2005 Mazda Rx-8. Grand Touring, Low Miles, Custom Mods! on 2040-cars

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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.

Evo blasts around in a Spa 24H-winning Mazda RX-7

Think of the Mazda RX-7 today, and your thoughts likely turn to the turbocharged third-generation version of the '90s that's an icon among the tuning and drifting communities. Many years before that swoopy coupe was hanging the tail out, the first model of RX-7 was also quite a track star, though. Evo's Richard Meaden has gotten ahold of a race-prepped version that counts a victory in the 1981 Spa 24 Hours to its name – the first Japanese car to claim that honor – for a fantastic video. With 225 horsepower and weighing around 1,984 pounds, this RX-7 doesn't look like a giant killer on paper. However as Meaden illustrates, the coupe puts those rotary-powered ponies to very good use. Driving it requires constantly keeping things on the boil because the muscle is essentially absent below 7,000 rpm. Once in the sweet spot, things start progressing quickly, though. As a wonderful cap to the wall of noise from the engine, little licks of flame also shoot out of the exhaust on downshifts. Thankfully, Evo's video team captures all of the mechanical noises quite well, and the clip is a treat for those with a good pair of headphones. Despite the race-winning pedigree, Meaden has no problem grabbing the little coupe by the scruff of the neck. He chucks it through the corners to get the tail loose, and the little wisps of smoke from the rear tires prove the original RX-7 knows how to drift too. These early cars definitely worth being remembered in the pantheon of Mazda performance.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata reveal livestream is here and now

Let's not understate the significance and difficulty of what's been accomplished here. In this ever-connected, constantly surveilled modern auto industry, Mazda has pulled a coup - it's kept a new vehicle under wraps. Yes, we've seen hacked up and camouflaged mules and maybe a form under a sheet, but Mazda is about to reveal its next-generation MX-5 Miata, and the car - let alone its specifications - hasn't been leaked anywhere yet. Not via clandestine camera phone snapshot, not by patent drawing, not by leaked ad copy, not even by diecast model. Believe us, we've looked.
And this isn't just some humdrum crossover or workaday compact, it's the Miata, the world's most popular roadster, apple of the enthusiast community's eye and seeming center of gravity for the Japanese automaker. For those who are genuinely excited about cars - about motoring - this is an impressive feat. If anything, Mazda's radio silence regarding the fourth-generation ND Miata has only served to heighten our anticipation for a model that probably won't reach showrooms for another year.
So, what's true and what's false among all the rumors? Will the already lightweight Miata really shed hundreds of pounds? What exactly will live under hood and drive those rear wheels?