it phases out the Mazda5 MPV for model year 2016. The news was presented quietly and unremarkably, with Mazda giving its compact minivan a single-line obituary as part of an announcement recapping changes to the brand's lineup for 2016: "There are no plans at this time to bring a replacement Mazda5 to the US market beyond the 2015 model year." Despite being a critical favorite for its fun-to-drive nature and seven-seat capacity, the 5 never really resonated with consumers, representing a small percentage of Mazda's total sales. In its best sales year, 2008, only about 22,000 were sold, representing only about eight percent of the brand's sales that year. That percentage was even smaller in recent years, as the 5's sales fell into the low ten-thousands. In other Mazda news, the brand is making a number of small, subtle changes to its lineup. Almost all of them constitute new ore removed options and are available for your perusal in the attached press release. Scroll down for a look. 2016 MAZDA LINEUP: WHAT'S NEW Having launched two refreshed and two all-new models for the 2016 model year, Mazda North American Operations is keeping busy with broadening its award-winning lineup of cars and crossovers. For the 2016 model year, Mazda is keen to maintain its leadership in providing unmatched KODO—Soul of Motion design and excellent driving dynamics and democratizing advanced safety technologies like Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Smart Brake Support into even its smallest, most affordable vehicles. Mazda6 and CX-5 return for 2016 with new styling elements, interior amenities and refinement. Mazda CX-3 enters the North American market in a new, hot segment, and MX-5 Miata continues its mission to provide unadulterated driving thrills to the masses. Last but not least, Mazda3 has been repackaged for 2016. Below is a list of what's new and different with Mazda's 2016 lineup.

Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.